Jonathan didn’t know how much more he needed to empathize with Irene. He thought, ‘But who will ever empathize with me for all the pressure and pain I have to bear?’

Fiona sighed. “There’s always this generation gap, isn’t there? Your mom’s been telling me these past few days that everything she does is for you, all for your own good, but you ended up hurting her feelings.”

‘So that’s what Irene’s been telling Fiona all along?’ Jonathan thought to himself, a bit stunned.

Jonathan let out a cold, bitter laugh, his heart twisting in pain. “So doing things for my own good means she gets to keep hurting the people I care about?”

Fiona said, “Your mom really shouldn’t be meddling in your marriage. I’m sure Jennifer’s sister is just as good a person as Jennifer. Your mom shouldn’t be targeting her. I’ll make sure to talk to her about it.”

“Thanks, Fiona,” Jonathan said. Fiona still had no idea that Jennifer was about to be sentenced.

Jonathan, of course, wasn’t about to bring it up. But he knew that the truth couldn’t stay hidden forever.

“Jonathan?” Fiona called out, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Fiona, I’m listening,” Jonathan said, coming back to himself.

“So, what made you suddenly bring your mom home? She didn’t mention anything to me,” Fiona asked.

Only then did Jonathan explain that Teresa had gone into labor early, but both she and the baby were safe and healthy, so he had specifically brought Irene over to see the baby.

“Oh, really? She didn’t tell me that either,” Fiona said, her expression softening. “That’s really great news. I’d love to see the baby you and Teresa had.”

“I’ll bring the baby over to see you soon,” Jonathan promised.

“That’d be great. Make sure to bring Jennifer along, too. It’s been ages since I last saw her. And Donald, I wonder how they’re both doing,” Fiona said.

“They’re both really busy with work,” Jonathan replied.

“Yeah, that makes sense. Jennifer and Donald both work at the hospital. Jennifer must have been promoted to department head by now, right?"

“The last time she and Donald came to visit me, she said she was already the deputy department head and would be moving up to department head soon,” Fiona said.

Honestly, Jonathan couldn’t care less about Jennifer’s past. If they were talking about Teresa, though, he’d be all ears.

But it was obvious that Fiona was really fond of Jennifer. Whenever she mentioned her, she was full of pride and a little bit of boastfulness.

It was hard to believe that someone who used to be such a star student in her teacher’s eyes could have fallen so far.

Of all people, it was Irene, Fiona’s own daughter, who was suing Jennifer. Jonathan thought, ‘If Fiona ever found out about this, would she end up blaming Irene, or Jennifer?’

“Fiona, go ahead and keep writing. If anything about living here makes you uncomfortable, just let me know,” Jonathan said.

“Alright, get back to what you need to do,” Fiona replied with a gentle smile, lowering her head to continue writing. She still carried herself with strength and vitality, her white hair perfectly combed, her back straight and proud.

Time passed quickly. Teresa had already been back in Nareigh for two days, and Jennifer’s trial was coming.

Evelyn came over to see Teresa and the baby, and the two of them had a long talk.

Evelyn still had no idea about Jennifer’s trial. All she knew was that Teresa had gone into labor early, and she was really shocked and felt so bad for her. She pulled Teresa into a hug, tears streaming down her face.

“I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. I brought this on you,” Evelyn sobbed. She pounded her chest in anguish.

“If someone wants to punish us, let it be me. Why do you all have to suffer? Lucas, Jennifer, and you… What happened to my children? Why does life have to be so hard on all of you?” she cried.

Evelyn thought bitterly. ‘Maybe it all started when I married Philip, when I chose the wrong man. That was my first mistake. And because of that, my children have had to suffer so much pain because of me.'