The Substitute Bride

Charles smiled at Sheryl as he bid her good bye. Charlie was still holding her hands. Sheryl felt so much peaceful inside after having spent some time with Charles and Charlie. As for Charles, he did not want the moment to pass. "How about I pick you up at 7:00 tomorrow night?" Charles asked courteously. He had waited for his wife for the last three years. He could wait even longer only if it meant that he would be able to get her back in his life once again.

"Sher..." Charlie spoke with a sweet voice as he held her hand and kept swinging it in an indulgent manner.

The innocent smile and the earnest expectation in the boy's eyes melted Sheryl's heart. She nodded her head and agreed to meet them the next day.

Her reply brought a wide smile on the face of both father and son. They waved her as they got into the car. Charlie kept waving her with a smiling face for as long as he could see her. As for Sheryl, even she could not move from the place and kept waving him back. She could not understand why she felt so much at home and comfortable with them.

As Sheryl walked back to her room, she just could not get Charles's face off her mind. 'Where have I seen him before? Such a familiar face!' she thought to herself. His face kept flashing in her mind till the time she scolded herself to get over it. "Sheryl, what are you thinking about? He has his son, and you have a boyfriend and a daughter. You and him! Don't even think about it," said her practical mind.

But how could she negate the warmth she felt in their company? It was as if she had a very strong bond with both of them.

Charles and Charlie were unusually happy as they drove back to Leila's apartment. As he parked out side Leila's apartment and tried to get down, Charlie said,"Dad, I think you should rather avoid meeting her. Otherwise, she will think that you're willing to accept her."

"Did you... arrange for me to meet her deliberately?" Charles was rather taken aback by his son's statement. He could not help marvel at the intelligence and sensitivity of the three years old.

'Moreover, now that he is advising me not to meet his mother, I think he is supportive of me and Sheryl being together, ' he thought to himself.

"Do you mean Sheryl?" Charlie asked. With the very mention of Sheryl, a pleasant smile graced his face. Charlie did not mince his words as he spoke,"I like her. If she has no problem, I don't mind her being my stepmother."

Charles stroked his son's hair affectionately. What more could he ask for? 'Charlie is happy to accept Sheryl. But how about her? Will she accept him with an open heart?' he wondered.

His mind went back to the time they spent together. It actually felt like they were one close knit fami

ric broke the news to him. Then he made up his mind with renewed determination and said to himself, 'It doesn't matter. Even if she got married, I will steal her from her current husband.

She is mine and only mine. No one can take her away from me in this lifetime.'

"Why did she forget everything?" Charles asked. That was what he cared about the most. Half the mystery would be solved if he got the answer to it.

Eric shook his head and answered,"I don't know."

"What about her daughter?" Charles asked.

"I could not find any information on her," Eric answered.

Eric seemed to get into a deep thought after this. 'Why am I not being able to get into the root of the matter? I don't know it for sure, but I have a strong intuition that someone does not want me to find out the complete truth, ' he mused.

Charles narrowed his eyes wistfully and echoed the same thought as Eric. 'Someone must be coming in the way of getting the complete picture of what happened three years back. But anyway, I will help her to get her memories back, ' he resolved to himself.

When Charles got home, he found Gary sitting on the couch in the living room. After meeting Leila and Charlie at home the night before, Gary was waiting to speak to his grandson and figure out his thoughts about them.

Fortunately, today, just before he was about to go to bed, he saw Charles.

"You're back," Gary greeted in surprise. Charles wore a smile that had gone missing ever since Autumn got lost in a mysterious way three years back. Gary stared at his face to behold that smile and cherish the moment. Then he broke into a smile as well. 'How incredible it feels to see Charles to be happy again!' he thought to himself.

"It's so late, grandpa. Why aren't you in bed as yet?" Charles asked as he walked cheerful towards Gary.