When She Walks Away (Teresa) novel Chapter 215

Chapter 215

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The lead teachers, seeing Naomi act this way, subconsciously curled their lips in disdain.

Still, no matter what they thought, they couldn’t call her out in front of everyone.

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So, Emilie clapped her hands and called out loudly, “Everyone, please quiet down and listen. Today’s fall outing will have two parents and two kids in each group. We’ll be taking a bus to Westhill Park, then we’ll gather firewood, start a fire, and cook together. Once we’re done cooking, we’ll all put our dishes together and share the meal. In the afternoon, we’ll play family games, do some drawing and singing in the park. At the end, parents, please check in with me before leaving together in an orderly way.”

As Emilie spoke, the parents finally quieted down.

After Emilie finished speaking, a bunch of parents turned to Naomi and called out, “Yolanda’s Mom, can we be in your group?”

It wasn’t just the dads—the moms were eager too. Everyone seemed to want Naomi in their group.

The lineup, which started out calm and orderly, had been thrown into a frenzy twice already—all thanks to Naomi showing up and stirring the crowd.

Throughout it all, only Teresa and Troy, along with their kids, stayed in place.

Seeing things spiraling out of control, the teachers began to frown.

In the end, Emilie found a fix—she went down the attendance list in order, grouping each pair of parents together as their names were called.

When Teresa’s name came up, she got paired with another mom.

Then right after Troy’s name was called, Naomi’s name popped up next, so the two of them ended up in the same group.

Of course, not everyone was thrilled with the way the groups turned out, but at least nobody made a scene about it.

Soon enough, everyone arrived at Westhill Park by bus.

As they got off the bus, Naomi took the initiative to speak to Mr. Hamilton. “Mr. Hamilton, why don’t we go gather some firewood while Yolanda and Zane stay here to prepare the food?”

She had two reasons for suggesting this. First, it would be a hassle to bring the kids along. Second, it would give her a chance to be alone with Troy.

Troy thought Naomi’s plan made sense, so he agreed. “Sounds good.

Before they left, Naomi pulled out all the supplies they had brought and instructed Yolanda and Zane to start prepping the ingredients together.

s go.”

Once she was done giving them their tasks, Naomi turned to Mr. Hamilton. “Mr. Hamilton, let’s g

For some reason, Naomi kept noticing that Troy was way bolder and more forward online, but in real life, he turned all shy and held back around her

Just the night before last, he’d shamelessly asked her point–blank on WhatsApp if she wanted to hook up.

But now, he barely glanced her way, almost like he was purposely ignoring her.

She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, or if Troy was actually holding a grudge because she’d shot him down.

Either way, it didn’t really matter–guys are all the same. Play a little hard to get and then toss them a treat, and they’ll only stick to you ughter.

After getting off the bus, Teresa and the mom she was paired with took their two group kids to gather firewoodd nearby.

Meanwhile, Naomi was getting everyone organized for their tasks.

But before Naomi and Troy could get far, Zane suddenly burst into tears.

Troy instinctively turned around, and saw Yolanda stand up, viciously kick Zane in the leg and yell. “Motherless beat! How dare you try

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Chapter 215

to boss me around? I want fries, not shredded potatoes! Who are you to tell me what to eat?”

“Ugh, motherless brat,” she spat again.

Yolanda didn’t just insult him—she twisted the knife, stabbing right at Zane’s deepest pain.

Troy knew Zane’s background well. His mother died during childbirth, so he’d grown up without a mom from day one.

All these years, Peyton had never remarried; he devoted himself entirely to taking care of Zane.

But even with all that fatherly care, Zane still felt the emptiness that only a mother’s love could fill.

That pain was something Zane never had the courage to mention in front of Peyton.

But now, just like that, Yolanda had brought it out in the open without a second thought.

When Troy heard that, his blood boiled.

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Even if Zane wasn’t Peyton’s son, even if he was just some random kid, Troy couldn’t tolerate Yolanda hurling insults at a child like that.

Without thinking, Troy stormed back over and grabbed Yolanda, pulling her close.

At the same time, he raised his hand, ready to strike her across the face.

His expression was grim as he shot Naomi a sideways glare; the chill in his eyes was sharp as poison, and he looked ready to bite someone’s head off.

He carried Zane over to a quiet little corner and gently set him down, making sure nobody else was bothering them.

Kneeling in front of Zane, Troy reached out and ruffled the boy’s hair, his tone soft and fatherly. “Uncle Troy messed up. I shouldn’t have left you there alone.”

Troy might always mess around and tease Zane, but deep down, he treated the kid like his own son.

Zane shook his head, his eyes still rimmed red, but he forced a small, reassuring smile. “It’s not your fault, Uncle Troy. You really don’t have to apologize to me.”

Seeing Zane try to act tough like that only made Troy’s heart ache even more. He wrapped Zane in a gentle hug. “Come on, Uncle Troy will switch us to another group. We’re not staying with that little witch anymore.”

When Emilie saw Zane in tears, she asked what had happened.

After finding out the whole story. Emulie’s heart went out to Zane. She knelt down in from of him and saud sonly, “Zane, we boys are

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Emilie figured out why Troy had brought Zane over, so she gently asked. “Zane, can you tell me which group you want to join?”

Zane didn’t hesitate one bit. “I want to be in Monica’s group,” he replied.

Monica might be pretty fierce sometimes, but Zane actually enjoyed playing with her.

Yeah, she could be bossy, but she never poked fun at his scars or tried to hurt his feelings.

At that, Emilie gave Zane’s head a gentle pat and said softly, “Alright.”

After Emilie helped coordinate, Troy swapped spots with the mom who was paired with Teresa’s group.

After the groups were switched up, Troy sent Monica and Zane to hang out under a tree and get the veggies ready, while he headed off with Teresa to gather firewood.

Teresa didn’t bother to ask why the teacher had suddenly switched the groups.

There wasn’t much firewood lying around in the park, so they had to hike out past the main area just to pick any

Westhill Park hadn’t been fully built out yet, and there were still some spots that felt pretty basic.

Teresa saw Troy striding ahead, so she quickened her steps to catch up with him.

By the time she reached him, Troy had already gathered some firewood.

He was bending down, snapping the firewood with his bare

Since he wasn’t wearing gloves, after breaking a few pieces, his finger finally Scratched by the wood.

Teresa noticed blood welling up on Troy’s finger, so she quickly reached out

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grabbed his hand. “Let me see,” she said.

A ne relented and let her hold it.

Troy started to pull his hand away, but when he caught the concern in Teresa’s

He lowered his gaze, staring deep into her eyes, as if he wanted to see straight into her heart and read

every thought in her mind.

Teresa sensed his intense stare, but said nothing–she simply focused on tending to his wound in silence.

But Troy couldn’t hold it in anymore. His voice was barely above a whisper, but the quiver in his words gave him away.

He asked Teresa, “Why are you suddenly acting so distant with me?“–his voice trembling with confusion and hurt.

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