The Substitute Bride

"Aunt Melissa, look. Nancy and I cooked for you! It's vegetable soup. That's is your favorite one!" Leila exclaimed, a huge grin on her face. Leila walked slowly toward Melissa, a bowl of vegetable soup in her hands.

When she put the bowl on the table in front of Melissa, Melissa noticed that her hands were red from how hot the bowl was.

Melissa couldn't help but worry about Leila. She hadn't even looked at the soup yet, but she grabbed Leila's hands and said, frowning, "Leila! Your hands! Oh my god, do they hurt?"

"It's alright, Melissa. They don't hurt. I'm fine. I just wanted to cook something for you. I got careless," Leila said lightheartedly. She seemed really happy, but Melissa figured she was faking it in order not to worry her, which only made Melissa feel guiltier. Leila waved her hands like the burn didn't even hurt.

"Be careful!" Melissa said as she saw Leila waving her hands. "You don't need to lie to me. I know it hurts. Didn't you know that it would worry me? Don't you know that I can't stand to see you hurt like this?" Melissa seemed to be blaming Leila, but Leila knew it was only because she cared about her. Melissa grabbed Leila's arms so the latter would stop waving them.

At the moment, Nancy was watching them from a distance. She shook her head and sighed. There was something she knew that she wasn't speaking of.

'Leila didn't burn her hands making the vegetable soup for Melissa, ' Nancy thought to herself. 'She was passing by the kitchen when she carelessly knocked over the bowl of soup I had made. That was how she burned her hands. Now she's taking credit for the soup I made. She's pretending that she burned her hand making the soup. Why on earth would she do that?'

Melissa, however, was oblivious to this. She was busy talking to Leila. "Why are you so clumsy? We have Nancy to cook for us. Next time, just leave this to her, okay? You don't have to cook. It just makes me worry about you."

Leila nodded in agreement. She promised that she wouldn't cook again lest Melissa worry about her.

Melissa was just now realizing that Charles was also present, so she gestured for him to come closer. "Charles, what are you doing standing there? Come and help me wash Leila's burn. Burns can turn out to be so serious sometimes, you know. If it doesn't get dealt with, it can turn into an infection or inflammation. I don't want Leila's hand to be ruined. Hands say a lot about a woman."

Charles was not in the mood to help Leila. However, he decided to concede when he thought of Melissa's health condition.

Charles walked over and stood behind them. Melissa was still talking to him. She blabbered on about how lovely and considerate Leila was, unlike some other women, who were ungrateful and selfish. Charles didn't have to blink twice to know that Melissa was referring to Sheryl.

However,

ughter-in-law.

"Really? We're going out for a walk?" Melissa asked, her eyes widening. She looked at both Leila and Charles expectantly.

Charles glanced at Leila, obviously unhappy. 'Who does she think she is? A little taste of the good life and now she thinks she's in charge of everything? She thinks she can dictate what I do?' Charles thought to himself.

This didn't go unnoticed by Leila. She could tell that Charles didn't want to go, so she quickly rescinded her offer by saying, "Charles, if you're too busy, it's fine. I can take Melissa out on my own."

Leila wanted to seem considerate just like a good wife would be. Melissa seemed to be satisfied with it.

Melissa wouldn't let Charles get out of this now.

"Charles, it's already so late. You should be done with work already. Come and take a walk with us," Melissa insisted. She knew that Charles wouldn't be able to say no to her.

"Yes, Charles," Leila agreed. "I've been thinking that Melissa hasn't been feeling very well lately. Taking a walk for a while might be good for her." Leila purposely mentioned Melissa's condition so that Charles would have no choice but to come.

'Even if you don't like me, would you not do your part in helping your mother get better?' Leila thought to herself.

'Melissa is the one in charge here, not Charles. He wouldn't be able to refuse now.'

"Okay," Charles said plainly.

After they finished dinner, they took a walk around the garden like a happy family. After a while, Charles suggested that they all go back to the house again.

Melissa, however, shook her head and begged to stay longer like a little child. Charles wouldn't hear of it.

"Mom, you're sick, so you can't be out for so long. If you want to go out tomorrow to shop, or maybe exercise, you can ask Leila to come with you," Charles said firmly. This left Melissa with no choice but to return to the house.