The Substitute Bride

"Bye, Mom and Dad."

"Bye, Clark and Shirley. Have a nice day in school."

"Okay." Shirley blew her parents a lovely kiss as she got into the car. At the same time, Clark ran to his parents wearing a shy expression as he hugged them before he silently got in.

Sheryl momentarily felt lost since she was unable to send her children to school today. That was one thing she loved the most being a mother to these two beautiful kids.

That morning, Charles and Sheryl were waiting patiently in the dining room. It had been a long time before Melissa and Leila came into view. Their pace was unusually slow as they came in with their arms linked together.

Melissa seemed to be not aware that she was late, completely ignoring Sheryl and Charles. And without uttering any apologies, she uncaringly went straight to sit down and start eating her breakfast.

Seeing Melissa acting in such a way, Sheryl felt upset. She was too disappointed in missing her chance to send her children to school just because she wanted to have breakfast with Melissa. Regret filled her when it turned out that Charles' mother completely ignored her presence. It made her feel unhappy as if a thorn was stuck in her throat.

Across her, Melissa was chatting happily with Leila while eating, not even sparing her a glance.

"Aunt Melissa, how was your sleep last night?" asked Leila.

"Not bad. Thank you for your concern. This vanilla cake tastes good. Have a try."

Melissa then cheerfully offered the cake to Leila, still completely ignoring the rest.

Sheryl started to be noticeably discomfited by Melissa's behavior, which made her feel like a stranger. She had the urge to leave, but she decided to finish her breakfast first. So she resorted to gobble her food as quickly as possible.

Charles was not oblivious to the scene unfolding before him, as he quietly held Sheryl's hand under the table. He could sense how this made Sheryl feel awkward and upset. He squeezed her hand and gave her an assuring look. Just right at the moment when Sheryl raised her eyes to look at Charles with curiosity, she heard him speak.

"Mom, Sher and

ed like a thunderbolt against the floor.

"All right. I know it already. Come to sit and take a good rest." Sheryl closed the office door and pushed Isla into the office.

Isla failed to see Sheryl's face clearly because she was too far away. And now that she was so close to her, Sheryl's dark eye circles frightened her. "Sher, you didn't sleep last night? Take a mirror and look at yourself. You have that dark eye circles which are way darker than that of a panda!"

Sheryl rubbed her eyes and managed to force a reply. "Tell me about it. I'm so depressed to death!"

Something had happened! Isla knew that it must be about Charles again, whenever she saw Sheryl looked helpless. Did he hurt her again?

"Sher, what happened?" Isla probed at her carefully while she was observing Sheryl's reaction.

Suddenly, Sheryl leaned her head against her shoulder, seeming like to draw some strength from her. She rarely saw Sheryl as fragile as now.

"Isla, I'm tired," Sheryl murmured, rubbing her head on Isla's shoulder.

Isla held Sheryl, waiting for her to continue silently. If she would like to pour her heart out, Isla would be the best listener. But if Sheryl didn't want to say anything, Isla would comfortingly hug her.

The best friendship between two women would be like this. When Sheryl needed her, she would be there for her, listening to whatever she said. She would be with her all the time.