With Sherry mentioning Mr. Lynn over and over, the longing Teresa had tried so hard to bury started surging up again, almost out of control.

Just then, Sherry said, “Teresa, things are a bit hectic here, so I’ll hang up for now. Let’s chat again soon. You, Mr. Lynn, and the kids should come visit when you have time. Come to our restaurant—dinner’s on us.”

“Sure,” Teresa replied.

After hanging up, Teresa felt another wave of sadness hit her. Not long after, she heard footsteps outside. It was Benny dropping by.

Benny had come loaded with all sorts of food and even some health supplements.

Teresa asked, “What’s up with all this food? Is today some special day or something?”

Benny grinned and said, “Well, you’ve been holed up at home for ages, so I figured I’d bring you some emergency rations.”

Teresa laughed and said, “I just bought a ton of groceries myself. The kitchen’s packed—I’ll be eating this stuff until New Year’s Day.”

Benny said, “No worries, just take your time with it. You can never have too much food in winter. And hey, it’s already Christmas—can you believe how fast time flies?”

Only then did Teresa notice the calendar—today was Christmas. Another year had slipped by in the blink of an eye.

She remembered last year’s Christmas—Jonathan had eaten the ravioli she made. The ravioli had gone bad, and he ended up in the hospital with gastroenteritis.

Noticing the faint curve at the corner of Teresa’s lips, Benny asked, “Why are you smiling?”

Teresa said, “It’s nothing. I’ll go pour you some hot coffee.”

Benny replied, “No need, I won’t stay long. I’ve got things to handle at the law firm. Where’s Mike?”

Teresa said, “The kids wore themselves out playing and just fell asleep.” She then poured Benny some coffee, trying to sound casual as she asked, “How’s he doing? Still in Archulea?”

She finally managed to ask the question she’d been holding in.

Benny replied, “Jonathan seems to have gone to Elarioa again. I haven’t been in touch with him.”

“I see,” Teresa said. She had so many questions, but in the end, she kept them to herself. She was too embarrassed to ask any more.

Benny took a sip of his coffee and said, “From the way things look, I doubt he’ll be coming back to Nareigh much anymore. He hasn’t shown up even once, has he?”

“No,” Teresa replied. It had only been ten days since Jonathan left, but she felt like he had been gone forever—like a whole century had passed.

“So is it really over between you two? What happened? Why didn’t you go see him off at the airport that day?” Benny pressed. He thought, ‘If Teresa had gone to see Jonathan off, he probably wouldn’t have left at all.’

Teresa shook her head and said, “There’s no point talking about it now. Our families have already fallen out with each other.”

She said it in a tone that was trying too hard to sound indifferent, pretending she was already over it.

Benny let out a sigh. Then he said, “Jonathan could forgive Jennifer for faking that report—Jennifer should be able to forgive him, too. Even if she got nine months, it’s not like Jonathan could do anything about it. Honestly, Jennifer is not even your real sister, and Jonathan has already done more than enough. You should get Jennifer to talk it out with your mom.”

Teresa replied, “My mom and Isabel are still away visiting relatives. Anyway, it doesn’t matter anymore—Jonathan is already gone.”

Benny glanced at his watch and said, “Alright then, let’s wait until New Year’s Day, or maybe your birthday. I bet he’ll come back then.”

Teresa’s birthday was coming up next month.

Teresa shook her head and said, “Forget it. Don’t ask him if he will come back or not. Do you want things to get even more awkward between us? If you’re busy, just go handle your stuff.”

Teresa felt that with the end of the year approaching, Benny’s law firm must be swamped with work.

Teresa walked Benny to the door and said, “Be careful on your way.”

“Oh, by the way,” Benny said, turning back just as he reached the door.