The Substitute Bride

"Sher, please calm down first and listen to me. I understand your feelings and I surely don't want Leila to stay." Charles' heart was broken when he noticed the tears rolling from Sheryl's eyes. He gently kissed her forehead and held her tightly in his arms, anticipating her possible struggle to push him away.

Charles was overwhelmed by mixed feelings. He felt sorry and regretful that he couldn't protect Sheryl from all this sadness. He wished there was a way for him to keep her happy all the time. There would be no better feeling than to see Sheryl with her bright smile.

"I didn't expect Mom would ask Leila to stay. When she initially brought this up to me at the hospital, I rejected her. But you know what kind of person my mom is. She won't stop until she gets what she wants. I was afraid that she wouldn't let it go and cause you trouble, so I made a compromise and agreed."

What Charles said didn't comfort Sheryl at all. All of a sudden, grievance and anger rushed over her, like rising tide. Sheryl remembered how she was laughed at and wronged by Leila, and the compromise she repeatedly made with Melissa. She recalled the disappointed look on Charles' face as he looked at her like it was all her fault. The flashback of sad memories flooded like a never ending movie.

Deep down, Sheryl really wanted to asked Charles how long she had to put up with it. Did she have to sacrifice herself and make compromise all the time when it came to Melissa's decision?

Sheryl's face was pale and she was shaking out of anger. She had enough of this. She could feel her chest tightened as the pain crushed her heart. Tears continued to stream down her cheeks as she cried harder.

"Charles, this is enough!" Sheryl finally exclaimed, breaking away from Charles' embrace. "I can't stay in this house any more, not for another second. If you let Leila move in and stay, then I will pack my luggage and leave immediately. I don't think I have a place in this house anyway."

Sheryl clenched her fists, h

from an unknown source but yet it grew deeper each day.

Charles' statement made Sheryl speechless. What he said didn't only give her courage but also made her feel hopeful.

They stayed still for a while, savoring that moment. Then Sheryl pulled herself from Charles' arms. Lifting her head, she looked Charles in the eye and asked him, word by word, "But what about Leila? And what about our problems? Even if you manage to make me stay, those problems will stay. We can't ignore them forever and pretend they don't exist. We have to address them, don't we?"

"Sher, I don't mean to let Leila stay. I initially agree just to comfort Mom. After all, she still holds a grudge against you because of the accident. I figure that if I agree to let Leila stay, I can return her the favor so she won't have any excuses to make things hard for you anymore,"

Charles explained sincerely. He believed that Sheryl was smart enough to understand him.

He knew that it was a bit unfair on her part. So he swore to himself that he would make it up to Sheryl one day.

Listening to Charles now, Sheryl understood that there was no better options. She had no other choice but to agree.

"Sheryl, believe me. I won't let you down any more. I promise. Together we can get through this." Charles said affectionately as he looked Sheryl in the eye.