Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Teresa had walked off with that righteous , unshakable look on her face , and it just made Charles's blood boil . In Charles's eyes , Teresa was no longer the responsible mother she used to be - skipping Yolanda's preschool events was bad enough , b now she was tossing all the parenting onto him . The more he thought about it , the more ticked off he felt toward her . She used to do everything herself , taking care of Yolanda down to the tiniest detail . But now ? She didn't even want to deal with her own kid . Just as his temper was flaring , Naomi's voice came from behind him . " Charles . " That soft tone of hers cooled him down a notch . " You done ? " Charles looked over at her , the icy glare in his eyes melting into something gentler . Naomi walked up , stood right next to him , and replied , " Yeah , it's done . " She could tell he'd been upset , so she asked in a soft voice , " What happened ? You get into it with Ms. Sullivan ? " Charles didn't want to get into it . He just shook his head , replying , " Forget it . Time to pick up Yolanda . " When they got in the car , though , Charles didn't start the engine right away . Naomi , sitting in the passenger seat , noticed that and asked , " Hey , got something on your mind ? " Thinking about what Teresa had said earlier , he still felt uneasy . He asked , " Did Yolanda get into trouble at school or something ? " Naomi handled everything about Yolanda's school . Since Teresa mentioned that Yolanda caused trouble at school , Charles thought Naomi should be clear about it . Naomi froze for a second , then suddenly chuckled . " Yolanda's such a sweet kid . How could she possibly cause trouble ? " Charles thought it over , then said flatly , " Yeah , I believe you . " After that , he started the car . As they drove off , a flicker of guilt crossed Naomi's face . There were things she didn't want to tell Charles . If she told the truth to him , he might just think she couldn't take care of Yolanda . Thus , she chose to hide bad things from Charles . Before long , they pulled up outside the kindergarten . Right before school was out , Naomi got a call from her school . She replied , " What ? A meeting right now ? " " Alright , I'll be right there " She tried to get out of it , but no luck . Charles told her to go ahead . He even called his driver , and had him take Naomi back to school , When Yolanda came out of school . Charles picked her up himself . The teacher didn't mention anything , so he was even more sure Yolanda had done anything wrong in the car , Vialanda sat there feeling uneasy - partly because of what happened , at school , partly because of that sudden day they left Sullivan Mamicen Her emogons knotted wahun ter , sud she tex woyed for no apparent reamat . Yolanda suddenly spoke up . Daddy " 178 PP Chapter 34 " Yeah ? " replied Charles . " Has Mom called you ? Or … have you seen her ? " she asked . For some reason , Yolanda suddenly missed her mom . Lately , Naomi had been the one taking her to and from school . she thought , ' Naomi's nice , but she belongs in the spotlight . She won't even wash my underwear , and she never sings me songs to sleep She could only do ponytail , no other styles … ' Her nails are pretty , but she can't cook . I'm really tired of the plain food Sharon cooked . ' But if Mom was here , she'd braid my hair in all kinds of styles , bake me all sorts of desserts , and my underwear would always be fresh and clean .' Charles looked at her , puzzled . He didn't know what was going on , but he kept his voice gentle . " Yeah , I saw her today . " Yolanda perked up . Sitting straight , she asked , " Was she happy today ? " Charles frowned and asked , " Why , honey ? " Yolanda lowered her head , her mood dropping . " I feel like … Mom doesn't love me anymore ." That day when they got back to Sullivan Mansion , Yolanda had thrown a huge fit , but Teresa didn't even get mad at her . Instead , she sent her back to Joyacre Villa . Teresa's abnormal reaction actually made Yolanda feel uneasy inside . Earlier today at school , she heard another kid say that no care meant no more love . Charles saw tears in Yolanda's eyes , and his heart ached for her . He gently stroked her cheek and asked softly , " Why do you feel that way , sweetheart ? " Tears rolled down her face as she spoke up , " Mom used to make me so many yummy things . She'd braid my hair in all kinds of pretty ways , and she taught me how to read and draw … But now , she … " Charles pulled her into his arms , ruffling her hair . " Don't overthink it , sweetheart . Of course Mom loves you . " Yolanda sobbed harder . " But Vera said … no care meant no more love . Dad , Mom hasn't cooked for me in forever . " Charles was lost in thought , thinking about the old Teresa . He did agree that Teresa had changed a lot . That day at Logan Manor , she even slept in a different room from them . Not sure how to comfort Yolanda , Charles simply asked , " Wanna call Mom now ? " " Still hiccupping from crying . Yolanda nodded . " Yeah . " Charles handed her the phone and said , ' Go ahead , tell her whatever you want . " Yolanda took the phone and called Teresa . It rang for a while before Teresa finally picked up " Yeah ? " said Teresa curtly . Her cold voice made Yolanda's stomach drop . " Mom , we've got an event on Thanksgiving Can you come ? Yolanda asked . She was expecting a yes , not even daring to turn up the idea of saking Teresa to apologize to Naoni . That day at Sullivan Mansion , she could already tell her mom was off Teresa's top sodieird liish when she buddat was her daughter . She replied , " Wolaita , Mominy is busy that day , so I can't come I had already promised Monks and she was about to go back on her wont 2/3 PP Chapter 34 . Yolanda's heart sank , but she asked again , " Mom , can you make me blueberry pie tomorrow morning ? I really miss that flavor . " Back then , Teresa would wake up at 6 AM just to get fresh blueberries from the market and bake it for her . She never minded the trouble . All she wanted was for Yolanda to be healthy and happy . Teresa's eyes turned red when she realled those things , but she still refused . " Honey , I have to stay at Sullivan Mansion to take care of Grandma . Ask Sharon to make it for you , okay ? " " What happened to Grandma ? Is she okay ? " Yolanda asked . Actually , she didn't really care about Linda . She just wanted her mom to think she was thoughtful . Teresa didn't bother guessing Yolanda's intentions . She simply replied , " Nothing serious . Hey , I'm hanging up now . You gotta go home early . " " Mom … " Yolanda quickly called out before the line went dead . Teresa asked , " What else ? " Yolanda hesitated for a while before saying , " Can I … visit Grandma ? " Teresa was a little surprised to hear that request , but she still turned Yolanda down . " You don't have to worry . Just focus on your school . With watery eyes , Yolanda glanced at Charles , as if asking for help . Charles had heard the whole conversation . He'd never seen Teresa be this cold to their daughter before . Feeling hurt to see Yolanda so disappointed , Charles took the phone and said to Teresa , " Yolanda wants you to come back . " Inside , Teresa sneered , ' Come back ? Come back to where exactly ? ' But Teresa didn't ask out loud . She answered , " I'm busy recently . I'll come back when I have time . " She was about to hang up when Charles snapped , " Teresa , can you not tell what's really important ? " AD