The Substitute Bride

After wearing her shoes, Sheryl, with a concerned look, followed Charles and said,"I don't know what Charlie likes, so I just got him an Astronomical telescope. Do you think he'll like it?"

With a smile of reassurance, Charles replied,"Don't worry. He'll love the gift because it's from you."

She heaved a sigh of relief and smiled at him.

In the small confines of the elevator, there was an awkward silence. Sheryl eventually cleared her throat to ask,"Is Charlie's mother going to be there?" There was a slight quiver in her tone.

Slightly taken aback by the question, Charles countered,"Why are you asking this?" He felt slightly uncomfortable at her mention of Leila.

"I'm just curious, that's all," Sheryl replied. The dissatisfaction she noted on Charles' face did not deter her from continuing. Awkwardly, she said,"I've never met Charlie's mother. And she raised Charlie to be a good boy."

In her mind, Charles' son was far more obedient than her daughter. So, it made her curious about the woman who guided Charlie so that he turned out to be a good boy.

Charles chose to keep quiet. He didn't want to talk about Leila in front of Sheryl.

Meanwhile, in the spacious private room, Leila was fidgeting in her seat while waiting for their mysterious guest.

All the other guests were seated and cheerfully talking to one another. Leila felt isolated and thought it unnecessary to be there.

Fifteen minutes had passed, but Charles still had not made an appearance. Isla was slowly running out of patience.

To begin with, Isla was not enthusiastic about attending the birthday party. "Where's the host? If he doesn't show up, I'm leaving," she grumbled.

Her behavior upset Aron, who commanded sternly,"Sit down!" He threw his wife a glance and realized it was the first time he ever spoke to her in that tone. "Since we're already here, just be patient," he went on. Softening his tone, he said,"Perhaps the guest is meant to surprise us."

But Aron's expression had terrified Isla, so she didn't pay attention to his subtle hint. She obeyed his order, sat back down and saw Amanda following Charlie. With a frown, Isla stood up to carry her daughter back to their seats.

But Amanda had other ideas. She struggled to get out of her mother's arms and wailed about wanting to play with Charlie. The little girl's behavior annoyed Isla, and as she lost her te

bit sad. When she looked at Isla, her expression seemed to mirror hers.

"You're scaring her," Aron cut in, while gripping his wife's hand. Isla's excitement kept her from noticing some details about the woman. But Aron didn't miss them.

For one, he remembered Charles introduced her as Sheryl, not Autumn.

"I'm sorry. My wife mistook you for her best friend. You two look exactly alike, you see," Aron explained with a slight smile. His explanation helped Sheryl understand the other woman's excitement.

Isla heard this and argued,"What are you talking about? She is…" Isla kept telling herself, 'I've been waiting for three years, now she's finally back.' Aron discreetly pulled her to a corner and whispered,"Can't you see?" He threw a glance at Sheryl. "She doesn't remember her past and what happened. So, stop being too excited," he warned his wife.

Her husband's words jolted Isla. She did notice that Sheryl acted as if she didn't know herself. But she was still glad that her friend was back safe. 'That's all that matters, ' she thought.

Charles introduced Sheryl to everyone except Leila as if he ignored her intentionally. However, Sheryl approached Leila and offered her hand as she asked,"You're Charlie's mother, right?" Leila's heart started to pound as she shook hands. "I've always wanted to meet you. And now, here you are," Sheryl said politely.

"You wanted to meet me?" Leila asked, sounding incredulous. Now, she started to quake in fear. 'I watched her die. How can she be standing in front of me? How am I going to face her?' Leila thought nervously.