The Substitute Bride

Sheryl really didn't know how to deal with Charles, especially when he started to become shameless. She tried to argue for a while until they had reached an agreement. Eventually, Charles won. Sheryl must come to his house to make breakfast before 8:00 a.m. She also needed to prepare lunch and dinner for him. Finally, she could only leave once Charles had fallen asleep.

For her convenience, Charles told her that she could bring Shirley along. Although all his conditions sounded ridiculous to her, Sheryl was left with no other choice but to agree. After all, he saved her life.

After their talk, Sheryl sent Charles to his home and made dinner for him. She waited for Charles to finish eating before she bid goodbye,"I need to go now. Shirley is waiting for me at home."

Charles understood and didn't asked her to stay anymore. "Okay. But don't forget to come and make breakfast for me tomorrow morning," he reminded her in case she had forgotten their agreement. Sheryl just nodded her head without saying anything.

As soon as Sheryl walked out of the house, Charles collapsed on the sofa. He took a deep breath hoping that it could ease the pain. All the while, he just pretended not feeling any pain in front of Sheryl so not to make her feel guilty. But the truth was, the pain on his back was already killing him. He was so hurt that he couldn't even bend his back.

Seeing Charles in a painful and miserable situation, Charlie hurriedly took the bottle of antiseptic and some medicines, and then ran to him. "Dad, please lay on your stomach. I'm going to treat your wounds. It will help you feel better," he urged his father worriedly.

"I'm fine, son," Charles said to him with a smile. As much as possible, Charles didn't want to worry Charlie. "The doctors have already treated my injuries. They said, all I need to do is rest now. So, don't worry about me. You go upstairs and take a shower before going to bed."

Charlie shook his head at first but finally obeyed his father's order. He retreated hesitantly looking back at Charles with his every step.

Earlier, Gary was also stunned when he saw Charles come back with Sheryl. He just didn't ask earlier because Charlie was still there. But now that Charles was all alone, he went to him as he couldn't contain his curiosity anymore. "What happened between you and Autumn?" Gary inquired. Gary noticed that Charles and Sheryl were somewhat arguing earlier. So he was concerned. "I noticed that she was upset. Was she okay?"

"It's nothing, Grandpa," Charles replied with a faint smile. Charles knew that Sheryl was upset because he forced her to come to his house and take care of him. However, since Sheryl also agreed, Charles felt a slight trace of hope that he also held a place in Sheryl's heart.

Thus, h

However, before she could say anything, Sheryl interrupted her,"I'll take Shirley to bed now. Leave your door unlocked and I'll come over later."

Sue nodded her head and left. She could have all night to know everything from Sheryl later so she didn't ask her questions anymore.

After giving Shirley a bath, Sheryl read some bedtime stories for her. The moment Shirley fell asleep, Sheryl slipped out of the bed. She knocked on Sue's door and let herself in before Sue could even answer. Collapsing on the sofa, she complained to Sue,"I'm totally exhausted!"

"Yeah, it must be really hard to raise a child alone," Sue replied as she closed the door. Then she poured a glass of wine for Sheryl and handed it to her. "I bet you need a glass of wine."

"You're so kind! Thank you so much." Sheryl immediately took it. It had been a long time since the last time she drank wine. She avoided to drink because she needed to stay sober all the time to take care of Shirley.

"I think I know why you feel exhausted. When Anthony was around, it was always him who took care of Shirley so it was much easier for you. But since you came here, you need to do everything by yourself. And what was worse, Shirley got sick. Now you've come to realize how difficult it is to be a single mom, right?" Sue analyzed the situation for her. Then she clinked her glass with Sheryl's.

Sheryl nodded with a smile and said,"You're right. Anthony really helped me a lot. If not for him, I don't know if I can survive all these alone."

Thinking of Anthony, Sheryl thought of how she could pay him back after everything he had done for her and Shirley in the past three years.

"Since you know, you'd better be nice to him. Anthony is a great man so please cherish him as much as you can. Don't do anything to hurt him. I'm watching you," Sue warned Sheryl, half-joking.