"Sher, please calm down first and listen to me. I understand your feelings and I surely don't want Leila to stay." Charles' heart was broken when he noticed the tears rolling from Sheryl's eyes. He gently kissed her forehead and held her tightly in his arms, anticipating her possible struggle to push him away.
Charles was overwhelmed by mixed feelings. He felt sorry and regretful that he couldn't protect Sheryl from all this sadness. He wished there was a way for him to keep her happy all the time. There would be no better feeling than to see Sheryl with her bright smile.
"I didn't expect Mom would ask Leila to stay. When she initially brought this up to me at the hospital, I rejected her. But you know what kind of person my mom is. She won't stop until she gets what she wants. I was afraid that she wouldn't let it go and cause you trouble, so I made a compromise and agreed."
What Charles said didn't comfort Sheryl at all. All of a sudden, grievance and anger rushed over her, like rising tide. Sheryl remembered how she was laughed at and wronged by Leila, and the compromise she repeatedly made with Melissa. She recalled the disappointed look on Charles' face as he looked at her like it was all her fault. The flashback of sad memories flooded like a never ending movie.
Deep down, Sheryl really wanted to asked Charles how long she had to put up with it. Did she have to sacrifice herself and make compromise all the time when it came to Melissa's decision?
Sheryl's face was pale and she was shaking out of anger. She had enough of this. She could feel her chest tightened as the pain crushed her heart. Tears continued to stream down her cheeks as she cried harder.
"Charles, this is enough!" Sheryl finally exclaimed, breaking away from Charles' embrace. "I can't stay in this house any more, not for another second. If you let Leila move in and stay, then I will pack my luggage and leave immediately. I don't think I have a place in this house anyway."
Sheryl clenched her fists, her fingertips almost piercing her palm. She was still crying but she looked determined, which freaked Charles out. He worried that Sheryl had already made up her mind and would really leave him without hesitation.
Charles reached out to wipe the tears off Sheryl's face. Each teardrop was like a shiny diamond that tore his heart into pieces. It was like a silent rain that showered his heart endlessly, drowning him in sorrow.
He couldn't put up with this anymore. Seeing Sheryl in this condition was torture. He pulled her back into his arms and held her tightly.
Sheryl's tears welled up endlessly, each drop cutting through Charles' chest like a dagger. He felt empty inside. And only Sheryl could fill this emptiness. He needed to have her in his arms right now, as much as she needed him.
Sheryl struggled hard, trying to pull herself out of Charles' embrace. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't break away. Sheryl was fuming and touched at the same time. And what was worse was that she realized how much she wanted to be inside his arms. She hated her weakness. And she hated herself for wishing that time would stop at this moment.
Sheryl punched Charles' chest with her fists, releasing her sadness and rage. She bit his clothes in between sobs.
Soon, Charles' clothes was all soaked in tears. But more than his wet clothes, Sheryl's teardrops had torn his heart into pieces.
All Charles could think about right now was some bad jokes. He hoped that throwing one out of the blue could stop the woman in his arms from crying.
"Charles, let me go. I don't want to stay in this house anymore," Sheryl murmured. Her voice was low and she sounded desperate.
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