The Substitute Bride

The cunning Leila had it all planned. She had deliberately chosen a horror film, believing that it would cause Charles to feel protective toward her as they watched.

When they entered the dim cinema, the crowd stirred. All eyes were on Charles, who was unaware of the effect he had on the moviegoers. While they stared, he was trying to find a seat. Even women who were sitting with their partners studied him. After all, he was so handsome that women couldn't help but gawk at him.

The film started not long after Leila and Charles had found seats. From time to time, the audience would scream, but Charles was different. Sitting there, he felt quite detached and unhappy. He became acutely aware that he felt very differently when he was with Sheryl. Leila, on the other hand, seemed to be quite excited. She would shriek, now and then, frightened by a scary scene.

"Aaaahhh!!" Leila screamed. She tugged on the sleeve of Charles' shirt and buried her face in his shoulder.

Charles was annoyed by Leila's boldness. However, since they were in a public place, he refrained from pushing her away. After all, he was still a gentleman, and he didn't want to embarrass her.

Leila had been right in her choice of film. As she had expected, it was indeed quite frightening, and the plot was genuinely thrilling. In the two hours that it played, she never left the comfort of Charles' arm.

After this intimate couple of hours with Leila, Charles felt vaguely uncomfortable. As soon as the movie ended, he shook his arm free of Leila, pushing her in the process. Then, he stood up and began walking out with the rest of the moviegoers.

Caught off guard, Leila felt like she had just woken up from a dream, which she hadn't wanted to end. She forced an awkward smile and scrambled to her feet. Then, she followed Charles out of the cinema.

"How did you like the film, Charles? I heard it's the best one of the recent releases," Leila said, trying to make conversation.

Charles nodded slightly and grunted. He didn't even make eye contact. He then quickened his step, ready to head back to the hotel.

His lack of interest deeply disheartened Leila. She had always believed she would be able to change how he felt about her, but when would that time come?

He had agreed to the schedule she had proposed for the day, but he was obviously unhappy doing so. While they were together, Leila could feel how distant he was. He wasn't behaving the way he should, when in a relationship. Somehow, she knew he was only

Melissa smiled and shook her head. "I'm fine. See? I'm as strong as a horse!"

She then stood up from the sofa and twirled in front of Charles to assure him that she was healthy enough.

"Okay, okay. Stop it, Mom. You may be feeling better, but you're still a patient," Charles reminded her. He didn't want her to do things that were too risky.

The three of them talked for a few minutes. When Charles spoke, he only addressed Melissa. It was as if Leila wasn't there at all. After he had made sure that his mother was recovering, he took his leave. Leila stayed.

As soon as he was gone, Melissa moved closer to Leila, wearing a meaningful smile. "Tell me. How was your day with Charles?" she prodded.

Leila blushed upon hearing the question. The look of love and tenderness showed clearly on her face as she thought about Charles.

"Aunt Melissa, he bought me this."

Leila took out the sapphire necklace and shyly showed it to Melissa. She had butterflies in her stomach the whole time.

Melissa stared in awe at the necklace. She knew that Charles had never before sent a gift to a woman, except for Sheryl. Leila was the only other woman he had given a gift to. She knew it—Charles found Leila special.

Melissa couldn't help but smile at the thought. "Leila, it's great!"

Leila found Melissa's delight encouraging. 'What if Charles has indeed changed his mind about us?' she thought as she took a look at the progress she had made. Suddenly, she realized something. There were red flags she couldn't just ignore. She sighed and said, "Aunt Melissa, something is off. I feel like Charles didn't give this to me because he wanted to. He's hiding something."