The Substitute Bride

The moon shone brightly from outside her window. It was already midnight, but Sheryl was still wide awake, tossing and turning. Her mind was a mess. She knew that she wouldn't get over the fact that her relationship with Charles was over.

Tears started running down from her eyes, like a river flooding during a storm. Just thinking about losing Charles forever made her feel devastated.

But Sheryl had to restrain herself. Crying hysterically at this hour would only wake up the kids. Holding the tears back, she wiped her cheeks with the back of her hands. No one could understand her pain. Her heart had been shattered, broken into a million pieces, and had been thrown into the sea. The pain kept her up all night, her eyes swollen and red, as she drowned silently in her sobs and tears.

Knock, knock! The sound from the door came as a surprise to Sheryl. 'Who would be awake at this hour?' she thought.

Slightly wiping the tears on her cheeks, Sheryl got up from her bed like nothing happened. Taking a deep breath, she went to open the door.

"Joan, it's so late. What's the matter?" Sheryl asked, managing to dredge up a smile.

Seeing her red and swollen eyes behind her smile, Joan immediately felt sorry for Sheryl. Stepping inside the room, she pulled Sheryl into her arms and gently patted her back. "It's okay. Everything will be fine. Don't worry about it."

Sheryl thought she would be strong enough to withstand it. But Joan's comfort made her burst into tears.

The warmth of Joan's arms made Sheryl feel secure in a way. She immediately threw herself into Joan's embrace, like Joan was the last straw that could save her from drowning. Tears began to flow again, making Joan feel even more sorry for her.

Sheryl cried for a while, feeling that she needed it-someone she could cling to without being judged. A few minutes later, she pulled herself away from Joan. Smiling in between sobs, Sheryl said, "Joan, thank you. Don't worry about me. I feel better now. It's already late. You should go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow."

Knowing that Sheryl had always been an independent person with a strong personality, Joan felt bad to see her this way. She immediately thought that something terrible must have happened. Seeing Sheryl burst into tears like that, she couldn't stand to leave her, even if it was in the middle of the night. Sheryl clearly needed someone to comfort her, so she stayed for a while. When she finally stopped crying, Joan decided it was time for her to go.

"Okay then. I'm going back to bed. You should get some sleep too."

Walking out of the room, Sheryl followed Joan with her gaze. Before she left, she turned back to give Sheryl a comforting look. "If you need anything, just call me."

It had a

er done anything wrong to you, but you and Leila keep hurting me, every time. Isn't that enough? Now, I want to get a divorce to fulfill your wish, but you disagree. What on earth do you want me to do?"

Sheryl spoke continuously, not giving Charles a chance to respond. Everything happened too suddenly. Charles had initially planned to convince Sheryl into not getting a divorce, but now, it seemed that his effort was hindering her future happiness.

"You want to divorce so much, huh?" Charles asked bitterly, unable to hide his pain.

Hearing Charles' words, Sheryl burst into tears. She didn't want to get a divorce. It was not her intention, but she had no choice. Initially, she had wanted one only because of Ferry's threats, but then Charles started pushing her away. She knew that there was no point in staying. She had to let go.

"Charles, don't you have any conscience at all? You have already done so much to hurt me. Why do you keep torturing me?" Sheryl yelled angrily at him over the phone. She couldn't control herself anymore.

Sheryl's scolding continued, leaving Charles speechless. He didn't know how to defend himself, but her words were too much for him to take. Cutting her off, he interrupted harshly, stressing each word, "Sheryl, let me tell you. Don't you dare to divorce me in this lifetime."

Then Charles immediately hung up, not giving Sheryl any opportunity to react.

He felt even more depressed afterward, but there was nothing more that he could do. Their conversation was clearly getting out of control. They would end up hurting each other even more.

On the other hand, Sheryl felt uncontrollable anger. She could feel the blood rushing to her head, and she almost fainted. She initially thought that she would find a way to feel better today, but Charles' phone call ruined everything.