The Substitute Bride

"God knows where she is. She must be hiding from us after making such a huge mistake! What a disgraceful woman!" Melissa said in fury.

Standing next to Melissa, Clark couldn't believe that his grandmother would say such slanderous things. His grandmother always put blame on his mother when things went out of hand. He couldn't help but get annoyed because he knew that his mother had gone looking for his sister. She was not hiding from them!

Furious as Melissa's words, Clark desperately grabbed Charles' sleeve and defended his mother by saying, "Dad, Grandma is wrong. Mom has gone to look for Shirley. Can we join her and find Shirley?"

It was rare for the little boy to look so vulnerable. Being tough was Clark's asset. Even as a kid, he barely cried and never gave up facing difficulties. But now, his eyes were filled with tears with too much concern.

The father felt pity and regret for Clark, so he held him in his arms. As his son asked, he went to look for Sheryl. Seeing this, Melissa and Leila followed him. No one uttered a word, except Clark, who was sobbing.

Although Charles looked calm, his mind was in chaos. Her little girl was Shirley, the charm of his life. He couldn't imagine how his life would be if he would lose her.

Being the chine of the family, Charles remained silent and firm. If he panicked, the whole family would go out of control. Therefore, he must suppress his sentiments from bursting out and calm down.

After a few minutes of seeking, they saw Sheryl. With disheveled hair and clothes, tears kept rolling down from her cheek, she eagerly asked every passerby about her dear daughter.

At the sight of Sheryl's situation, Charles' heart was tore into pieces. Why did he leave her alone? She must have been hurting as much as he did. Shirley was also her daughter.

"Sher…" He couldn't utter more words.

Recognizing his husband's voice, Sheryl slowly turned her head at him, her tears welled up even more.

Like a lost kid, Sheryl ran into Charles' arms. She cried so hard that her voice echoed in the air, making every passerby look at them.

With his small arms, Clark hugged his parents. Containing himself to cry, he bit his lips and buried his face in his fat

tent. We shouldn't blame it all on Sheryl. No, we should stop blaming each other. Please stop pressuring Sheryl, Aunt Melissa," Leila said softly as if she was an angel sent from above.

Finally, Leila calmed Melissa down and persuaded her to stop blaming and scolding Sheryl. Her fake sympathy was conveyed and concealed successfully.

In the Dream Garden, they decided to take a rest.

It had been a tough day for everyone. But they still didn't hear any news about Shirley. The search team sent by Charles couldn't find any trace at all. What was worse, they were too afraid to call the police, worrying that it would piss the kidnappers off. Charles and Sheryl were the most terrified with this news, as they couldn't afford to lose Shirley.

Every second was slashes of torture to Sheryl. She grew lots of grey hair overnight. She looked extremely pale, like a walking corpse. She felt hopeless and anxious.

"Sher, please eat something. You haven't eaten even a single bite. You're going to be sick. I'm worried about you. Please stop torturing yourself. Shirley needs us, so we should be strong," Charles pleaded. He lost his appetite seeing his wife like this. The only thing he could do now was keep persuading and comforting her.

Insomnia attacked Sheryl because of endless thoughts. She couldn't eat or sleep. She sat on Shirley's crib all day long while hugging her bear doll. She comforted herself to think that the bear was her Shirley, her dear little baby.