When She Walks Away (Teresa) novel Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Teresa could see the gears turning in Finn’s head, but she wasn’t in the mood to explain herself. “Where are they?” she asked, cutting straight to the chase.

Finn could sense that Teresa’s vibe had changed.

Back when she was always hanging around Charles, she used to act all fawning and eager to please with everyone.

Now, even though her eyes were icy, Finn actually found her easier to be around.

Still, when Teresa asked her question, Finn hesitated.

Seeing that he wasn’t outright refusing to answer, Teresa looked him dead in the eye. “I’m serious. This is a matter of life and death. Super urgent.”

Finn wasn’t sure what was going on, but he could see the urgency in her eyes.

Finally, he pointed toward the hotel. “They’re down by the beach, behind the hotel.”

Teresa didn’t spare Finn another look, but she still said, “Thanks.”

With that, she headed straight for the hotel.

She didn’t say she was looking for anyone. She just asked for a room that was close to the beach.

Once she had the room, Teresa made a beeline for the beach behind the hotel.

As soon as she stepped outside, Teresa spotted Jason sitting by the bonfire, drinking alone and looking pretty down.

Not far away, the family of three looked every bit like a real family, all warm and cozy together.

The moment Teresa showed up, Naomi saw her and pointed her out to Charles and Yolanda.

But Teresa didn’t pay them any mind. She marched straight up to Jason and said, “Jason, are you going to come talk to me, or are we doing this here?”

It was the first time Teresa had ever spoken to one of Charles’s friends like that.

Jason spread his hands dismissively, not even bothering to take Teresa seriously. “Talk about what? There’s nothing between us worth discussing.”

Teresa’s tone grew fierce. “Don’t tell me you don’t know what you did.”

“Not a clue.” Jason tilted his chin up, defiant. His eyes gleamed with smugness and an air of superiority.

Teresa couldn’t hold back anymore. She snatched up Finn’s unfinished glass of red wine and splashed it right in Jason’s face.

Charles, Yolanda, and Naomi all saw Teresa splash red wine right in Jason’s face.

Yolanda stood there, stunned for a few seconds, then stormed over, her face flushed with anger. “Mom, why did you do that

to Mr. Gould?”

Her daughter’s voice dripped with disgust as she confronted her.

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From the look on her face, it was obvious Yolanda was ready to take Jason’s side.

Teresa didn’t say anything back. She just looked at her daughter with an amused expression.

Yolanda demanded, “Mom, you need to apologize to Mr. Gould right now.”

Teresa blurted out without thinking. “Then I’d rather not even call you my daughter.”

But before she could finish, Charles called out to her, “Teresa-”

His voice broke in, cutting Teresa off before she could say something she’d really regret.

Charles strode over to Teresa and Jason, while Naomi grabbed Yolanda’s hand and quickly led her away from the heated

scene.

The ocean view was stunning, and the breeze was gentle, but right now, no one was in the mood to appreciate it.

Charles fixed his gaze on Teresa and said, “Don’t say anything harsh in front of Yolanda.”

His tone was cold, and it was clear he was pissed off.

But Teresa wasn’t about to let his mood sway her. She looked at him, a hint of amusement in her eyes. “Harsh? Me?”

Charles nodded. “Yeah.”

Jason, still dripping with wine, looked like he was about to blow up, but with Charles stepping in, he held his tongue and just kept dabbing at his face with a tissue.

The staff, sensing the tension, quickly made themselves scarce.

Only Teresa, Charles, and Jason remained on the beach now.

Teresa glared at Charles, her voice tinged with resentment. “Why didn’t you reply to my messages?”

Charles frowned and said, “I didn’t see them.”

Teresa gave a mocking laugh. “Didn’t see them? Or did you just decide to ignore me?”

Charles insisted, “I didn’t see them.”

The answer to that question didn’t really matter.

So Teresa switched gears. “You’ve heard about what happened with Hector, right?”

Charles kept his face cold. “I’ve got better things to do than worry about that kind of drama.”

Teresa shot him a skeptical look. “Is that so?”

With that, she stepped back, her gaze lingering between Charles and Jason, searching their faces for any sign of support.

Finally, she gave a self-mocking laugh. “Guess you’re all just the same.”

Charles and Jason were friends, and she’d been foolish enough to think Charles would ever put Jason in his place for her.

But she’d forgotten that she was the one who mattered least to them all.

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Right now, with everything going on, Teresa couldn’t even spare a thought for Troy; she was too busy worrying that something might’ve happened to Hector.

She waited an entire day, but Hector still didn’t reply to any of her messages. She just couldn’t sit still anymore.

Teresa made up her mind to track Charles down herself, no matter where he was.

Teresa texted Charles: [Which city are you in? I need to talk to you face-to-face. It’s urgent.]

But after she hit send, her message might as well have been tossed into the void-no response at all.

The next day, Teresa checked her phone again-still nothing from Charles.

Teresa opened up a video app and pulled up YatesDaily’s account. The IP address showed they were in the neighboring city,

Kinsea

Cross-referencing the paparazzi’s vacation photos with the beach views and local buildings, Teresa finally pinned down their location: a coastal city called Ternton.

Teresa booked the earliest flight available, but it was still in the afternoon.

By the time Teresa landed, it was already 7 PM.

It was late fall, and the sky was already pretty much dark by then.

Teresa jumped into a cab, quizzing the driver about where Charles and his crew were likely hanging out as they headed over

Meanwhile, over at Ternton’s swankiest hotel, a beach bonfire party was in full swing.

Waiters were busy grilling meat, slicing coconuts, and whipping up food.

By the shore, Charles and Naomi carved out their little world with Yolanda.

Yolanda was in heaven, diving during the day, beachcombing at sunset, and partying by the water at night.

She wished she could stay in this paradise forever.

On the tables around the bonfire, all kinds of grilled meat skewers were piled up, with hot beer and red wine ready to go.

Jason and Finn were just chilling, snacking and sipping their drinks, every now and then shooting a look at the little family trio having fun not far away.

After a while, Jason glanced at his phone and suddenly burst out laughing. “Finn, look at this. I just made up a few accusations against Hector, and now a whole crowd is jumping on the bandwagon, trying to expose him.

“Not only that, but people have been blocking him in at home for days. The best part? He tried sneaking out in full disguise the other day, but someone caught him, beat him up right there, and even messed up his hand.”

Jason shook his head, clicked his tongue, and snickered, “Finn, think about it. A surgeon with a busted hand? He’s basically dead weight now, isn’t he?”

Jason laughed even harder, like he was showing off his proudest achievement with Hector’s downfall.

Finn kept his brows furrowed the whole time, never agreeing with Jason’s remarks.

But Jason didn’t notice a thing. He scrolled through his phone and said, “I just kicked things off, and people online are even

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angrier than I am. They’re tossing out stuff like bribery and illegal fundraising.

“All I had to do was drop a few hints, and someone would jump in to do the dirty work.”

Just then, Finn cut in. “Jason, do you really think this is right?”

Jason shot Finn a glare, clearly annoyed. “Why not? He had it coming for messing with Charles’s woman. He picked the wrong fight, and that’s his problem.”

Finn sighed, “Charles doesn’t even like her. She can’t just live her whole life as Mrs. Logan, can she? Even if she’s married, she still has the right to pursue her happiness.”

Jason was fuming. “You’ve seriously lost your marbles. Maybe you need to get your head checked.”

Finn didn’t let Jason’s anger get to him. He said, “Jason, Hector’s a damn good doctor. He operated on my friend.”

Jason just scoffed, “Why should I care? I’ll never need a guy like him in my life.”

Finn retorted, “Maybe you don’t need him, but plenty of other people do.”

Jason looked surprised for a moment, then just brushed it off. “Not my problem.”

Finn continued, “Do you have any idea how long it takes to make a great doctor? Hector’s already holding his own in surgery, and he’s still young. Ever think about how many people he could help?”

Jason cut him off, clearly annoyed, “Finn, give it a rest. Who are you to lecture me?”

Not far away, Charles was hanging out with Naomi and Yolanda, hunting for starfish and crabs. The sound of their argument was drowned out by the waves crashing against the shore.

Jason and Finn were really going at it, their faces red with anger, almost ready to throw down.

Finally, seeing he wasn’t getting through to Jason, Finn stormed out of the hotel.

But just as Finn stepped out of the hotel, he nearly collided with Teresa, who was getting out of a cab.

Teresa looked up and saw Finn. She knew she’d found the right spot and couldn’t help but smile a little.

Finn stared at her, puzzled. “Teresa? What brings you here?”

Teresa used to always show up suddenly around them. But she hadn’t done that in ages.

Finn figured she’d finally stopped hanging onto Charles, but clearly, some habits are just impossible to break.