The Substitute Bride

Sheryl raised her head with much difficulty and looked into the nurse's eyes with a solemn expression. It felt as if everything around her was spinning. She then shut her eyes tightly. A few moments later, she murmured, mostly to herself, "Right. I need to take care of myself. Charles may need me. He will be mad if he catches me like this. I have to hold on. I won't lose heart!" She nodded at the nurse and put on a determining look.

"That's the Sheryl I know. Come on! Let's go back and get some rest." Isla felt her heart settle in her chest and heaved a sigh of relief before walking Sheryl back to her ward.

Somehow the nurse's words had comforted Sheryl and gave her some hope. In a matter of a few minutes, she fell into a deep slumber, breathing evenly.

Isla took a chair and sat beside Sheryl's bed, gazing down at her best friend. Sheryl looked like a carefree angel in her sleep. But Isla knew it was an absolute contrast to what Sheryl's life was like in reality. She sighed and hated that Sheryl had to go through all of this.

However, Isla had hardly enjoyed this momentary peace than she heard some noise coming from outside. Gradually it was becoming louder and louder. Isla frowned as she speculated who could possibly be so mindless to make such a commotion inside a hospital. She cast a quick glance at Sheryl, who seemed absolutely unaware of the noise, before tiptoeing out of the room, avoiding making any noise that could wake Sheryl up.

The moment she stepped out of Sheryl's ward, she spotted Melissa and Leila standing to one side and shouting at the top of their voices. Isla frowned deeply and donned a firm, yet cool expression on her face as she approached them.

"Where is Sheryl? I need to talk to her now!" Melissa yelled at the very first sight she got of Isla.

By now, Isla had become used to with her arrogance. She maintained her calmness as she took her time to move closer to them and replied with an ironic smile, "I'm afraid you have to talk to me first. Sheryl is unwell and besides, she has nothing to say to you."

"Don't you know what she has done?" Melissa sneered.

Isla was a little taken aback, wondering what Melissa was talking about. She stopped a few steps away from them and said curtly, "I don't think Sheryl is in a condition to do anything now. Please, lower your voice and behave yourself. This is a hospital, not the living room of your house! I'll call the security if you keep making such a noise."

Isla had always found Melissa's attitude intolerable. And especially now that both Sheryl and Charles had ended up in the hospital, she found it difficult to even bear the sight of the woman.

As Charles' mother and a senior lady of her age, she should have been more sophisticated. But she behaved as if she was a housewife in her pajamas bargaining at the vegetable market. Sometimes, Isla even felt sorry for her, but it seemed Melissa was completely ambivalent toward the impression she created with other people.

Isla couldn't help running her eyes over Melissa repeatedly. Melissa could have been more dignified if only she paid a little attention to her words and actions.

The woman was wrong in every aspect and lacked the bearing of an affluent old lady. If there was something about Melissa which could have aroused a little attention from other people, it had to be her delicate face, which was nothing other than a gift she had gotten at birth.

"Leila and I had left Charles

gling, and sobbed silently. Isla slowly released her hair and let her go. Sheryl was still asleep inside the room, and she might be mad at this scene. Isla didn't want Sheryl to be upset because of these two shameless women.

As Isla loosened her grip all of a sudden, Leila staggered forward, almost falling on her knees. Melissa hurried forward to hold her.

Isla then said coldly with her finger pointing sternly at them, "Get out of here, right now! Never ever show up in front of Sheryl again. Next time, I won't show any mercy on either of you!"

She clenched her hand into a fist and waved at them to warn them. When all of these events had long passed, Isla would eventually tell Sheryl what she had done this day, which would almost make Sheryl cry with laughter.

Melissa immediately dragged Leila away from there. Apparently, she believed every word that Isla said.

Isla couldn't be happier to watch them fleeing in panic. If she had known that fists would speak louder than words, she would have beaten them up long ago. Then it would have saved Sheryl from lots of trouble.

Melissa only stopped once they had turned the corner, panting for breath. She grasped her heaving chest as Isla's threat kept reverberating in her mind. After a long time, she murmured, "That woman is a maniac! I used to think she was just ill-bred, but now I suppose she's lost her mind."

But Leila didn't give her any response as if she hadn't heard her.

After her breathing returned to normal, Melissa noted Leila's change in behavior. She turned to look at Leila, who was looking ahead with her eyes fixed on a distant point. Half of her face was swollen. Isla had really hated them and had slapped Leila with her full strength.

"Leila, does it hurt? Are you okay?" Melissa asked with a lot of concern, waving her hand in front of Leila's vacant eyes.

But Leila seemed to have become like a concrete doll and didn't even blink her eyes. This made Melissa all the more scared.

However, Leila had heard Melissa's words and had even noticed her tense expression. She mentally rolled her eyes and sighed, wondering why Isla hadn't slapped Melissa as well. Then Melissa would have known whether it hurt or not!

"I'm fine, Aunt Melissa," Leila finally said, feigning an innocent expression on her face.