Chapter 373

“If he finds out about his sister’s pregnancy, won’t he blame you for keeping it from him?” Teresa asked.

Jennifer didn’t seem bothered. “With how timid Lily is, I bet she’d do the same thing you did—have a baby and keep it a secret from her family.”

Teresa nodded, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, right. I’m the coward and you’re as brave as a lion. Happy now?”

Jennifer frowned. “I’m not here to argue. We’re in a hospital. Make sure you eat more nutritious food, okay? Take care of yourself.”

Teresa had already turned to leave, but she took Jennifer’s advice to heart. Since they were running low on groceries at home, she decided to stop by the supermarket and brought Michael along.

At the supermarket, Teresa spotted Donald, and a flicker of panic crossed her face. She tightened her grip on the cart and instinctively tried to steer away.

Donald walked over with a slight smile. “Hey Teresa, out shopping too?”

“I’m just picking up a few things. Jennifer isn’t with you?”

“Jennifer went to the airport to pick up her college friend. She’s hosting a get-together tonight, so she sent me out to grab some groceries.”

“I see.”

Donald’s gaze landed on Michael, who waved his little hand. “Hi, Doctor.”

At that moment, the more Donald looked at Michael, the more he felt like the boy was a spitting image of Jonathan. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but the resemblance was undeniable. Donald glanced down and noticed what Michael was wearing, his eyes flickering. But Teresa was already wheeling the cart away, heading off with Michael in tow.

After they’d walked away, Michael turned back and met Donald’s gaze. Teresa gently turned his head forward. “Don’t look back,” she said softly.

Teresa had planned to pick up a few more things, but she hurried through checkout. She needed to use the restroom, so she loaded everything into the trunk and buckled Michael into his car seat.

“Be good, honey. Mommy’s just going to the restroom and will be right back,” she said, locking the car but leaving the window open.

Michael leaned against the window, looking around. A black Audi pulled up and honked at him, catching his attention.

When Teresa came back from the restroom, Michael told her excitedly, “Mommy, the Doctor just said goodbye to me. He even gave me a lollipop.”

Teresa noticed the lollipop in his hand and asked, “Did he say anything else to you?”

“He asked how old I am, and I told him I’m almost three. He asked which kindergarten I go to. I told him I haven’t started kindergarten yet. He also patted my head,” Michael replied.

“Okay,” Teresa replied.

After Teresa got in the car, Michael added, “Mommy, he also pulled out one of my hairs.”

“What?” Teresa asked, her voice rising in surprise.

“He said I had a white hair, so he pulled it out for me,” Michael said honestly.

Teresa’s heart sank at his words, speechless.

Michael pouted, looking pitiful. “Mommy, am I getting old? Is that why I have white hair?”

Teresa was totally confused. She couldn’t understand why Donald would suddenly get suspicious. Then, she noticed what Michael was wearing that day—the T-shirt Jonathan had signed for him, the one he’d brought back from Everport to Haraigh. She hadn’t given it much thought when he’d wanted to wear it that morning.

As soon as Teresa got home, she tried calling Jennifer, but the line was busy. Remembering what Donald said about Jennifer being at the airport to pick up her friend, Teresa quickly sent her a message.

She texted: [Donald pulled a hair from Mike’s head. Do something. If this blows up, it’ll cause a whole chain reaction.]

Teresa was still feeling anxious when Michael came running over with a mirror. “Mom, can you check if I still have any white hairs? I don’t want to turn into an old man—I haven’t even gotten married yet.”

Teresa helplessly ruffled his hair. He didn’t have a single white hair. Donald’s lie had really gotten to him.

After picking up her college friend, Sanford Thomas, Jennifer finally saw the message from Teresa. She was taken aback. ‘I already convinced Donald to stop suspecting Mike. Why’s he doubtful again?’ she wondered. She immediately tried to reach Donald, only to find he was already at home.

Jennifer headed home with Sanford. Sanford was slim, about the same height as Donald. When they met, the two men shook hands.

“Nice to meet you,” Donald said. The more he looked at Sanford, the more he thought Sanford looked a bit like his dad, Werner.

“Jennifer made me go to the supermarket. I bought a ton of food,” Donald said.

“Is that so?” Sanford grinned, giving Jennifer a friendly pat on the shoulder. “Looks like you’re on kitchen duty tonight, Chef Jennifer.”

Jennifer seemed distracted, and Sanford noticed that. Donald asked what was wrong.

Jennifer snapped out of it, pushed down her anxiety, and finally said, “On the way back, Teresa called me. She said she saw you at the supermarket. You two didn’t have any kind of disagreement, did you?”

Donald replied, “No way. I just said hi to Teresa; that’s all. I’ll tell you about the details later.”

“Alright,” Jennifer replied, her heart pounding. She wasn’t sure if Donald had already taken Michael’s hair for a DNA test.