Charles stayed with Sheryl until she fell asleep. When she did, he waited a few minutes before leaving the bedroom and making his way to his mother's room.
It was quiet in Melissa's room, and there was no light coming from inside. He stood there, debating whether or not he should wake her up. Finally, he reached out to knock on the door, but before his knuckles touched the wood, he stopped.
Charles let down his hand and sighed. The sound was ever so quiet but in the silent night, it was audible like a soft whisper. With help from a dim light in the corridor, he checked the time on his watch. It was past midnight.
It was indeed very late. Charles had no choice but to return to his bedroom. He was frustrated, but it was no use waking her up right now.
He would talk with Melissa in the morning, and confront her about the things that happened. His home was torn apart and turned upside down today, and if Melissa weren't his mother, he would surely gone into her room and given her a stern talking to.
On the one hand, family ties meant attachment. But on the other hand, they could also be fetters.
He shouldn't let her have her own way anymore. Charles decided that he must reason with Melissa. His family was happy and everything was peaceful before she came. But now she had made a mess. She dared to lift a hand against Shirley, which Charles found intolerable and unacceptable. He knew that his kids were sweet and well-mannered. Violence could very well have a lasting impact on their personalities.
Sometimes, Charles would get pretty doubtful about their relationship. Was Melissa really his mother? Why did she always behave as though she wasn't? Generally speaking, mothers always took care of their children and treated them as their top priority. But what had Melissa done for him? Absolutely nothing.
Charles remembered when he was a primary school student, there was an assignment in language class, which required everyone to write a composition about their mothers. As an excellent student, he was always good at tests. However, that composition was a torment for him and only brought him pain. He could not think of any warm or happy memories that he shared with Melissa.
All his memories of his mother were vague, even from that young age. Whenever he thought of his mother, he always thought of her sitting at the table playing cards. The person who took care of him and cooked all his meals was their maid. Not Melissa. Finally, in order to finish the assignment, he copied an excerpt from a book.
As an innocent young child, he had hoped that Melissa would become a good mother who would love him and play with him. But after he grew up, he realized how ridiculous his wish was. Even so, even now, his little hope was shining ever so dimly in his heart.
After all, Melissa was his biological mother who gave him life. He was her only family and the only one that she could count on now.
A lot of thoughts were crossing his mind. After thinking hard for what seemed like forever, he decided to go back to bed and sleep.
At three o'clock in the morning
After many doctor's check-ups, Isla's illness was diagnosed; it was found that it was caused by her numerous attacks from her stomach troubles.
In fact she had suffered from stomach trouble for a long time. But it wasn't as serious before, so she didn't pay much attention to it. Lately, she needed to attend many social events, and she always skipped meals and drank a lot of alcohol, so her stomach trouble started to recur.
"Well, the check-up is finished. The patient is fine. We can't cure it completely right now, and we can only use pills to relief her pain. Most importantly, the patient has to take care of herself and watch her diet. A regular lifestyle is very important," the doctor said to Aron after checking up on Isla.
Hearing that Isla was fine, Aron breathed a sigh of relief. However, Isla's pale face made him worry all over again.
"Doctor, is she really all right? She looks pale and weak now. I'm afraid..."
"It's normal for a patient. Relax, young man. Go for the admission procedure. I'll check on her tomorrow," the doctor interjected.
Aron nodded and thanked the doctor. He told Isla to wait for him and then rushed to the cashier.
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