Chapter 67

“He must be busy. Oh right, wasn’t he on a business trip in Warvey? How did he get back so quickly?” Teresa wondered to herself.

Teresa caught a break with a good night’s sleep, but the next day, chaos struck again. With Jason’s issue barely resolved, Philip’s scandal took center stage. Rumors flew that Teresa, set up by her own father, Philip, had been with a wealthy man. The street talk followed the old adage—if the father was a mess, the daughter was likely just as bad. Though Teresa had managed to fight back against Jason’s claims, she was speechless now. She was unable to dispute the rumors because, in reality, her own father had indeed turned his back on her.

Evelyn had seen the news about Teresa and, for the first time ever, reached out. “Are you out of your mind? Sleeping with a man? Did Philip take you there?” Evelyn demanded, her voice sharp.

“It doesn’t matter what you think anymore! I’ve got enough to deal with,” Teresa replied, her voice heavy with exhaustion.

Evelyn was seething. “You need to figure out how to spin this, Teresa. Do you even care about your reputation?”

“Is my reputation your business? Don’t sweat it. I won’t blow your cover. Just keep living your life with your husband and your daughter,” Teresa said.

“I didn’t mean it like that. You’re an online persona now, selling clothes. Do you want to throw that away?” Evelyn insisted.

Evelyn’s words piled more stress onto Teresa, and she ended the call. Teresa’s business was sure to suffer, but she found herself indifferent to the consequences. After all, when her own father betrayed her, the opinions of others no longer held any weight. She had reached a point where she just didn’t care anymore.

Wanting to shield Evelyn from this disaster and avoid disrupting her peaceful life, Teresa quickly packed her and Michael’s bags.

Sherry was shocked, thinking Teresa was running away. “You can’t just split like this. What about your reputation?” she said.

“Let it go. I can’t explain unless Philip backs me up. What’s there to say? I got sold out by my own dad,” Teresa said with a mirthless chuckle and resignation in her voice.

“Sherry, I’m leaving the store in your and Miriam’s hands. I’ll just work behind the scenes, and Mike and I won’t be staying in Nareigh,” Teresa declared with determination.

As for the house in Rosary Estates, Teresa decided Sherry could have it since she wouldn’t be around. She was aiming to start fresh somewhere new.

Sherry felt for Teresa and said, “You can’t just write off your reputation because of your dad’s actions. You might not care now, but what about Mike? You’re his mom.”

Teresa’s hands froze in the middle of the packing. “It’s cool. I’m just an internet personality selling clothes. After the scandal, who’ll remember me? In a new city, I’ll keep a low profile and raise Mike,” she said firmly.

She’d already booked flights for her and Michael to Lonisburg.

Sherry didn’t know how to convince Teresa to stay, thinking, ‘How do I ask her to stay when she’s made up her mind?’

“I was planning on opening a shop in Nareigh. How did it all fall apart? Miriam and I will struggle without you,” Sherry said, her voice laced with concern.

Teresa assured her, “I’ll back you up from afar. Don’t worry.” Her eyes were hollow, unfocused. The betrayal by Philip had hit her hard, making her indifferent to everything. It wasn’t that she didn’t care about her reputation; she just felt helpless. Escaping wasn’t her choice, but now it seemed like the only option.

Michael held Teresa’s hand, looking up at her. “Mom, where are we going?” he asked.