The Substitute Bride

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Sheryl pressed. She thought that there must be something on her face, so she rubbed her cheek with her palm in an attempt to wipe away whatever it was.

However, upon checking her hand, she found nothing. She couldn't help but give Damian a perplexed look.

He rested his chin on his hand and said lovingly, "You're so beautiful."

If somebody had heard the way he had said that and had seen the gentle and passionate way he gazed at Sheryl, that person would have thought they were lovers.

Upon hearing the predictable joke, she rolled her eyes at him.

"Damian, has your time abroad driven you mad?" she teased. She knew that he was only fooling around.

"Of course not! I meant what I said. I was being sincere," Damian swore. He continued to gaze solemnly at her.

"Fine. Anyway, what's your plan for the future?" Sheryl asked. She looked down at the floor, hoping she had succeeded in changing the topic.

Damian, however, wasn't going to give up that easily. He talked briefly about his job and then took out a gift box from his pocket. He presented it to Sheryl and said, "Open it."

"What's this?" she asked. Although she was a bit confused, she accepted the box and carefully unwrapped it.

When she saw what was inside, she was surprised. 'Damian really knows how to please a woman, ' she thought.

It was a bottle of perfume. Sheryl had been dreaming of this perfume for the longest time. However, it was a limited edition scent only sold abroad, and she never got the chance to buy one. Eventually, the manufacturer had sold every single bottle. She was astonished that Damian had been able to get her one.

"How did you get this?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"I'll spare no effort to get you whatever you like." Damian smiled softly and stared at her with loving eyes.

His gaze seemed to burn to the point that Sheryl could no longer face him. She looked away to hide her embarrassment.

It was quiet for a while, so Sheryl cleared her throat to break the silence. "I can't tell you how much I like this gift. Thank you so much! But you returned without letting me know, and I wasn't able to get you a gift. I promise I'll remember to bring you something the next time we meet. Welcome back, Damian!"

"That sounds good! What do you plan on giving me?" Damian said playfully.

"Well, what do you want?" The two talked as intimately as if they had known each other

I haven't spent enough time with them. They might be missing me at home now, or worse, talking about how I'm not there for them."

No matter how sincere Sheryl looked, Damian knew that this was an excuse. She didn't want to spend more time with him, not because of the kids, but he didn't mind. He was patient, and he had plenty of time.

"What a pity. Let's watch a movie some other day then. Enjoy your time with your kids. I'll visit them in the near future." He smiled.

Sheryl breathed a sigh of relief when Damian didn't push. Knowing that he didn't have his car with him as he had just returned, she drove him to his hotel. They got there in no time.

"Sher, you've gotten thinner," he hesitantly remarked shortly after Sheryl stopped the car. She was stunned.

"What?" she mumbled absently. She stared at him as though she was waiting for an explanation.

After a while, Damian smiled. "Take care of yourself, or you'll drive me crazy with worry. If that happens, I'll want to stay close to you all the time and protect you. Do you understand?"

Despite the smile, there was no mistaking it. Damian was dead serious. Sheryl awkwardly stared at him. She thought hard about how to respond.

If he had been joking, she could easily make jokes in return, but right now, he was being sincere.

"Alright. I know. I'm good. Don't worry about me. Go ahead and get some rest." Sheryl decided to say. To lighten the mood, she jokingly pushed him toward the car door.

Damian didn't insist. Instead, he reached out and gently brushed his hand through Sheryl's hair. Without another word, he got out of the car.