When She Walks Away (Teresa) novel Chapter 78

Chapter 78

Teresa knew Jason was behind it, but she felt completely helpless.

In Riverdale, aside from Charles and Troy, Jason and Finn were the ones with the most power.

Except for Troy, the other factions were deeply intertwined.

Taking on Jason would mean going against Charles and Finn as well.

In a situation like this, there was really nothing anyone could do.

After returning to the Sullivan Mansion, Teresa played some games with Monica before heading upstairs.

Hector still hadn’t replied to her messages, which made her even more anxious.

She tried calling him again, but his phone was already turned off.

Teresa had never been dragged through the mud online herself, but she knew internet hate could break most people.

What people said online hurt more than any blade or venom.

That night, Teresa barely slept at all.

It wasn’t until the crack of dawn that Hector finally replied to her message. Hector said: [I’m fine. Don’t worry about me too much.]

When Teresa saw Hector’s message, she finally felt a bit relieved. But guilt crept in, and she typed apologetically: [I’m sorry.]

Hector replied: [It’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself.]

After a few more texts, Hector went silent.

The next morning, even though Teresa had barely slept, she felt surprisingly energetic.

She got to Joyacre Villa early and had already prepared soup and some simple sides.

While eating with Yolanda, Teresa kept sneaking glances upstairs and at the entrance, hoping Charles would come back

soon.

Some things were just out of her league, but she was sure Charles could handle them.

It wasn’t long before Charles walked in from the front hall.

The weather was gloomy and misty, tiny droplets of water clinging to his clothes.

When Teresa saw him, she realized she didn’t feel the same urge to ask him for help anymore.

But as he headed upstairs, Teresa instinctively called out, “Charles?”

Charles paused on the stairs and glanced back at Teresa. “Is there something you want?” His voice was icy, not a trace of

warmth in it.

Naomi showed up at the landing, flashing Charles a smile. “Charles, you’re back?”

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Chapter 78

Seeing Teresa stay quiet, Charles turned to Naomi. “Yeah. Why aren’t you getting some more sleep?”

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Naomi was still in her silk pajamas, her long hair draped over her shoulders. She had that lazy vibe about her, and her eyes were gentle and warm.

But when she spoke, she deliberately lowered her voice. “It was a bit noisy, so I didn’t get to catch some extra sleep.”

Teresa thought, ‘Extra sleep? Does she mean the kind of sleep you get after making love in the morning?”

Charles finished climbing the stairs and stood next to Naomi, but his eyes stayed locked on Teresa downstairs. “You don’t have to come so early next time.”

Teresa was caught off guard, and she bit back the words she was about to say to Charles.

He and Jason are birds of a feather. If I asked him for help, he’d only take his buddy’s side, Teresa thought.

Teresa didn’t respond to his suggestion, nor did she look at him again.

Charles was genuinely taken aback by her attitude, but he didn’t give it much thought.

As he was turning to leave for his room, Charles suddenly glanced back at Teresa and said, “Oh, right, what were you about to say just now?”

Teresa said, “Nothing.”

That was the end of their conversation.

Charles and Naomi headed back to their room, while Teresa kept an eye on Yolanda to make sure she finished her breakfast.

After breakfast, Teresa drove Yolanda to school.

On the drive, Teresa couldn’t hold back anymore and asked, “Yolanda, can you do me a favor?”

Yolanda was glued to her phone, gaming away. When she heard Teresa, she looked up, curious. “Help with what, Mom?”

They stopped at a red light, and while Teresa hit the brakes, she turned to Yolanda. “You know Mr. Gould, right?”

Yolanda nodded. “Yeah, Mr. Gould’s really nice to me.”

Teresa forced a smile, though her eyes stayed serious. “Mr. Gould has a misunderstanding with one of my friends. Could you maybe say something nice about my friend to him?”

Yolanda scrunched up her face, thinking hard before finally shaking her head. “If Mr. Gould doesn’t like someone, they probably aren’t a good person. Why would you be friends with someone like that, Mom?”

Teresa frowned, watching Yolanda. She heard her daughter say, “Mom, I can’t help you with this.”

“But what if it’s something I really need?” Teresa softened her voice, hope shining in her eyes.

Yolanda still didn’t get it. Instead, she turned the tables and started lecturing Teresa. “Mom, if Mr. Gould doesn’t like someone, you should really keep your distance from them.”

Teresa straightened up, her reply quiet and flat. “Okay.”

The light turned green, and Teresa hit the gas, the car speeding off.

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Neither of them said a word for the rest of the ride.

Go vouchers

Just as they were about to reach the kindergarten, Yolanda broke the silence. “Mom, can I ask you to do something for me?”

Teresa looked indifferent, her voice cool. “Okay, I’ll do what I can.”

Yolanda said, “Mom, could you stop coming so early to make breakfast? It wakes up Miss Naomi, and if she can’t get enough sleep, she won’t have the energy to study or practice her music.”

Teresa felt like her heart was being stabbed by a thousand needles. She couldn’t help but think how absurd it was, but she couldn’t bring herself to say no.

Teresa didn’t say anything else, just nodded and said, “Okay.”

For the next few days, Teresa only swung by Joyacre Villa to drop Yolanda off at school-no more early breakfasts.

Sometimes she’d bump into Charles, sometimes she wouldn’t. Other times, it was just Naomi she’d see around.

But honestly, none of that mattered. The drama about Hector getting blacklisted in the medical world had finally started to cool off.

Even so, Hector was still getting threatened and intimidated by a ton of people.

He usually kept his phone switched off, just to dodge all those random calls from people who’d somehow gotten his number

At night, he’d send Teresa a quick message to let her know he was okay.

Teresa knew Hector was safe, but deep down, she understood the root of all this was still Jason.

Once the drama cooled off, Jason would just come up with some new tricks.

During this time, Teresa kept hesitating, unsure if she should ask Charles to help her break the deadlock.

After days of wavering, Teresa found out that Charles had taken Naomi, Yolanda, Jason, and Finn on a beach vacation.

Scrolling through the news on her phone, Teresa saw photos of them all having fun-exploring the shore, snapping pictures, learning to swim, and even diving.

Teresa couldn’t hold back anymore; she just dialed Charles straight away.

No matter what, Hector was totally innocent. Jason’s drama wasn’t just wrecking Hector’s career; it had him basically stuck at home, unable to do anything.

The phone had barely rung before Charles picked up, waves rolling in the background loud and clear.

“Do you need something?” Charles’s voice was icy, blending with the sound of the ocean behind him.

Teresa didn’t beat around the bush. “Yeah, I do.”

Charles seemed taken aback for a second, but then he said, “Let’s talk when I get back.”

Teresa could wait, but Hector might not be able to.

If things kept going like this, next time it might not be glass getting smashed; it could be Hector.

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So, without hesitating, Teresa blurted out, “Is there any way you could get Jason to leave Hector alone?”