Chapter 997

Jonathan yanked Donald up from the ground, grabbing him by the collar, his eyes burning with anger. “I’ve always treated you well, and this is how you repay me? Really impressive of you…”

Only then did Donald realize why he was getting punched. He turned his face away, avoiding Jonathan’s gaze. “Jonathan, I just thought Evelyn should know about Jennifer. I didn’t really think it through.”

“You didn’t think it through?” Jonathan was on the verge of throwing another punch, his anger barely contained.

“Don’t you know Teresa had a premature birth? She barely spent a few days in the hospital after giving birth, and she’s been running around because of Jennifer."

“Everything was fine until you went and told her mom. Now Evelyn won’t let me see Teresa or the baby. You put me in this mess. Does that make you feel better?”

Hearing that, Donald’s eyes flickered. Only then did he realize how pale Teresa had looked when she came to him, but he hadn’t given it much thought back then.

“Jonathan, listen to me. I really didn’t mean to break you and Teresa up. I just…”

Jonathan punched him again. “Just what? You’re not happy, so you want me to be miserable too? You want everyone to suffer with you?”

Jonathan’s words hit home, and Donald couldn’t hold back any longer.

He lowered his head, finally confessing under Jonathan’s sharp gaze. “I admit it. I was selfish. I was really angry that Irene reported Jennifer. I just wanted Irene to know what it’s like to have no peace.”

That call to Evelyn was no accident. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He knew that if Evelyn found out about Jennifer, she’d definitely go after Irene, and that’s exactly what he wanted. He just wanted to get back to Irene.

“Jonathan, I swear, I was just acting on impulse. I wanted Evelyn to teach Irene a lesson. I really didn’t mean to drag you into this.”

Jonathan let out a cold laugh, looking at Donald with the most sarcastic expression. “She’s my mom. Do you really think her problems won’t affect me?”

Donald fell silent, then raised his other hand again. “I swear…”

“Enough!” Jonathan cut him off impatiently. “Do you think you’re still a kid? Is that all you know how to do?"

“You spend all your time in pediatrics, but it’s like you’ve forgotten how to be an adult.”

Donald’s face flushed bright red. He knew he was wrong and couldn’t say a word. “Go ahead and yell at me, Jonathan, if that’ll help you feel any better.”

'What’s the point of yelling at him or hitting him now?' Jonathan thought.

“My dad put up with your dad for years. Do you really think I’m going to be like him, always letting you off the hook and babysitting you?”

Donald jerked his head up, only to catch the icy chill in Jonathan’s eyes. “Remember this: from now on, whatever happens, don’t come to me, don’t call me. If I ever see you again, I’ll beat you up every single time.”

Jonathan’s eyes were red with emotion. Donald had truly broken his heart. Staring at Jonathan’s back as he walked away, he felt completely dejected.

When Jonathan got home, Fiona was waiting for him. She’d already gone to visit Jennifer in prison, and she wanted answers. She thought, ‘Did Irene really team up with Teresa to snatch the baby, and where had Irene disappeared to?’

“I sent my mom overseas. I’ll be heading out of the country myself in a couple of days,” Jonathan said.

“Oh? So, you really think leaving the country is going to fix everything?” Fiona asked.

“With both families at each other’s throats like this, what else can I do?” Jonathan rubbed his aching temples. “Everyone just minds their own business now.”

At that point, Fiona pretty much understood everything. After Jonathan and Teresa divorced, they never got back together. They had two kids, and Teresa had full custody. That was just how it was.

After all, Teresa was the one who gave birth to the kids. As their mom, she could do whatever she wanted.

Fiona said, “I don’t think your mom is to blame for Jennifer going to prison. She broke the law, so she should be punished by the law."

“Let’s try talking to Teresa’s family again. If there’s really nothing left to discuss, then maybe it’s best for you two to just move on with your own lives.”

“I don’t know, just leave it alone. I’ll take you there tomorrow,” Jonathan replied, sounding both tired and defeated.

“With you like this, how could I possibly go back? Jonathan,” Fiona said.

When Jonathan went back to his room, Fiona let out a sigh. He spent almost the whole night lying awake, lost in his thoughts.

The next morning, his body clock had him up early, but Fiona was already awake and had made him some pasta. It was the first time Jonathan ever tasted a meal cooked by Fiona.

Noticing the pain and exhaustion in Jonathan’s eyes, Fiona said, “We still need to meet with Teresa’s family. If they really don’t want to make peace, you can leave. There’s no need to rush off now.”

At times like this, you really needed Grandma to step in. Jonathan put down his fork. “Yeah, you’re right.”

He’d spent the whole night thinking about it. If he was going to leave, he at least needed to talk things through and make arrangements for the kids. But Evelyn wanted nothing to do with Jonathan.

Fiona asked Jonathan for Evelyn’s number and gave her a call. Evelyn answered.

Fiona got straight to the point. “Hello! You’re Teresa and Jennifer’s mom, right? I’m Fiona, the one who took Jennifer in."

Evelyn was silent for a few seconds, then quickly said, “Oh, Ms. Nelson! Is there something you need?”

Fiona said, “Here’s the thing. I’m also Jonathan’s grandma. I just got back and only recently learned about everything that’s happened. I know Jennifer is in prison, and I’ve already visited her, so I have a pretty good idea of what went down."

“My daughter is the one who reported Jennifer, and as both her mother and Jennifer’s adoptive mom, I think it would be best if our two families could meet face–to–face and talk things through.”

Evelyn replied, “Ms. Nelson, your daughter is just too much for us. She’s not someone we can deal with. There’s really nothing left to say to her. If we meet, it’ll probably just turn into another fight.”

Fiona said, “She won’t be coming. It’ll just be me and Jonathan. How about we meet for lunch today? You can bring Teresa, and it’ll just be the four of us.”

Evelyn sighed. After all, Fiona had been Jennifer’s adoptive mother for so many years. She couldn’t refuse her out of respect. So, she agreed.

Fiona handed the phone back to Jonathan, who felt a glimmer of hope. He quickly made a reservation at a restaurant, even going so far as to book an entire floor to ensure they could talk in peace.

He was sure Teresa would show up, too. If they could actually sit down and talk, maybe there was still a way to fix things.

But Evelyn didn’t mention Fiona’s call to Teresa. She just told her she was heading out for a bit. Evelyn went to the meeting by herself.