The Substitute Bride

Sheryl took the kids to their bedroom to give them a bath. It was a rare incident that Sheryl was there with Clark and Shirley at their bedtime. Needless to say, the kids were exhilarated and more playful than usual. A mild smile appeared on Sheryl's face when she heard her kids giggle as they got into the bath. The splashing sound of the water, the sparkling eyes, and their hearty laughter filled the space with so much of positive vibes that for a moment it appeared to Sheryl that everything was perfect. She felt as if she was in a happy bubble far away from all the stress and heartbreaking reality. But deep inside she knew that her world was falling apart and she did not know how to save it.

After the kids took a bath, Sheryl led them to the bed. When Sheryl was about to coax the two kids into sleeping, Melissa appeared in front of the door and stood there staring the three of them inside the room. Her lips curved into a crooked smile. Then her face became grim as she fixed her gaze on Sheryl.

Her face became stern as she thought of Sheryl's neglecting her downstairs. She could not take the insult without retaliating. So she followed them upstairs and waited outside the door waiting for Sheryl to come out.

"Would you like to join us, Grandma?" Clark said in an excited voice as he was the first one to spot Melissa standing silently at the door.

Sheryl got startled to hear the word "Grandma" and looked back to see Melissa standing there. There was a mild awkward smile on Melissa's face for she had been exposed unexpectedly.

Now that she had been discovered, she stepped inside the room. Putting on a stern look, she cleared her throat and said to the kids, "It's late. You should go to bed early. Both of you have to go to school tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, the two children closed their eyes obediently. When they drifted off to sleep, Melissa broke the silence. "Don't you think that we should have a talk?" she asked in an arrogant manner.

"What do you want to talk?" Sheryl asked with a puzzled look.

"Why are you asking me? Don't you think you owe me an explanation for your recent behaviors?" Melissa grilled with a bossy air. "But more than that there is one thing that I am curious to know. Will you still refuse to move out of Dream Garden when you and Charles get a divorce?"

"I see. Turns out that you still haven't given up that stupid thought," Sheryl snorted, sneering at Melissa. 'I was too naive. I thought that she was concerned about me and she had come to comfort me. How ridiculous I was!' she mocked herself in her head.

"Ha! Now that something has happened between the two of you, you are bound to slit up," Melissa remarked casually, rolling her eyes upward. Sheryl was amazed to see the contentment on Melissa's face.

"What do you mean?" Sheryl asked her with a frown.

"Nothing." Melissa shrugged in an indifferent manner.

"Did Charl

something to tell Isla, but she didn't want Nick to hear that.

"What's up?" Isla asked with a frown.

"Just follow me." Sheryl winked at Isla and pulled her out of the ward.

"What would you do if you were in Nick's shoes?"

"Why do you bother asking? Of course I will not do anything until I get better!" Isla didn't understand why Sheryl would ask her this question. She stared back at Sheryl with creased eyebrows.

'It is not for nothing that they say that health is wealth. If he is sick, how can he continue with his career?' she thought.

However, Sheryl helped her to get a real perspective. "Isla, don't forget that Nick doesn't have money. He doesn't have money even to pay the medical expense. He can't get us paid. He even doesn't have money to support himself. Do you think he can slow down at this point?" Sheryl reminded Isla who slowly released her frown as she began to see the other side of Nick's situation. Isla heaved a sigh and nodded her head in agreement with Sheryl's words. However, she was still not at peace with the idea. On the top of that, Sheryl's reminding her of his financial conditions added to her anxiety for Nick. She became silent and lowered her head in dejection. Sheryl understood what was on Nick's mind. 'He is going to cut off all means of retreat. If he doesn't do anything, he will live in regret for the rest of his life.

Stress is fatal for heart patients, ' she pondered.

"Are we really out of options? Can't we do anything to help him? He is too weak..." Isla said in a low voice. What Sheryl said made sense to her. Despite that, she was still worried about Nick's health. She felt extremely regretful that she could not give him the care and support he needed.

"As you said, he is weak. And that's exactly why we should agree to his decision," Sheryl suggested.

"What do you mean?" Isla creased her brows and stared at Sheryl waiting for her to explain her statement.