Teresa said seriously, “Starting today, I’m going to start making some real money.”

Gary looked confused. He asked, “Doesn’t Jonathan give the kids 6 million dollars a year in child support?”

“That money is for the kids’ schooling. Just because he gives me money, does that mean I should stop working and just sit at home complaining all day?” Teresa replied.

Gary caught the word ‘complaining’ right away. He wondered, ‘Who made Teresa feel resentful this time?’ Just as he wanted to ask, Teresa had already driven off.

Seeing that Teresa was dressed in a way that was flashy, Gary couldn’t help but worry about Jonathan.

But Teresa thought, Jonathan has started a new life overseas and isn’t coming back. Benny even told me at the airport that Jonathan is planning to emigrate. I can’t just keep living in the past.

Irene’s words had really hit Teresa hard. Even though she still felt a lingering sadness, she knew deep down that if she could get used to life without Jonathan before, she could do it again now. She just had to keep moving forward.

She wasn’t going to let anyone bully or look down on her ever again – especially not Irene. She thought, ‘I have already spoken out about everything Irene had done. That is the end between us.’

Just then, Donald called Teresa. He said, “Teresa, your car’s all fixed up. The repair shop will bring it over this afternoon. Sorry for the trouble.”

“Never mind. Did you find out who was responsible for the accident?” Teresa asked.

“We’re still investigating,” Donald replied.

“Alright, got it. If you need me to show up, I’ll head over to the police station,” Teresa said.

Donald replied, “Yeah, we do need you to come by. I went to see Jennifer again yesterday, and she said she wants to see you.”

Ever since Jennifer had been sentenced, Teresa hadn’t gone to see her, not even once. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to; she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. But now, it was about time she finally went to visit her.

So Teresa got in her car and drove over.

Jennifer was brought out of her room. She seemed to be in pretty good spirits that day – her hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she didn’t look nearly as haggard as before. When she saw Teresa, she smiled at her.

Teresa smiled back, but the more she smiled, the more bittersweet it felt inside. She picked up the phone and said, “I just went back to work today. Donald called and said you wanted to see me.”

Jennifer asked, “You went back to work today? Why didn’t you take a few more days to rest?”

Teresa replied, “Jonathan’s gone overseas. I didn’t want to just sit around at home doing nothing, so I thought I'd keep myself busy."

Jennifer fell silent for a few seconds. With a pang of guilt, she said, “I’m sorry. This is all because of me. The last time Mom, I mean, Evelyn, came to visit, she brought it up."

“I told her not to meddle too much in your life, and not to let you end up like me.”

That was when Teresa finally realized why Evelyn’s attitude toward her had softened so much lately – it was all thanks to what Jennifer had said.

Jennifer said, “I told her you’re an adult now, you can make your own choices. Besides, Jonathan has already forgiven me. Nine months isn’t that long – I can deal with it. I asked her not to give you a hard time over this.

“After all, you are her real daughter; I am not. I just hoped she would treat you well. She didn’t owe me anything anymore. She had promised to do just that.

“I’m really sorry. If it weren’t for me, maybe you and Jonathan could have gotten back together. This is all my fault.”

By now, Teresa had already come to terms with everything. She said, “You don’t have to blame yourself. With Irene in the picture, it was only a matter of time before our families split up.”