It was a peaceful afternoon, and the hospital room was quiet. "Thank you for being so nice to me, Sher," Nick said gratefully as a smile formed on his lips. He was noticeably better these days, and his mood had lit up with Sheryl's and Isla's company.
"You're welcome," Sheryl said with a grin. Meanwhile, Charles stood outside the ward's door.
He had seen what went on inside through the door crack. He couldn't believe that his beloved wife stayed alone in the ward with a strange man. They even talked and laughed cheerfully.
'I haven't seen her smile like that for a long time. Most of the time, she doesn't even spare me a glance. Whenever I try to talk to her when she gets home, she says she's tired, takes a shower, and goes to bed. She doesn't even give me a chance to talk to her.
But now, she is talking happily to another man and even smiling at him. They look like a couple in love, ' he brooded.
Fury consumed his heart little by little. He clenched his fists hard in irritation that the veins popped out under his fair skin. He even planned to break in and talk to Sheryl.
At that same time, Melissa got out of the restroom. When Charles reached out to open the door, his mother's voice entered his ears. "You were right Charles. There were only several people. I don't know why they didn't use this bathroom here."
As she spoke, she slowly walked towards her son.
Charles' fists subconsciously unclenched themselves when he saw Melissa approaching him. He smiled awkwardly and asked, "Are you done there?"
"Yes, let's go home. After you drop me off, you can go back to your company. Although you're the boss, you still need to deal with your work. Sher works so hard at the office. You're a man, and you should work harder," Melissa said.
This was what she wanted—Charles caught his wife sneaking around with another man, but he couldn't barge in and figure out what happened due to her presence.
She wanted to see her son unable to vent his anger until he couldn't sleep or eat well. She wanted him to remember that his wife flirted with another man behind his back during working hours.
In that way, the mere sight of Sheryl would stir Charles' hatred and anger. The longer this continued, the stronger his negative feelings for Sheryl would be. Once he lost control of himself, the result might be what Melissa wanted to see.
"Charles…
I am speaking to you. Are you listening?" Melissa asked. Her eyes were transfixed on her distracted son.
"Oh…
I am. Let's get out of here, Mom," he said as he came to his senses. His handsome face dimmed with a seething rage.
The harder he tried to hide his emotions, the more twisted and disturbed he looked.
"Hmmm," Melissa muttered when she saw her son's face.
The two headed towards the elevator. Charles didn't speak or even look at Nick's ward the whole time until they had gone inside.
Only he knew how he truly felt.
He had a bunch of mixed feelings. He was disappointed, annoyed, resentful, and reluctant.
On the other hand, Sheryl and Nick quietly ate their apples. An awkward silence enveloped the room. Finally, Nick broke the silence and spoke.
"Thank you for coming over and taking care of me, Sheryl. I know that you have lots of work to do at your company. To be honest, I feel really sorry for bothering you and Isla."
If you think that you owe us, you can pay us back someday. You are young and have a long way to go. Your top priority now is to get better. Do you understand?" Sheryl lectured. Nick nodded at her in understanding.
Soon enough, Sheryl left the hospital at 5:30 in the afternoon. She called Isla to ask about Amanda's condition. Isla told her that Amanda was better after she took the medicine. Isla initially planned to take Amanda to the hospital but decided not to when her daughter got better. She just took care of the kid and observed her condition at home.
As a mother of two kids, Sheryl gave her confidant some advice before ending the call.
After that, she drove straight home. Since she was busy taking care of Nick recently, she had spent less time with Shirley and Clark. She felt sorry for her children, so she wanted to get home before they went to bed.
No sooner did she open the door to the house than Clark and Shirley sprinted to her from the living room, opening their arms and demanding a hug. "Mommy, you're back," the two kids greeted happily.
It was customary for them to welcome their mother home from work. However, their normal behavior oddly warmed Sheryl's heart.
"Clark, Shirley, have you behaved yourselves at home?" Sheryl asked them tenderly. She squatted down to their eye level and looked at her lovely children.
"You don't go home on time to take care of them. Now you asked them if they had behaved themselves," Melissa quizzed with a stern look. She had been in a good mood. After Charles had dropped her off at Dream Garden, he left home and hadn't come back yet.
She understood why her son was reluctant to be home. Thus, she was convinced that she was close to reaching her goal—separating Charles and Sheryl.
'I can't miss even a single chance to make fun of her. Once she leaves here, I won't be able to do that, ' Melissa mused.
However, Sheryl was not in the mood to argue with Melissa. The young mother locked her eyes on her children as if she didn't hear the sarcastic remark. "Would you like to play with me in your bedroom, Clark, Shirley?" she asked them fondly.
The two kids beamed happily at their mother. "That's a great idea, Mommy," Shirley said and smiled from ear to ear.
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