A few days ago, Charlie read a book on biology. From there, he learned that regardless of Charles' blood type, it was impossible for Leila to be his biological mother.
The book also said there was a possibility of genetic mutation.
The boy had kept that secret in his heart for days. He didn't mean to divulge it, but somehow let it slip out today.
His revelation startled Leila, and he saw panic in her face. She gaped at the boy and demanded,"Who told you that, Charlie?"
Rushing towards the boy, Leila grabbed him by the shoulders and screamed,"Tell me, who said that?"
The boy said nothing. Then suddenly, something clicked in Leila's brain. 'Sheryl! It's her!' she thought.
Envy filled her thoughts. 'It doesn't matter if she has amnesia or not. The fact is she doesn't like me. So, it must be her, ' Leila decided.
"Did Sheryl say that?" she asked again. The woman was becoming very agitated. "Ahhh!" the boy cried out in pain as she continued to shake him. "Tell me if she did it!" With her face so close to Charlie's, she looked like a mad woman. Her madness started to frighten the little boy.
"Let me go!" he finally cried out, and tried to squirm free. Leila's reaction to what he unintentionally revealed confirmed his suspicion.
"Listen, Charlie," she pleaded, while tugging at his shoulders. "You're my son. That will never change. I gave birth to you and raised you. And I did not bring you up to talk back to me. You had better keep that in mind," Leila warned the boy.
Despite her fury, Leila's face had turned pale. She was sure it was Sheryl who fed Charlie those things. Leila believed that Sheryl only pretended to have amnesia, and was merely setting a trap for her.
Grimly, she thought, 'I know her tricks now. And I will never fall for them.'
"I'm your mother. Sheryl is…" she paused as anger bubbled inside her. "She's a bitch! So, why do you prefer to believe her instead of me?" The woman was now frustrated. She stared at the boy, who remained silent. Right now, she didn't like him very much. And for a moment, she kept thinking he was just as obnoxious as Sheryl.
Charlie finally shouted,"Enough!" Her words and behavior depressed him and right now, he didn't know what to do. He might appear more mature than other kids, but he was still a child. And it was hard to bear such a big secret.
At that moment, Charles arrived. He knocked, and Charlie hurried to open the door before Leila could react.
As soon as Charles entered, he sensed something was wrong inside the room. He looked down at his son and asked,"What's wrong, Charlie?"
For the first time since meeting the boy, he saw fear and confusion in Charlie's face.
Leila regained her bearings and screamed,"Give my son back to me!" Marching up to Charles, she stopped when they were face-to-face. "Give me back my son!" she repeated.
"What the hell are you doing?" Her behavior startled him, but he only frowned. Looking at her, he felt Leila was now beyond reason.
The woman let out a scream. Then without a word, she grabbed Charlie and hauled him into his room. She dumped the boy inside and locked the door.
Charlie was now crying and kept banging at the door. "Let me out of here! Let me out!"
The boy was starting to panic now.
"Leila, what are you doing? You're frightening the kid!" Charles demanded. He wondered, 'What happened to Leila? She was fine last night. Why is she behaving like this now?'
"Frighten the kid?" she hissed at Charles. "That's my son in there. What does he have to do with you?" she said with contempt.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: His Real Wedded Bride