The Substitute Bride

"Okay, thank you! I'll see you later." Sheryl nodded and walked inside the building without looking back at Damian.

Therefore, she was oblivious to the hurtful expression on Damian's face.

Damian's eyes followed Sheryl as he watched her walk away. He couldn't move. He was standing still, and his eyes fixed on the spot where Sheryl had been standing a moment ago. He was frustrated when the emptiness took over in him. He stood there long enough to gather himself, and, finally, he got back into his car and drove away.

Sheryl was mentally and physically exhausted. She wanted to curl up on her bed, forget everything, and drift into a peaceful sleep. It was only wishful thinking. Isla arrived at Sheryl's apartment shortly after she got back home.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have other things to do?" Sheryl complained. Isla was leaning against the door, looking annoyed, as if she was about to swallow Sheryl in one gulp.

"Are you kidding me? Why are you avoiding me? I'm your best friend, Sheryl." Isla was gasping for breath

The elevator of Sheryl's building had broken down. Isla had no other option, but to take the stairs, all the way up, to Sheryl's apartment. She couldn't remember the last time she had worked out, and the tiring ascend to Sheryl's apartment had taken a toll on her body.

"Okay, calm down. "Have you come here directly from the office? Why didn't you go home? I can't believe it," Sheryl said in disbelief as she ushered Isla inside the apartment.

She led Isla to the couch and got her a glass of water. Isla was wheezing before she finally calmed down. Isla sipped on the water and looked at Sheryl, her eyes matching with the intensity of her tone. "Tell me the truth, Sheryl. What's on your mind? Are you determined to wait for Charles to come back?"

"I've told you a million times that the relationship between me and Charles is over. You've seen it with your own eyes, Isla," said Sheryl, honesty shining in her eyes. "It hasn't worked out despite putting in our best efforts. I don't think we can start it all over again. But that doesn't mean I'm ready for a new relationship. Please, don't set me up with Damian. Don't push me, Isla," Sheryl pleaded, hoping that Isla would drop the matter for good. She didn't want her to go on a boy-finding spree.

Sheryl had not even once thought that Isla was pushing her limits by interfering in her personal affairs. But the more Isla pushed her, by forcing her to get into a relationship with Damian, the more Sheryl grew suspicious. She sometimes wondered if Isla owed Damian something. Otherwise, why would her best friend force her into a relationship, despite her reluctance, and go out of her way to help him?

"You should move on, Sheryl. Damian is a nice guy, and you need to give him a chance." Isla understood how Sheryl was feeling, but she couldn't take seeing her friend like this. Isla felt that it was her duty to make her friend happy. Sheryl didn't believe that having a man could make her happy. She wanted to live her life, the way she liked, irrespective of a partner.

"I know that you care about me and want me to be happy. But I want you to understand that I cannot get into a relationship with a man that I'm not interested in." Sheryl had made

ly the sound of her footsteps accompanied her.

A lump had formed on Sheryl's throat when she stopped at a narrow lane. Although Mannland was a popular pub, it was located in an isolated place. As far as Sheryl knew, the narrow lane was the only way there. She took deep breaths, calmed her nerves down, and mustered the courage to face the darkness. She didn't want to get carried away by the scary thoughts that were swarming in her head.

When she walked through the lane, the familiar feeling that someone was following her hit her like a wave. She didn't dare to stop and turn around to see if her instinct was true–she kept walking. After a few steps, unable to suppress her curiosity, she turned around to see if someone was after her and was knocked unconscious from behind.

Damian had just returned to his room in the hotel.

He had gone for a walk when Sheryl refused to spend the afternoon with him. Feeling rejected, he had taken a stroll at the seashore and had spent the entire afternoon there. He had been lost in his thoughts, unaware of the hours and minutes he had spent staring at the sea.

He took off his clothes and stepped inside the shower when his phone started to ring.

He picked up the phone without thinking for a second. "Hello..."

"Hello, is this Mr. Damian Li?" a man asked politely from the other end of the line.

"Yes, it is. What can I do for you?" Damian said

"Are you a friend of Ms. Sheryl Xia? She's completely drunk and has passed out in our pub. Can you please come over and take her home?" the man said, letting out a loud sigh.

Damian couldn't have asked for a better opportunity. He was dying to see Sheryl and hang out with her.

"Sure. Can I have your address?" Damian asked trying to put on his shirt with his free hand. "I'll be there in a minute." He stormed out of the room and was out of the hotel in no time, hailing for a taxi.

Damian got to the pub as soon as he could. He entered the noisy room and strained his neck to look for Sheryl through the dim lights.

Sheryl was nowhere to be found. Damian knitted his brows and caught the arm of a bartender who was passing by. "Do you know where Sheryl is?"