“I did my best to keep her safe. But you? How did you treat her behind my back? You made her live in fear, terrified of you. If I’d known you’d treat her like this, I never would’ve married her at all.”

“Yeah, you’re right. You never should’ve married her,” Irene snapped, yanking her hand free from Jonathan.

At that moment, the words Irene had buried deep in her heart finally exploded. “Ever since you married Teresa, there’s been no place for me in your heart! She’s completely brainwashed you. Whatever she wants, you do it. You don’t even acknowledge your own children anymore, just hand them both over to her. No matter what, you always take her side. Have you ever thought about how I feel?”

Irene pounded her chest, still venting all her grievances at Jonathan. “Your father’s gone, you’re my only son. My whole world depends on you. But you? All you ever think about is Teresa. In court, right in front of everyone, Teresa embarrassed me like that and made me lose face. You didn’t say a single word to defend me. Sure, maybe I made mistakes, but does that mean Teresa is completely blameless? If she really loved you, how could she have had kids behind your back and even teamed up with her sister to keep it from you? How could she still refuse to remarry you? She says I treated her badly, but that’s just an excuse. I only treat her that way because she keeps hurting you. She doesn’t love you! Did you hear me?”

Jonathan clenched his fists as Irene kept repeating over and over that Teresa never loved him. His mind flashed back to a few years ago, to the cold, distant look in Teresa’s eyes.

At that time, Teresa said, “Jonathan, let’s get a divorce. I don’t love you. I only married you because I was moved and acted on impulse.”

Jonathan asked, “After two years of marriage, you never loved me?”

Teresa nodded. “Yes.”

“She doesn’t love you,” Irene pressed on. “It’s better this way. Now you two can just go your separate ways and never cross paths again. You don’t owe her anything anymore. But you still owe me! I’m your mother. Nothing in this world can compare to what I’ve done for you. I’m the one who’ll always be your real family.”

Jonathan stood there in silence for a long time. Irene’s sobs still echoed through the room. He could still hear Teresa saying “I don’t love you” in his ears.

“Alright, you win…” Jonathan finally said.

In that moment, there was a deep, ashen emptiness in Jonathan’s eyes. He stared at Irene, nodding, each word heavy and deliberate. “You win. What I owe you, I’ll pay back. I’ll pay you back, little by little.”

“Jonathan, where are you going?” Irene shouted after him, her voice trembling.

Irene stared at Jonathan’s back as he walked away. No matter how she called out, he never looked back. She had no idea where he was headed. She thought, ‘Is he really going to find Teresa?’

Irene was completely drained from crying, and honestly, she just couldn’t bring herself to care about him anymore.

She had no idea how much time had passed, but the sky had already turned dark when suddenly the doorbell rang. Irene thought Jonathan had finally come back, so she rushed to open the door. But it wasn’t Jonathan, it was Gary.

Seeing Gary stride into the house, Irene panicked and took a few steps back. “Who sent you? What do you want?”

Gary kept closing in on Irene, grabbing her arm tightly. “Jonathan told me to take you away.”

Irene clung desperately to the wall, wailing, “Where are you taking me? I’m not leaving. Fiona’s still here. I can’t just leave!”

Gary peeled Irene’s fingers off the wall one by one, his tone harsh. “Where you’re going isn’t your concern. Just do as I say and come with me.”