The Substitute Bride

A hint of regret flashed in Charles' eyes as Chris mentioned Gary.

Chris glanced at her brother to make sure he was all right. "Anyway, you need to take care of your health. If you promise to do that, I will leave you alone," she offered.

Charles quickly agreed. "Fine," he replied. He would say anything to make his sister stop nagging.

The moment Charles arrived home, he summoned Nancy to his study. After several days of living like the dead, he was now determined to put his life back in order.

And the first thing he had to do was dismiss Nancy. It was now impossible to let her continue living in this house.

"I think you know why I called you here," Charles began. He spoke calmly but inside was a jumble of nerves. He had lost much weight in the last several days. His face was gaunt and covered by stubble that was quickly growing into whiskers. Since Autumn disappeared, he no longer paid attention to his appearance.

Nancy also appeared composed. "Yes, I know," she replied. It was clear why Charles asked to see her immediately. After she had taken care of Brent's funeral, Nancy had been expecting this moment. And she knew she had to leave sooner or later.

Charles looked at their long-time housekeeper. Politely, he said,"I'm sorry for what happened to your son. You have served us for many, many years and did an excellent job. But this time, I have to let you go. You cannot stay here any longer."

Charles' announcement came as no surprise. Nancy had anticipated this day would come. But she didn't expect it would be so soon. She saw Charles take something from his pocket.

He handed her an envelope. "The money is for your retirement. Take it," Charles declared. He no longer wanted to see Nancy's face in his house. Her continued stay would only be a reminder that he was responsible for Autumn's disappearance.

"I can't take it, Mr. Lu," a flustered Nancy pushed the envelope away with shaking hands. Embarrassed, she lowered her head and said,"I owe you and Mrs. Lu a lot. I had planned to leave after you found her. That way, I would feel less guilty about all this." She kept wringing her hands. "But it's been many days, and there's still no clue as to Mrs. Lu's whereabouts." Nancy raised her e

lding the baby, and everyone looked preoccupied when he saw them.

Anthony knocked before entering. His arrival broke Arthur's reverie. He smiled and greeted the doctor,"There you are!"

"How is Abby, Grandpa Arthur?" he inquired. He peeked at Abby and she still looked a little pale.

"She and the baby are fine," Arthur replied. Autumn's disappearance greatly disturbed Abby. As a result, she gave birth way ahead of her due date. The Zhao family remained depressed since Autumn was still missing.

Shortly after Anthony's arrival, Andy returned carrying lunch. When he caught sight of the doctor, he gave a loud greeting,"Hello Anthony! I heard from a nurse that you asked to go on leave for a week. Were you sick?"

Anthony was startled and stammered,"Well… uhm, yeah." He was a terrible liar. And hiding Autumn in his apartment was the worst thing he had ever done.

But he justified his actions. He had to lie to protect Autumn.

Andy kept looking at him, and this made Anthony uneasy. He decided to leave. He told Arthur,"There's something I need to deal with, so I have to go ahead. Please come to my office if you need anything."

Arthur patted him on the arm and nodded, oblivious to the doctor's discomfort. Anthony bade everyone goodbye and rushed out of the room.

His immediate departure aroused suspicion in Andy. He stared at the doctor's retreating back, wondering about his unusual behavior.

Andy mumbled to himself, 'Hmmm. It looks like he's hiding something.'