The Substitute Bride

"I will stay here. Charlie is very young and staying up late is bad for his health. You take him home and be with him," Sheryl looked at Charles and said. "It's okay. I can take care of Shirley on my own for a few hours," she added.

"Sheryl, why do you always undertake to do the jobs that belong to men? Why do you ignore me?" Charles looked into Sheryl's eyes and said, "I am Shirley's father. I think I should stay with her tonight instead of you."

"I..." Sheryl smiled bitterly and said, "I didn't mean that. I just thought..."

"I understand. I know what you meant," he interrupted. Charles walked up and hugged her gently. "I know you worry too much about Shirley. But I have promised you to do my best and hire the best doctors to cure her. Please trust me."

He heaved a deep sigh and said, "You go home with Charlie and I will stay here tonight. You are tired out and I will manage better if there is any emergency in the night. I will rest tomorrow morning when you come back. Just do as I say please."

"But..." Sheryl wanted to refuse but Charles did not give her a chance. "Sher, listen to me and obey me. This is an order so do not argue," he commanded.

Sheryl went home with Charlie on Charles' insistence. Nancy had prepared a nice dinner for them. Both of them had no appetite, however, and did not want to eat anything. Charlie just asked for a glass of milk and Sheryl had a bit of hot soup.

Nancy asked Sheryl about Shirley's condition cautiously. Her eyes got wet on hearing Sheryl's narration about her situation. She felt guilty and apologized to Sheryl, "It was all my fault. If I had noticed that Shirley was out of her room and standing at the door, maybe she would have been fine today and not in the hospital like this."

"Nancy, it is not your fault, really. I should have also realized that she was out of bed." Sheryl smiled bitterly. She knew clearly that Nancy could not be blamed for this.

So she consoled Nancy and then took Charlie to Shirley's bedroom. "Charlie, you can sleep in Shirley's room tonight. You will like her bed. It is very comfortable and you can play with her toys if you wish."

"Okay." Charlie nodded his approval. When Sheryl was about to leave, he grasped Sheryl's hand. He said timidly, "Can you... sleep with me? I wa

packing breakfast for Charles as Sheryl came to the kitchen. She reminded Sheryl to be careful while holding it as it was very hot.

Sheryl looked at Nancy and said, "Nancy, stop your work for a while. I want to talk to you."

"What? Why? Is something wrong?" Nancy was confused and wondered what the matter was. She felt instantly anxious.

Sheryl looked over her shoulder and asked in a low voice, "Don't you like Charlie?"

Nancy's face sobered immediately. "Sheryl, you should know that he is another woman's son with Mr. Lu. How can you bring him to your home and accept him?"

Nancy was confused as to why Sheryl could be so tolerant. Sheryl had gone through so many hardships because of Leila. It was incredible that she should take care of Leila's son with so much love and dedication.

Sheryl arched her eyebrows and asked with a frown, "So what? Is there anything wrong with that? Charlie is an adorable child."

"Sheryl." Nancy said with concern, "You are too kind. You should realize this kid is a threat to you and your peace of mind. You should not encourage him."

"What threat? What do you mean?"

Nancy looked at Sheryl and bitterly said, "As far as I know, Leila won't give up on Mr. Lu easily. If you keep her son with you, she will have a perfect excuse to get close to Mr. Lu. Are you not worried that she may cause new trouble for you?"

Nancy heaved a deep sigh and added, "I think it is better that you stay away from him and send him back to Leila. She then won't have any excuse to..."