“Teresa, I can’t be more satisfied with you. Don’t mind Jonathan’s mom. As long as I’m still around, what I say goes in this family.”

“If you ever want to remarry, all it takes is a word from you. No one in this family would ever object!” Hayden said.

“Thank you, Hayden,” Teresa replied. “But I don’t want to remarry. There’s really no way for Jonathan and me anymore.”

Teresa thought, ‘Hayden is already in his eighties, and no one can predict what the future might bring. Right now, he calls the shots in the Lynn family, but who knows what will happen down the road?’

Teresa loved her life the way it was now. She had no desire to get burned by marriage again.

Hayden still wasn’t ready to give up. “It’s just, for the sake of the child, Teresa. You really need to think about Mike. He’s still so little, and every kid wants a complete family.”

Teresa said firmly, “Hayden, Jonathan and I will make sure Mike gets all the love a family can give. He won’t ever feel like he’s missing out on having both his parents around. That’s just how it is. Please, don’t try to talk me into it anymore. I still stand by what I said.”

Hayden lowered his head. It was obvious Teresa was being really stubborn about this. He thought, ‘Does she really not have any feelings left? If she did, why would she keep refusing to get back together?’

Hayden let out a sigh and smacked his thigh. “Alright, if you don’t want to get back together, I won’t force you. But remember, if you ever want to, just let me know anytime. The Lynn family always welcomes you. As far as I’m concerned, you’re the only granddaughter-in-law I’ll ever recognize.”

“Hayden, please don’t put it that way,” Teresa said, feeling a heavy pressure settle on her shoulders from Hayden’s words. “I’m really not worth it. There are plenty of great women out there. Jonathan should find someone who’s truly right for him,” she added.

It was not like every marriage had to last forever. Sometimes they just had to know when to walk away. Teresa still hoped Jonathan would find someone who really suited him.

Hayden sighed. “Silly buns. In my eyes, you’re the best granddaughter-in-law there could ever be. You married into our family when we were at our poorest, and you even used all your bride price to pay for my medical bills. I remember all your kindness. Nowadays, even if a woman really wants to marry Jonathan, how much does she truly care about him? How much of it is genuine? No one’s feelings for him have ever been as sincere as yours. I’m sure Jonathan still remembers everything you did for him, too.”

She didn’t say a word. Back then, when Teresa and Jonathan got married, the custom in Nareigh was that the bride price had to start at 30 thousand. Teresa was a rich girl who drove a Porsche, so honestly, no matter how much Jonathan gave, it wouldn’t have been too much. He’d actually planned to give her 60 thousand.

But Teresa knew about Jonathan’s family situation, so she told him, “My parents are both divorced and have their own families now, so there’s really no need for a bride price. I don’t want one.”

But Jonathan was stubborn about it. He said, “How can I not give you a bride price? No way, that’s just not how things are done. The bride price has to be paid.”

But Jonathan’s mom and Jonathan himself had put all their savings toward the down payment on their new house. When Teresa found out Jonathan was borrowing money from friends and family just to scrape together the bride price, she was furious.

She returned the entire 60 thousand and told Jonathan, “If you insist on giving me a bride price, then there’s no point in us getting married. I don’t want you borrowing money just to get married.”

Jonathan was just as stubborn. If Teresa refused to take even a penny, he just couldn’t accept it. He insisted she at least take something. In the end, Teresa only took 9 thousand, just to go through the motions.

It just so happened that Hayden’s heart was acting up and he needed surgery right away. After they got married, Teresa handed over all that money to help pay for Hayden’s operation. She even chipped in another 6 thousand herself, making it a total of 15 thousand. Jonathan still had no idea about any of this.