When She Walks Away (Teresa) novel Chapter 112

Teresa looked up at Troy’s face. He had a handsome face, yet there was a devilish charm in his smile. His thoughts were impossible to decipher.

Teresa didn’t even want to try figuring him out. After all, their relationship was nothing more than an acquaintance.

Seeing him acting shameless again, Teresa lost all interest in arguing with him. “Troy, I’m leaving,” she said.

She stepped around him, heading toward the Sullivan Mansion. But just then, Troy suddenly grabbed her arm and pressed her against

the wall.

Troy was tall, and with just a slight lean, he managed to trap Teresa between his arms, completely blocking her.

Confused, Teresa shot him a glare and looked up at him. “What are you trying to do now?”

Troy leaned in, his arm resting near her head, and smirked. “Your brother’s coming out.”

Teresa turned her head and, sure enough, saw Theodore stepping out of the front door of the Sullivan Mansion.

Remembering her brother’s advice, she didn’t want him to see her standing so close to Troy. Almost instinctively, she pressed herself into Troy’s arms, her face against his chest.

Through the thin fabric of his shirt, Troy could feel Teresa’s warmth. The closeness made him uneasy, and his body went stiff.

Teresa gripped Troy’s sleeve, glancing through every possible gap to see where Theodore was heading. Only when she saw Theodore get into his car did she try to pull away from Troy.

But Troy was quick. He grabbed her hand and pressed it to his chest, gazing down at her blushing face. “You’re as intoxicating as ever, honey.”

Teresa tried to push him away with her free hand, but he caught that too. Then he leaned in and gently licked her fingertips. With a wicked smirk, he teased, “Your hands are so damn soft.”

Teresa had enough. She bit him hard on the chest, not letting go until she heard his muffled grunt. Then she shoved him away and rushed back to the Sullivan Mansion.

Back in the living room, Teresa sat down, her heart still racing and unable to settle. She had no idea how long she’d been sitting there when her phone rang with a message notification.

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It was from Troy: [You’re so damn ruthless, honey. Next time, I won’t let you off so easy.] a

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THE IC

Teresa tossed her phone aside, but Troy’s teasing grin remained in her mind, haunting her no matter how hard she tried to shake it off. As expected, she was late for work. Fortunately, her supervisor noticed her exhaustion and didn’t scold her.

Later that afternoon, as she was leaving work and heading to the parking lot, her phone rang–it was Charles.

She didn’t want to answer, but he kept calling, so she finally picked up. “Just say it,” she replied, her voice thick with annoyance.

But Charles sounded even more urgent. “Yolanda’s in the hospital.”

Teresa was thrown off for a moment. After getting the address, she jumped in her car and sped off. She rushed into the ER and saw Charles sitting in the chair across the room.

As she got closer, seeing how completely worn out he looked, Teresa asked, “What’s going on? Is it her stomach again?”

Charles looked up, his eyes red from fatigue. “Yolanda got bitten by a bug during the school hike. The doctor checked her–nothing serious, just a mild reaction. She’ll be on IV for a couple of days, but she’ll be fine.”

Teresa finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Good, as long as she’s okay.”

Charles had spent the whole day hiking with Yolanda, and he looked dead tired. But Teresa somehow seemed even more drained than him. He looked over at her and finally asked, “What about you?”

Teresa, about to leave, looked confused and asked, “Me?”

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11:24 AM P

Chapter 112

bring!

I’ll get

it sent over to you.”

A

Teresa still looked uneasy and pressed him, “Just try to get it done soon

Charles nodded. “Yeah, I will.”

Teresa didn’t say anything else and just turned to leave.

As Teresa stepped out of the hospital, the cool breeze brushed past her, but her heart still ached.

She thought about Charles’s attitude earlier. Even though she knew he had wanted a divorce all along, seeing how quickly he agreed still hurt. Five years of marriage, and it all meant nothing.

Outside, she noticed a fruit vendor with tangerines glowing in the warm light. She thought of Yolanda, who loved tangerines. Despite everything, she couldn’t resist buying two pounds.

When she returned to the hospital, Charles was no longer in the hallway. As she approached Yolanda’s room, she heard her daughter’s frail voice from inside. “Dad, didn’t you say if I behaved, you’d let me ask for something?”

Charles was sitting on the bed, letting Yolanda rest against him. Remembering his promise, he smiled. “Go ahead, you can ask now.”

Yolanda looked up at him with big eyes. “Dad, I want to call Miss Naomi ‘Mom‘ instead.”

Outside the room, Teresa froze, and the bag of tangerines slipped from her hand, rolling

across the floor.

It felt like a knife had pierced her heart. She clutched her chest as tears fell uncontrollably.

Even though she knew Yolanda liked Naomi more, this was still her own child-the one she carried for nine months, almost lost in childbirth, and raised with all her love.

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