Semua Bab Surrogate for my Ex-Fiancé’s Brother: Bab 11 - Bab 20

Teresa's POV The week flew by as I adjusted to life at St. Catherine's Hospital, with Nicole's relentless energy pulling me in a dozen directions at once.I familiarized myself with the hospital’s layout, memorizing which corridors led where and which staircases were fastest during emergencies. I met colleagues whose names I tried to remember but mostly forgot by the end of each shift. I tried to stay invisible, blending into the background of overworked staff and outdated equipment.But Nicole made that impossible.She dragged me to coffee shops during breaks, filled our tiny shared hallway with her laughter and stories, and invaded my apartment like she belonged there. Which, in a way, she did. Her presence was the only thing keeping me from drowning in my own thoughts.Tuesday afternoon, I sat at the small desk in my apartment and stared at the numbers on my bank account.I had received a small advance payment when I signed my contract at St. Catherine's. It wasn't much, but it wa

Teresa’s POV Every maternal instinct I had buried for three years erupted all at once.Before I could even think, my feet moved, carrying me across the marble floor towards the crying boy.People glanced at him as they walked by but no one stopped. No one helped.To them, he was just a child making noise at an adult party. An inconvenience.But to me, he was everything.I reached him and knelt down, bringing myself to his eye level."Hey," I said softly. "Are you okay?"The boy looked at me with those dark eyes, tears streaming down his red face, and something inside me cracked wide open.He threw himself into my arms.His small hands gripped my shoulders as he buried his face in my neck. And sobbed like his heart was breaking.Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around him, holding him close, feeling the comforting warmth of his small body against mine.After three years of dreaming about this moment, of wondering about what he looked like, what he sounded like, whether he was happy

Teresa's POV "Let go," I whispered, my voice shaking.Timothy's hand was wrapped around my arm painfully. His dark eyes locked onto mine, demanding answers I couldn't give."Not until you give me something," he repeated angrily. "I need to know why you ran."My heart hammered against my ribs because I had a thousand reasons. And none of them were things I could say out loud."Because staying would have killed me," I spat.His grip loosened slightly, confusion flickering across his face. But before he could respond, Kasey's voice broke through the tension."Daddy! Stop being mean to Teresa!"Timothy released my arm immediately and turned.Kasey was glaring at him with an expression I was sure the three-year-old had never worn before. Kylie, on the other hand, had wrapped both arms around my waist, her small face pressed against my side."It's okay," I said quickly, kneeling down to their level. "Your daddy wasn't being mean. He was just talking to me.""You are crying," Kylie muttere

Timothy's POV I hadn't slept since Saturday.For three days, I had been pacing my penthouse, drinking coffee that had gone cold hours ago, and watching seventeen seconds of security footage repeatedly.Seventeen seconds were all I had managed to get from the Crystal Pavilion before Teresa disappeared into the night. But those seventeen seconds told me everything I needed to know.The footage showed Teresa kneeling down to Kasey's level. Showed her face as my son launched himself into her arms. Showed the exact moment her carefully controlled expression cracked.I had watched those seventeen seconds at least a hundred times by now. Studied every micro-expression. Every change in her body language. Every flicker of emotion that crossed her face.And every time I watched it, I became more sure that Teresa Sawyer was hiding something that involved my children."Mr. Chase?"I looked up from my laptop.Carson, my private investigator, stood in the doorway of my study. He was holding a thic

Teresa's POV After a moment my phone buzzed again with another notification. Messages from people I hadn't spoken to in years.Old classmates from medical school. Colleagues I hadn't seen since I dropped out. Even people I barely remembered messaging to ask if that was really me in the picture with Derek Saltzman, the celebrity artist. "The hospital is going to fire me," I muttered, staring at my phone."They can't fire you for going to a party.""They can fire me for bringing unwanted media attention. For becoming a distraction."Nicole didn't argue because she knew I was right.Monday morning came too quickly.I walked into St. Catherine's Hospital with my head down, avoiding eye contact with everyone.But I could feel the stares and hear the whispers that followed me down the hallways."That's her.""Can you believe it? Derek Saltzman.""I heard they have been dating for weeks.""She doesn't look like his usual type."I made it to my locker and changed into scrubs, trying to pret