The Substitute Bride

The look on Sheryl's face was what Leila had expected. Since Nancy was out and Melissa was taking a nap, it was just the two of them. Leila felt no regrets at all. The more hurt Sheryl felt the more she enjoyed it. She smiled ironically then continued, "You should look at your face right now. Believe it or not, it's just been me who was playing you all this time. It's a long story, but I can't be bothered to tell you everything in detail. Melissa was the key. If she wasn't so stupid, I never would have been able to do any of this. I took advantage of her because she never liked you. So she supported me in everything. She encouraged me to sleep with Charles even though he never really saw any woman but you. Just to be able to stay in this house, I had to figure out a way to kick you out. You two didn't trust each other enough, and that's why I was easily able to get between you two. It's all your fault!"

"What? Are you telling me that everything that happened was not an accident after all?" Sheryl asked, her voice trembling.

"Yes. I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. Everything that happened was part of my plan, including Melissa's injury. I planned that too. I purposely got her injured so I could show up, save her, and be the hero. It was definitely not an accident. When I came here, I was very well-prepared, Sheryl. You were all too busy to notice that I've been manipulating all of you all this time. Just admit it, Sheryl. You're a loser," Leila sneered. She treated Sheryl the way she wanted to. Now that everything was out in the open, Leila didn't care anymore. After all, Sheryl couldn't tell anyone, even if she wanted to because no one would believe her.

Sheryl was taken aback. She froze on the spot, mouth agape. She felt as if an invisible pair of hands were wrapped around her throat and were consequently, choking her.

She tried to breathe properly, but her throat felt restricted. She glared at Leila as a range of emotions welled up in her heart. She couldn't even get a word out as she was too overwhelmed. At that moment, the door behind Sheryl suddenly opened. It was Melissa—she was awake.

Leila hurriedly turned to look in the direction where the noise came from and found Melissa, who looked quite angry. She felt as if her world was tumbling down.

"Leila, would you please repeat what you just said to me? I want to know everything," Melissa asked placidly. She looked calm, but her hands were clenched into fists as if she needed to do that in order to support herself. Her eyes were filled with anger and betrayal.

"Oh, Aunt Melissa! You're up!" Leila said bashfully. She approached her and extended her arms as if to show affection.

Melissa wouldn't even let Leila touch her. She avoided Leila's hands as she raised a finger and pointed it to Leila. "I can't believe you've been using me all this time. You must have had this planned when we first met in jail, right? I just thought you saw me as your family. I guess I was wrong. You've gone too far, and this was all my fault. I should've seen right through you, but I was too blinded because of my love for Charles. I just didn't want him being close to any other woman."

"Please, don't believe any of that, Aunt Melissa. None of that is true. I was just saying

he'd take care of her, but why did these things keep happening to her?

David could tell that Charles was probably counting down the minutes before they arrived at the hospital, so he ordered the driver to drive as fast as he could.

When they arrived, Melissa was in surgery, while Sheryl and Leila were waiting outside.

A range of emotions surged through Sheryl when she first saw Charles. Her eyes welled up as she looked at him expectantly.

Charles looked back into her eyes. "How is she?" he asked. His face was white as a sheet.

Sheryl shook her head slowly and replied, trying hard to control her emotions, "I don't know. The doctors are doing their best."

Sheryl had barely finished speaking when the red lamp above the emergency room turned off. She stopped speaking and strained her neck to look at the door. Charles, too, turned to look at the door. Soon, a doctor came out. Charles walked towards him and asked, "How is she doing, doctor?"

The doctor took the mask off his face and sighed before saying, "The operation was a success, but I'm afraid we don't have any more good news for you. She's got a serious cerebral concussion because of the blow to her head. We don't know what will happen. She might not wake up."

"What? I don't understand, doctor," Charles said, seemingly in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lu. But we've done what we can. All we can do now is wait. Maybe she'll recover. Just relax," the doctor said. Dealing with the family of patients was one of the hardest things in this world. The doctor had to gauge his words carefully—he needed to find the right balance between positive and negative.

The doctor then went back to his office, probably to rest. Charles hesitated for a second before following the doctor to his office. He wanted to find out more, and he wanted to know what he could do to help his mother.

Meanwhile, Sheryl and Leila went to the ICU to see Melissa after she was wheeled out of the operating room.

Leila smiled faintly as she watched the medical staff run back and forth to take care of Melissa. She felt as if a weight had been lifted off from her shoulders. This was the results she'd been hoping for.