The Substitute Bride

"Sheryl, I can forgive you for lying to me. Won't you reciprocate by forgiving me?" Charles asked Sheryl, looking hopeful.

"Forgive me? For what? What have I done for you to forgive me?" Sheryl stormed at Charles. She was furious and immediately moved away from him.

At that moment, Sheryl was both desperate and speechless. She didn't need Charles' forgiveness because she had never done anything wrong.

'His audacity!' she thought angrily. He had made a grave mistake, but now he was impudent enough to blame her as well.

Shamelessly, he had had sex with Leila, which he had admitted himself once.

Apart from his confession, she had caught them twice. 'So they probably did it a lot!' Sheryl thought in a rage. Moreover, her mind affirmed that they must have had sex during the period when she was away from the Dream Garden. A disgusted expression was now plastered on her face.

Just the mere thought of them together made Sheryl want to break down.

"Charles, I hate you!"

Sheryl said between clenched teeth before she ran away.

She didn't want to spare one more look at him because every time she did, it would remind her of Leila. And once again revulsion would overtake her.

As always, Charles was going to chase her. But he stopped dead in his tracks when he heard what Sheryl had said.

"Get out..." Sheryl suddenly yelled out when she saw Charles was coming towards her. Her pale face was full of tears, which made her look like a corpse climbing from a tomb.

Her reaction left him stunned. Charles noticed her expression was mingled with disgust and sorrow. One glance made him realize how she felt about him.

Now all he could do was watch Sheryl as she disappeared from his sight. He had been through so many difficulties in life, but he always handled them skillfully. Yet, when it came to Sheryl, he could do nothing.

"Charles, are you okay?" Leila asked tenderly as she walked up to Charles, reaching out for his hand.

Seeing the look on his face, Leila sensed something was amiss. She had followed him when she saw him walk downstairs. And just as she had anticipated, Charles had gone to meet Sheryl.

Moreover, Leila knew clearly that only Sheryl was

punishment from God."

This was the first time that Cassie had spoken in this tone to Charles. The love she had for Sheryl compelled her to do so.

Cassie's words made Charles cast a glance at her. But he wasn't offended by her words.

Unfortunately, Leila's face turned red with anger. If Charles hadn't been present there, she wouldn't have given a second thought before fighting with Cassie. After all, it wasn't the first time that Cassie had messed with her. 'Last time, I pushed Cassie downstairs. I won't hesitate before doing it again!' she thought with fury.

All the old and recent grudges made it unbearable for Cassie to tolerate Leila. Finally, she went out and asked for another nurse to do the bandaging.

Noticing that Cassie was angry, Leila suddenly felt a bit relieved.

After the wound was thoroughly bandaged, Leila went back to the Dream Garden with Charles.

When they arrived, Melissa immediately rushed to Leila, shocked and startled, as if it were her own daughter who was injured.

"Leila, why were you so careless? What's going on? Are you badly hurt? Who did this to you?"

Melissa began to pour these questions on her. To be honest, Leila couldn't endure her nagging.

But she was forced to hide her annoyance. Feigning a smile, she replied in an easy tone, "Aunt Melissa, calm down first. I'm okay. I just..."

"Leila was hit by a car while trying to save me," Charles replied before Leila could finish her sentence.