Chapter 1021

When Hayden saw Felix, he couldn’t hide the fondness and tenderness in his eyes. He said, “I’ve been at home with not much to do, so I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about names for the little ones. I kept mulling it over, just worried you all might not like what I came up with.”

Teresa was stunned for a moment. It wasn’t until Hayden went on that she realized there was a special meaning behind the names he had chosen. Michael and Felix: one meant “the most beloved angel of God," the other meant “happy.”

Hayden hoped both boys would be cherished by God and grow up safe, healthy, and happy.

Teresa came to truly appreciate Hayden’s deep, hidden kindness. Tears stung at the corners of her eyes as she said, “Hayden, you really put your heart into this. Thank you for giving the kids such a wonderful blessing.”

“No need to stand on ceremony with me, Teresa. By the way, where’s that rascal Jonathan?” Hayden asked.

Since Hayden didn’t know about their fake remarriage, Teresa had to lie. She said, “He’s on a business trip. It’s almost the end of the year, so he’s really busy.”

Hayden didn’t suspect a thing. He nodded seriously and said, “I’ll have a word with him later. Honestly, no matter how busy he is, he can’t forget about his wife and kids.”

“No need, Hayden. Please don’t say anything to him. I understand him,” Teresa said.

“You’re always speaking up for him,” Hayden said.

Teresa just wanted to keep Hayden from calling Jonathan. That’s all.

Hayden kept Michael and Felix with him, so Gary took Teresa out to see the kindergarten.

The kindergarten was really nice, and Teresa was genuinely pleased. She said, “I’ll hire a nanny myself to look after Mike and Felix. But I still don’t want to move into Forlisle Rose Estates.”

Gary asked, “Why not?”

Teresa replied firmly, “I just don’t want to. He put the villa under the kids’ names. When they’re older, they can live there if they want.”

Gary said, “Come on, whether Jonathan put it under your name or the kids’, isn’t it the same thing?”

Teresa shook her head and said, “I just can’t feel at ease living there. What if Irene comes back? I really don’t want to run into her again.”

“You really don’t have to worry about Irene. She wouldn’t dare mess with you now—she’s already moved overseas,” Gary said.

Teresa stayed quiet. Other people just couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t want to live in a bigger, fancier villa, but there was a wall in her heart she just couldn’t get over.

To Teresa, it just didn’t feel right. It was like she didn’t have any real claim to that place, and moving in would always feel awkward. Deep down, she felt like something important was missing.

That night, Teresa went to pick up her kids.

All the way back, Michael kept pouting and talking about how much he missed Jonathan.

Teresa just gave a soft “mm,” her chest tightening with a bittersweet ache. She missed Jonathan, too, but she just couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Michael leaned against Teresa’s back and said, “Mommy, do you miss Mr. Lime too? Gary said I’m going to kindergarten soon, but all the other kids have both their mom and dad taking them. Is Mr. Lime still super busy?”

Finally, Teresa just couldn’t ignore Michael’s little wish and hope anymore. She said, “Alright, I’ll call him in a bit and see if he’s coming back.”

“Yay! Why don’t we call him right now? Let’s call him together,” Michael exclaimed.

Teresa pondered, “It is still daytime here. Benny had said Jonathan is in Elarioa, so there has to be a time difference. It is probably nighttime over there—he is probably wiped out and already asleep after a long day!"

So she said, “Let’s just wait until after dinner, okay? There’s no hurry.”

She needed some time to think about how she was going to talk to him. Her palms were sweating from nerves—just the idea of calling him now actually made her feel a little panicked and jittery.