Chapter 888

Teresa frowned. She still remembered that rainy night clearly when she was all alone and desperate, lying outside Irene’s door. It hurt, and she regretted it deeply. If given another chance, she swore she would never give in.

She said, “After the baby is born, I won’t have to hold back anymore. Irene won’t be able to bully me again.”

“What do you mean?” Jennifer asked. “Has that bitch really been picking on you? What did she do? Does Jonathan know about it? Did he have your back?”

Jennifer just kept going, one question after another.

Irene looked down on both her and Teresa, constantly trying to put them down. When Jennifer married Donald, Irene, who wasn’t even her mother-in-law, still spread malicious rumors to Cathy.

Teresa said, “Jonathan has done everything he could, but Irene’s never going to change how she feels about me.”

Jennifer’s eyes flashed with anger. “Listen, only go back to Jonathan if Irene truly accepts you. If not, don’t. She’ll mess up the whole family. Honestly, you should never have married him at the very beginning.”

Indeed, a difficult mother-in-law always stirred up drama, messing with her kid’s life. Teresa knew this well. Only those who had lived it could appreciate how crucial reasonable in-laws were.

She said, “I know. I’m keeping a cool head this time.”

Jennifer frowned. “I doubt that. When you love someone, you can’t be completely calm, especially with Yvonne between you two.”

Teresa took a deep breath. “I have custody of the child. Irene even signed a paper, promising she wouldn’t come near Mike without my permission.”

Jennifer went quiet. She knew what Teresa was thinking. She understood that Teresa had endured some terrible things–something Irene had done–but she didn’t want to talk about it.

“I’m sorry. Honestly, I’m partly responsible for how things turned out,” Jennifer said, taking a sip of coffee and feeling guilty. “I used to guilt-trip you and crush your courage.

“I want you to be strong from now on to stand up to anyone. If Irene insults you again, just fight back. Don’t worry about the consequences. Who cares if it affects her relationship with Jonathan?”

Teresa froze for a few seconds, completely taken aback. She never thought she would hear these words coming from Jennifer. She said, “You’ve changed a lot.”

Jennifer said, “I’ve got nothing left now. When you’ve got nothing at all, fear just disappears.”

“You’re right. When no one can hold anything over you, there’s nothing left to fear,” Teresa replied.

“Exactly.” Jennifer said with a bitter smile, “Out in the Northwest, the stars shine brightly at night. I’d sit on a bench outside, reading and thinking about everything I had been through. Losing everything somehow made me feel more secure.”

She no longer had to fear losing something or worry about being found out. No more nightmares, and no more waking up in cold sweat.

Teresa said sincerely, “That’s really good.”

She was the one who truly couldn’t sleep, weighed down by endless worries and unable to find freedom. She just wanted to have a good drink, go to a bar with friends, and fight back against anyone who pushed her around.

Just then, Teresa’s phone rang. It was Michael, asking where she was.

Jennifer stood up. “Well, you should head back. I’m gonna get going.”

Chapter 888

Teresa got up and said. “Where are you staying tonight?”

“I’m staying at a hotel.” Jennifer couldn’t go to Donald anymore. She had been living in hotels ever since.

“Wait a minute,” Teresa suddenly said. She took a key from her bag and gave it to Jennifer. “No one is living at Pasary Estates right now.

“As for the Mercedes-Benz I gave you, just keep it. The keys are in the main bedroom drawer. It’s not easy going anywhere without a car. There’s also 15,000 dollars in cash under the TV. Take it if you need it.”

Tears welled up in Jennifer’s eyes, threatening to spill over, and she clenched her fists tightly. “I can’t accept this. I’m not your sister anymore. I don’t deserve it.”

“You do,” Teresa said, gently pulling Jennifer’s hand over and placing the key in her palm. “What you said today actually made me feel better. You’re right. I won’t overthink things next time. I’ll fight back right away.”

Jennifer took the key. Seeing Teresa still being so good to her, hugged her tightly, “I’m sorry, Teresa. I really am. I missed you so much.”

While she was far away, she kept thinking over her mistakes, feeling guilty and hurt. She wished she could go back to the time before they recognized each other.

Her tears soaked Teresa’s shirt. Teresa gently let go of Jennifer.

“It’s getting late. I should go.”

“Teresa,” Jennifer said.

Teresa turned around and asked softly, “Yeah?”

Jennifer said earnestly, “If you ever feel upset or need someone to talk to, you can always come to me.”

“Okay,” Teresa said and left.

Jennifer watched Teresa’s back as she walked away, wiping her tears. She muttered, “I’m going to do everything I can to protect you.”

She made up her mind to protect Teresa for the rest of her life.

Eason was on a business trip to Derrisford over the weekend and met up with Evelyn, who had reserved a fancy restaurant and came with Isabel in her arms.

“Isabel, this is Mr. Kelly,” Evelyn said.

“Hi, Mr. Kelly.” Isabel pouted and said.

Eason kept glancing at Isabel, looking a bit puzzled. “Is this your daughter with Philip?”

“No. She’s the daughter of my ex-husband, Charlie,” Evelyn replied.

Eason nearly choked on his coffee. He stared at Evelyn in shock and blurted out, “Wait, who is Charlie?”

Evelyn sighed. “After I divorced Philip, I got together with someone else.”

“Why did you divorce Philip?” Eason asked.

Evelyn smiled bitterly. “Philip is a jerk. When I was pregnant, he hooked up with Peggy. I caught them cheating, but I forgave them.

“Later, he kept cheating on me with multiple women, and I couldn’t take it anymore.”

Eason nodded slowly. “So, the call you made to me that night was because…”

Chapter 888

“What are you talking about? When did I call you?” Evelyn frowned, puzzled.

“Forget it.” Eason cleared his throat. Evelyn reached out to him first when they were drunk that night, but he got drunk too and had sex with her. Sobering up, he ran away. He knew it wasn’t right.

Besides, Evelyn was married at that time. Even if Philip cheated on her, it didn’t justify what they did that night.