Teresa had assumed Jennifer would step in and help Cheryl.
On one hand, Jennifer was a gynecologist; on the other, Cheryl was her future sister–in–law. Teresa couldn’t believe Jennifer was really going to let her pride outweigh someone’s life.
‘Whatever, Teresa sighed to herself. If Jennifer wouldn’t come clean about Cheryl’s pregnancy, she wasn’t about to wade into that mess herself.
From now on, whatever happened to the Lynn family was none of her business. That was the whole reason she came back to Nareigh in the first place.
Now that she was back, she couldn’t afford to be soft–hearted like before. If she wanted peace, she needed to learn from her sister Hannah–especially how to be tough.
From this moment on, she’d harden her heart to anyone who had nothing to do with her.
[It always feels better back home.] After dinner, Teresa posted this on Facebook, along with a photo of two hands clinking glasses.
Benny liked her post and commented: [Hey, you’re finally back!]
Teresa replied: [Yup.]
Benny wrote: [When did you get back? Where is this—are you eating at Grove Bistro? Are you with Miriam? You two didn’t even invite me!]
Teresa replied: [Next meal’s on me.]
After dinner, she took Michael home.
“Wow, Mom, the sheets are still the same as before!” Michael flopped onto his bed and buried his face in the pillow.
Teresa helped him take off his little white socks and smiled, “Go take a shower, and then get some good sleep, okay? Did you even shower at Miriam’s?”
“Edward gave me a bath.” Michael wrinkled his nose. “But he’s terrible at games–nowhere near as good as me! He even said I could get into Querencia University without breaking a sweat.”
The little guy looked up at Teresa, puzzled. “What’s Querencia University? And why do I have to go there?”
Teresa drifted off for a second, suddenly remembering that someone did their undergrad at Querencia University. She wondered if he was back in Nareigh.
But immediately she told herself she couldn’t keep hesitating like before. Once she made up her mind, she had to stick to it.
She snapped back to the moment. “It’s a school in Jarisburg–remember when we went there? When you’re older, I’ll take you to see it.”
“Mom, what about Mr. Lime?” Michael tugged at Teresa’s hand. “I didn’t see him when I got back.”
Teresa had to say, “He’s probably still busy out of town. I don’t know. Let’s not talk about him, okay?”
After that night, Teresa was back at the office the next morning–meetings, catching up on company business, and by the end of it, her back felt like it
was about to snap.
She knew it was the pregnancy causing her back pain, but her team clearly thought she had a new boyfriend. They kept shooting her those teasing, knowing looks.
Of course, Teresa noticed. She was speechless. “I’m not-”
“Ms. Johnston, you’re so gorgeous. It’s no surprise you’ve got a man,” someone joked.
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08.52 MON, 20 ivay
Chapter 353
“Come on, this is getting ridiculous. Where would I even find a boyfriend? Who would I be dating?” wondered Teresa.
“Everyone at the company says you’ve been gone so long because you were off falling in love,” another chimed in.
“Yeah, Ms. Johnston, which guy swept you off your feet? Spill! We’re all great at keeping secrets,” someone else teased.
They were supposed to be in a meeting, but the gossip was getting out of hand. Teresa cleared her throat and put on her boss face.
“Isn’t the product launch enough to keep you all busy? You still have time to gossip about my love life?” she said.
Someone smirked. “We can multitask–work and gossip! So, is it Mr. Lynn from Horizonlead Group?”
“I heard from a friend at Horizonlead Group that Mr. Lynn isn’t around Nareigh much either,” another added.
Noticing Teresa’s face darken, everyone immediately shut up.
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