Chapter 217

He was paying the price for her recklessness. If Jonathan’s reputation suffered, potentially impacting his company’s growth, Teresa would feel deeply guilty.

Just as Teresa felt lost and overwhelmed, her phone rang. She glanced at the screen—it was Miriam. Miriam explained that Sherry had just returned from her hometown. Unable to reach Teresa, Sherry had called Miriam instead. Sherry had flown back alone; Christian hadn’t come with her.

Teresa had just lied to Jonathan, saying Michael’s mother had picked him up. As if fate were playing tricks, Sherry actually showed up.

Teresa went to Miriam’s house, leaving Michael at home, promising to return shortly. As always, Michael leaned against the window, his little face pressed to the glass as he watched Teresa’s car disappear down the road.

“Mommy, I wish I had a little brother or sister,” Michael mumbled to himself, his small hands resting on the windowpane, his voice soft and filled with longing.

Sherry stayed in her hometown for quite a while. She was doing okay, but her stay had been extended because of the turmoil in Christian’s family. His father had died of advanced-stage lung cancer around Christmas, forcing him to rush home. This delayed his return to Nareigh. To be safe, Christian took his mother to a tertiary hospital for a full checkup.

Even though his mother didn’t want to spend the money, Christian insisted. During the checkup, they discovered she had breast cancer. The good news was that they caught it early, and scheduled her for surgery immediately.

All of this weighed heavily on Christian. He’d always been highly disciplined, working as a CEO’s secretary after college. His plan had been to save enough money to return to his hometown and care for his parents. But life had other plans—his father passed away before he could even enjoy a family reunion.