The Substitute Bride

Sheryl smiled and continued,"After breakfast, I'll make lunch for you before I leave with Shirley. You haven't recovered completely yet. So please ask your servant back as soon as possible."

"Are you sure you want to leave?" Charles asked on a distressed tone. He couldn't figure out what was going on. 'A few seconds earlier, everything is going smoothly. How come she decides to just leave, out of the blue?' he thought.

Sheryl was determined, however, and needed to set things straight. "Yes, I'm leaving, and I will never come back. Mr. Lu, our lives are totally different. The people we meet, the friends we make, the work we do… we live completely opposite lives. I think it would be best not to have any contact in the future as well. And I hope you won't come looking for me again. I would really appreciate that."

Charles' face contorted into an unrecognizable expression as soon as he heard Sheryl's words. It looked like a mix of confusion and anger, which he tried to suppress. Lowering his voice, he began questioning her,"Are you breaking up with me?"

"Yes, I am," Sheryl confirmed nodding firmly. Her serene attitude quickly transformed into anger, as his stares became more and more inculpating. She began shouting,"We're grown-ups! We're not kids, like Shirley and Charlie. We can't do whatever we want. We can't pretend that nothing is wrong and that sleeping together isn't a mistake. I have a boyfriend and you have Charlie's mom. We can't hang out any longer. I'd hate for people to become suspicious and start gossiping about us. So, we'd better not have any more contact, Mr. Lu. It would be best for both of us."

She finished her words and headed over to the kitchen without even the barest hint of remorse. She didn't care for Charles' answer, so he didn't give her one. Instead, he just remained glued to the couch as she cooked lunch.

His indifference made things worse, however. It irked Sheryl that he wasn't saying anything. At that point, all she wanted to do was leave.

She poured all her energy into her meals. Before long, she finished a pork ribs soup, braised fish in brown sauce, beef with golden needle mushrooms and two other plates of vegetables. At ten thirty sharp she walked out of the kitchen, after plugging in the rice cooker, and started getting ready to leave. At first, she seemed to speak to whoever wanted to listen,"I finished cooking lunch. I've got to go." She then paused, forced a smile and addressed Charles,"Shirley

."

"Fine! I don't care," revolted Charlie. He was too irritated, though. So he had to have the last word,"Sher is a beautiful, kind woman. Yet, you let her go just like that. You don't know how to keep a treasure. If she marries another man in the future, don't come to me feeling regretful."

He took another glance at Charles and continued,"You know what? I won't accept any other woman as my stepmother. It's either Sher or no one else."

"What did you just say?" Charles asked in surprise. He then rephrased Charlie's words,"You want Sheryl to be your stepmother?"

Charles had been so busy pursuing Sheryl that he hadn't even considered how Charlie would feel about her being part of their lives. So knowing that he was in his corner, supportive of that fact was such a relief for him.

Charlie blushed and replied,"Yes, I want Sher to be my mom."

Hearing that, Charles pulled Charlie into a tight hug. He had forgotten all about their earlier confrontation. Proud and ecstatic, Charles promised,"I will try my best to make your wishes come true."

Shirley hadn't been happy since she left Dream Garden. Sheryl knew that she had bonded with Charles and Charlie, and it would be hard for her to leave. 'Children don't have to listen to their parents anymore after they've grown up. I just have to wait, ' Shirley mumbled to herself.

Sheryl had brought her some of her favorite food, but Shirley refused to have any. She kept asking her mom to take her to the amusement park, but Sheryl was afraid that she might get the flu. It was the season for it and other children were starting to get it already. So she refused Shirley's request.