When She Walks Away (Teresa) novel Chapter 145

Chapter 145

Teresa, being a doctor, offered her professional opinion.

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[The cut on your finger is quite deep. You’ll need to go to the hospital to get it cleaned and stitched up. If it was caused by something rusty, you’ll also need a tetanus shot. This is serious, so don’t ignore it,] she typed.

After sending her message, Teresa glanced at the photo one more time before locking her phone. Just as she was about to put it away, a new message from Troy popped up.

[Are you at the hospital? I’ll come to you for the wound cleaning and stitches,] Troy replied.

Teresa didn’t think much of it.

If she had, she might’ve realized that someone like Troy probably had his own private doctor.

Even if he didn’t, the people around him would care more about his safety than he did. And if he were on his own, he could just go straight to the hospital instead of asking for help online.

By the time he got an answer online, he’d probably be half out of blood anyway.

Looking at Troy’s message, Teresa just replied, [It’s the weekend. I’m not at the hospital. Just check in at the ER when you get there; the emergency doctor will take care of it for you.]

Soon enough, Troy messaged back: [Forget it. I’m not dying anyway.]

Teresa frowned even deeper at his response, about to try and convince him again, when Monica called out, “Aunt Teresa, are you ready?”

It was clear the little girl was getting impatient. Tomorrow was Monday, and her homework wasn’t done yet.

Monica was a good student, and she always wanted to finish her assignments perfectly and on time.

Teresa locked her phone and smiled, “All set. Let’s head out–over by the park.”

Monica grabbed Teresa’s hand. “Yay, let’s go.”

The two of them left the Sullivan Mansion together, and Teresa drove Monica to a nearby park.

The park was bursting with the colors of autumn, perfect for kids to play in and for painting.

Once they arrived, Monica ran across the grass with abandon, spinning in circles as she went. When she got tired, she plopped down on the ground.

Teresa came over, set up the easel, and handed Monica a drawing pencil. “What do you feel like drawing?” she asked.

Monica chewed on the pencil thoughtfully. After a moment, she said, “I want to draw maple leaves.”

Not far away stood a maple tree, its leaves carpeting the ground, and a few had drifted right over to their feet.

Teresa sat down beside Monica. “Then go ahead and draw them. Whatever you feel like drawing, just put it on paper. When you’re done, pick your favorite to show your teacher.”

Monica giggled with delight. “You’re awesome, Aunt Teresa. I really love you.”

Hearing Monica say she loved her made Teresa feel a bittersweet mix of happiness and sadness.

If she were only Monica’s aunt, she would just feel happy about it. But the truth was, she wasn’t just Monica’s aunt; she was also a mother. And her daughter didn’t even like her.

As these thoughts swirled in her mind, a hesitant voice called out from behind her, “Mrs. Logan?”

Teresa instinctively turned around at the sound. To her surprise, she saw Sharon, who was holding Yolanda’s hand.

Yolanda was dressed in a long skirt, black leggings, and a pair of stylish sneakers. Her hair was tied up in two ponytails, and she was holding a few maple leaves in her hands.

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10:33 AM P

Chapter 145

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When Teresa saw her daughter, her heart ached, and she felt a lump form in her throat. Yolanda looked at her but didn’t greet her or make any move.

After thinking it over, Teresa looked over at Sharon and smiled, “Sharon, fancy seeing you here.”

The park wasn’t too far from Joyacre Villa, but it was not exactly next door either.

Sharon’s eyes lit up when she saw Teresa. “Mrs. Logan, Miss Yolanda’s been saying she’s bored, so I brought her out for a walk. Since you and Monica are here, maybe Yolanda can play with her?”

Teresa glanced at Yolanda, who didn’t seem to mind, and nodded gently. “Sure.”

Yolanda, surprisingly, didn’t make a fuss, but she didn’t look all that happy.

But since Yolanda was Teresa’s daughter, Monica figured she could just ignore it.

Yolanda clutched a few maple leaves, glanced at Monica’s easel, and scrunched up her face. “Did Ms. Taylor give us any homework?”

Yolanda shook her head. “I didn’t know.”

Yolanda pressed her lips together, staying quiet.

Seeing her silence, Monica went on, “My mom told me. She had to work, so Aunt Teresa brought me here to finish my homework.”

Teresa sat nearby, listening to the girls‘ conversation, and couldn’t help but feel a mix of sadness and bitterness in her heart.

Teresa knew the reason Yolanda hadn’t heard about the homework–it was because Naomi and Charles had overlooked it.

Teresa looked at Yolanda, her heart aching for her, but also feeling helpless. She didn’t know what to say.

Just then, Monica pulled a few sheets of paper from the easel and handed them to Yolanda. “Here, I’ll give you some paper too. Let’s draw together, and Aunt Teresa can help us.”

Yolanda looked down at the paper but didn’t reach out to take it.

After a few seconds, Yolanda pushed the paper back toward Monica. “No, thanks. Miss Naomi is going to draw with me.”

With that, Yolanda turned and walked away.

Seeing Yolanda’s lonely silhouette, Teresa couldn’t help but call out, “Yolanda-”

But she only managed to say her name before falling silent.

As Yolanda walked further away and Teresa didn’t move, Sharon started to get anxious and called out, “Miss Yolanda, wait for me.”

Sharon had just sat down, but now she had to get up and chase after Yolanda.

After a couple of steps, Sharon turned back to Teresa and said, “Mrs. Logan, maybe you should go comfort her. She’s your daughter, you know

Teresa didn’t even look at Sharon. She just put the paper Monica had pulled out back on the easel.

But at the same time, Teresa answered, “Sharon, you go talk to her. I need to stay here with Monica and help her with her autumn picture. I can’t really leave.”

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10:33 AM

Chapter 145

Sharon sighed and shook her head, “Alright then.”

Once Sharon caught up to Yolanda, she gently took her hand and tried to comfort her. “Miss Yolanda, Mrs. Logan really cares about you deep down. You’re her little girl.”

Yolanda didn’t say a word, just kept walking, crying as she went. She knew her mom wasn’t coming after her.

She also knew for sure now–her mom really wasn’t going to look after her anymore.

Even though she didn’t like her mom, she still wanted to cry. “Why does it hurt so much?‘ she wondered.

Once in the car, Yolanda burst into tears and begged to call her dad, Charles.

Charles answered right away, his voice gentle as ever. “Yolanda, what’s wrong, sweetheart?”

Yolanda sobbed, her words broken up by sniffles. “Dad, Ms. Taylor gave us homework. Why didn’t you or Miss Naomi tell me?”

Charles tried to comfort her. “Don’t cry, Yolanda. I’ve just been so busy. I missed the kindergarten messages. I’m really sorry, okay?”

Yolanda cried even harder. “And what about Miss Naomi? Why didn’t she tell me either?”

Charles explained, “Miss Naomi’s been caught up in her research. She must’ve forgotten to check the messages, too.”

Yolanda’s face was covered in tears as she said in a small, hurt voice, “But it’s due tomorrow.”

His heart ached for her, and feeling helpless; Charles said softly, “I’ll head home right now and help you finish your homework.”

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