Knowing that Charles would drink porridge she made it for him, Sheryl couldn't help but feel elated and her face broke into a bright smile.
Half an hour later, the chicken porridge was done and Sheryl turned off the heat. As she made her way to the fridge to get some pickled radish, she heard Charles' car in the driveway.
Anxious to greet her husband, she rushed out of the kitchen and got to the front door. As she opened the door, she saw Charles emerge from his car.
The lights in the yard were dim so she couldn't get a clear glimpse of his facial expression. Watching excitedly as he approached the front door, Sheryl called out cheerfully, "Char—" But suddenly she couldn't find her voice.
The indifferent, stern look on his face made her falter.
Having lived with the man for years, she instantly knew how he was feeling judging by his facial expressions.
Right away, she knew that he was upset.
The cold look in his eyes not only showed his displeasure but also sent a message to everyone around him to keep their distance.
Pressing her lips tightly together, Sheryl silently observed her husband. She wanted to ask him what had happened, but decided it was best for her to swallow her question.
Pausing in front of her, Charles stood still, his cold gaze fixed on her.
In the past, when she had made a mistake, he would pretend to be angry and cast a cold, reproachful look at her, similar to this one.
But she could tell that he wasn't pretending this time. He was truly mad at her about something.
'What is he upset about?'
Sheryl asked herself, 'What did I do? Is he still angry at me for Melissa falling down the stairs?
Is he going to act this way because of that?'
Sheryl sighed to herself in disbelief. This was absolutely ridiculous. Despite the accident not even being her fault, she had apologized to Melissa, which had gone unaccepted. She had explained to Charles numerous times that it wasn't her fault.
Sheryl felt like an outsider in that house. When anything bad happened in Charles' family, she always took the blame, even though she had never done anything wrong. 'In Charles' eyes, his mother is always right and I deserve all the unfair treatment I get.'
The more Sheryl thought about it, the more resentful she became. Biting her lower lip, she could feel her teeth almost cut her skin. Anger began to simmer within her and she knew that even a small confrontation would trigger it.
Suddenly, Charles frowned at Sheryl, crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"Can you behave yourself in public?" he spat. And Sheryl felt as though she had been struck with a sharp dagger. After the shock of his words subsided, Sheryl began to think through what Charles had just said to her.
'I don't behave myself?' she asked herself.
'How could he accuse me of such a thing? I did not poison Leila or cause Melissa to fall down the stairs, yet I'm being accused of both these things.' Sheryl had been through a lot recently. No one seemed to know or understand how distressed she was.
Yet, out of everything she had been through, Charles' remark hurt her the most.
'When did I hook up with other man?' she wondered, annoyed and confused.
Sheryl lifted her head and focused her gaze on Charles. "What do you mean by that? I don't understand," she said slowly, stressing each syllable.
Glancing at her, Charles responded in an icy tone, "You know what you did. Why are you asking me to tell you?"
'He is convinced that I've been flirting with other men. Even if I deny it, he won't believe me, ' she thought bitterly.
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