Chapter 1016

Teresa said, “Maybe this time he’ll really end up marrying another woman and having kids. He told my mom he’s tired and wants us to just move on.”

“I honestly have no idea what he’s thinking. Sometimes I feel like he still loves me, but other times, it feels like he doesn’t at all.”

“Maybe there’s still the tiniest bit of love left, but everything that happened between our families has pretty much wiped it out.”

Miriam said, “Oh, Teresa, you silly girl. Why are you still thinking about this? What difference does it make if he loves you or not? Does it really matter? You’re not with him anymore. Let him and his mom live their lives. We’ve got our kids and money. We need to focus on living our own lives and making money.”

“You’re right, Miriam. I need to start living my life,” Teresa said.

“That’s the spirit,” Miriam said, hugging Teresa and helping her up. She tossed out Teresa’s drink for good, wiped away Teresa’s tears, and said, “Let’s both live well.”

Teresa nodded. She thought, ‘Wasn’t I doing just fine on my own for those two years after the divorce? Maybe being single and free from love is a relief. I’ll just go back to how things were before, when he wasn’t around. Didn’t I make it through just fine before? What’s so hard about it this time?’

The next day, when Edward came back, Teresa was getting ready to leave.

“Teresa, I’m sorry. Miriam called me and said her stomach was hurting. I honestly didn’t know who else to reach out to, so you were the first person I thought of,” Edward said.

“It’s okay. Miriam’s surgery went really well, and she needs to rest. I’ll get going then,” Teresa replied.

Edward replied, “Okay.”

When Teresa got back, Evelyn wasn’t home. She heard from Isabel that Evelyn had gone to visit Jennifer.

It wasn’t until evening that Evelyn finally came back. Her eyes were red, and she was wiping away tears.

Teresa asked her, “What’s wrong? Did something happen with Jennifer?”

Evelyn sniffled and replied, “Oh, it was nothing. Why haven’t you moved to Forlisle Rose Estates yet? It’s way more comfortable than Rosary Estates.”

“Not going. I feel most comfortable living in my own home,” Teresa replied.

Evelyn let out a sigh and waved her hand. She said, “Whatever, if you don’t want to go, then don’t go. Suit yourself. Honestly, I don’t feel like interfering in your life anymore. You’re an adult–you can make your own decisions. Let’s just leave things as they are and wait for Jennifer to get out next year.”

After coming back from visiting Jennifer, it was obvious that, for some reason, Evelyn’s attitude toward Teresa had improved a lot.

Teresa said, “I hope you won’t stay mad at Jonathan anymore. Just like Fiona said, Jennifer was the one who broke the law first. If it weren’t for that, Irene wouldn’t have had anything to use against us. Jonathan has helped our family so much. Now that he’s gone, there’s no point in blaming anyone, especially not him. He’s already done more than enough. I just hope that if he ever comes back to Nareigh, you won’t give him the cold shoulder or say anything harsh to him.”

This time, Evelyn fell silent. Teresa’s words really struck a chord with her. She thought about what Jennifer had said to her in prison and nodded.

Then she said, “You’re right. Seeing Jennifer in jail made me so angry—I just blurted out whatever came to mind. I shouldn’t have meddled so much in your business. I was wrong. And Jonathan, well, he just up and left. But I’m sure he’ll be back sooner or later. You two just take good care of the kids from now on. Don’t even think about anything else.”

It felt like getting back together with Jonathan had become a forbidden topic–so unthinkable it was almost a joke no one dared mention.