The Substitute Bride

"How can I stay here and not go home? I promise I'll be home after the meeting is over," Charles replied with certainty, assuring Sheryl that he would be home soon. 'Does she really hate me so much that she even doesn't want to see me at home?' he wondered.

"I see. Well, fine then," Sheryl uttered in a rude manner. His response immediately put her mind at ease. If Charles was willing to come home, she thought that would have a chance to still get him back.

Her self-mockery continued to consume her. 'My gosh...When did I turn into such a coward? I mean, I've even swallowed my pride, in the attempt to avoid losing him.'

Sheryl paused as she was waiting for Charles to say something more. However, a sweet female voice came from the other end of the line. "Mr. Lu, everyone is already here and waiting for you."

"Oh, no problem. I will be right there," Charles said to the girl.

Taking a deep breath, he said to Sheryl, "Sher, the meeting is just about to start, so I have to go now. Please, if you have anything to tell me, we can talk about it at home."

Charles was in quite a hurry to end the call.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Holding the phone close to her ear, Sheryl sat motionless as the end-call beep filled the empty office. A pensive look lingered on her face.

'Who was calling Charles?' she wondered.

Pondering on the thought, she recalled that she didn't even recognize the girl's voice whom he was with. Her mind started racing with thoughts, leading her to even speculate that it was Rachel on the other end of the line.

The thought upset her gravely.

'Charles didn't even say goodbye. He just hung up the phone immediately once he heard the girl's words. If he's only going to have a meeting, I understand and I am cool with that. However, is he really going to work overtime or is that just his excuse to mess about?

I don't know, ' she surmised.

Women are a lot more sensitive than men. Ever since she had caught Charles and Rachel at the bar together, Sheryl's first instinct was that she was going through a somewhat serious marriage crisis. She was uncertain whether they would be able to get through it. However, one thing was for sure—she was having a horrible time thinking about the possibility of losing her husband.

Trying to empty her mind, she quick

make a move against her.

"Okay, Mommy," the two kids replied with one accord. Clark and Shirley had a regular bedtime, which already passed. Now that their mother had returned, they wouldn't refuse to go to sleep, especially because they were well-behaved children.

"I am taking them upstairs. Please help yourself, Grandpa, Mom," Sheryl said to her elders courteously.

"Fine then. I'm sure the two dears must be tired. They were expecting you several hours ago," Gary returned softly, smiling from ear to ear with his eyes narrowing into slits.

Melissa didn't respond as she didn't care about Sheryl's feelings. In a mellowed tone, she said to her grandchildren, "Goodnight, Clark, and Shirley. We can play together again tomorrow, alright?"

"Okay. Goodnight, Grandma," the kids replied politely.

Melissa had always been satisfied with their behavior. She was very fond of her grandchildren.

'Even if Sheryl divorces Charles and he doesn't marry Leila, I will still raise the two kids by myself if I can, ' she thought. 'One day I'll kick Sheryl out of Dream Garden, '

Melissa swore to herself silently.

As the three headed upstairs, Sheryl led her children to the bathroom first to give them a bath. After they put on their pajamas, they eagerly climbed onto the bed and fell asleep quickly.

Looking at the kids sleeping, Sheryl was overwhelmed with fulfillment and joy.

She was unaware about her and Charles' future, but as long as she had Clark and Shirley by her side, she would remain a happy person.