The Substitute Bride

"I am the one Charles loves, not you!" Leila accusingly said to Sheryl. With her right thumb pointing at her own nose, she looked so brash.

Sheryl felt disgusted. She hadn't seen a woman as shameless as Leila before.

In Sheryl's opinion, Leila was the only one who could be that outrageous.

And she really shocked Sheryl.

Completely ignoring Leila's ridiculous words, she smirked and thought, 'Even if my marriage with Charles would end in a nightmare, I am sure he won't marry a woman like you! I have been with Charles for long enough to know who he is and what he wants, and from what I know about him, marrying you would be the last thing he'll ever consider. And if he does, it will be an unpleasant surprise!'

She almost failed to control her burning emotional rage and instead burst into laughter.

Sheryl also felt sorry for Melissa because she was so careless, and had invited trouble into Dream Garden.

Meanwhile, Sheryl averted her eyes and looked to her husband. Charles was still in a coma. And as far as she knew him, he didn't like any form of commotion, especially when it was people arguing in front of him. Despite her husband's unconscious state, Sheryl still wanted to make sure he was in a peaceful environment, so she tried as hard as she could for his room to be as quiet as possible.

But Leila misunderstood Sheryl's considerate silence as weakness, so she continued to carelessly insult, "What? Finding it hard to defend yourself? Do you finally feel the shame? Aha!"

Sheryl, still maintaining her composure, didn't talk. But a trace of contempt flashed across her eyes.

Sheryl felt rather confused by Melissa's choice. To Sheryl's knowledge, Melissa was, after all, born from a noble family, so she was supposed to have more appropriate preferences based on her upbringing. But Melissa would rather choose Leila, who was such an uncivilized woman without integrity, compared to Sheryl. It was hard to believe that Melissa couldn't even see through Leila.

Why did Melissa prefer a strange and dishonest woman like Leila, instead of Sheryl? Why did she even want Sheryl gone, and choose Leila to be her daughter-in-law?

Sheryl really had no idea why. But before she became stuck in her thoughts, Sheryl quickly shook her head and came back to her senses. Then she quietly walked toward the door. Sheryl's action struck Leila as a little odd until she spotted Sheryl finally turning and waving her hand towards her. Clearly, Sheryl was gesturing her to come outside.

But Leila was still confused. She didn't know what Sheryl's intention was.

Without thinking too much, Leila yielded to her gesture. Leila felt like she was at an advantage, but she was proud and didn't fear Sheryl.

Outside the ward, Sheryl spoke at once, not wasting time. "If you really love Charles, you should know how to care for him! He is a man who's always been averse to noise. Your vo

's presence. She nodded as a gesture of greeting and saw a trace of admiration in the nurse's expression.

But in Sheryl's eyes, everyone just wanted what they couldn't have. That was just human nature.

Sheryl couldn't help but hope that she could stay by Charles' side forever, and that forever only started after he woke up.

On the other hand, she was frustrated following her quarrel with Leila. She was in no mood to continue staying at the hospital. After taking a look around the ward and taking in Charles' environment, Sheryl left.

Walking alone on the road outside the hospital, Sheryl felt lost. She didn't know how to continue moving forward, nor did she know where the future lay for her and Charles. Her heart felt so hollow.

Gradually, tears welled up in her eyes as she started to sob. She was overcome with fear in an instant. She didn't know what could support her to continue her journey through life. Everything felt heavy and unsteady.

But she didn't let herself sink deeper into that depressing thought. She couldn't give up. Taking a deep breath, she quickly wiped the tears off her face, and then she managed a wonderful smile.

'Sheryl, you can't lose because of such a small thing!

There will be much harder and bigger things waiting for you to get over up ahead, and it will be worth it! The kids are depending on you! Charles may wake up soon. You can't afford to give up! Don't give up! Never give up!'

"Sheryl?"

Sheryl's thoughts were suddenly interrupted. She looked around, attempting to discover who it was.

Not too far behind her, she saw Lewis, who looked visibly exhausted. Their eyes locked, and they didn't know what to say to each other. In embarrassment, they only chose to smile at each other, at last.

Sheryl had no idea why Lewis had shown up before her all of a sudden though. She hadn't seen Lewis for days, and she had expected that Lewis was finally giving up on her.