Looking into Shirley's innocent eyes, Charles felt a sting in his heart. In the mad rush to earn more and more money, he could hardly spend quality time with his two kids. Their childhood days would never come back and certainly, money couldn't buy them back. Then what was the point of all this?
Charles caressed Shirley's hair and sobbed, "Okay. I promise you, I'll be home as soon as I finish work. I will never be late again. I'm sorry that Grandma hit you yesterday. Is it still painful?"
As he spoke, he took Shirley's arm, rolled up her sleeve and checked it. Since it had been attended last night, it recovered a little. But the bruise was still prominent in contrast to her white skin. His heart shattered into a thousand pieces as he saw the wound on Shirley's arm. The pain reflected in his eyes as well.
"Yes, Dad, it's painful... I was scared yesterday. Grandma looked very frightening. There were also some strange women, and one of them kept me in her arms and didn't let me go. I was almost choked by her,"
Shirley complained to her father, looking still frightened. She even patted her chest as if trying to get over the shock. The fear in her eyes and her gestures trying to explain the horrendous incident moved both her parents to tears.
Charles went numb for a while. He was frustrated and sad beyond words as he listened to Shirley's description. Earlier, he had thought that taking back Melissa's allowance for half a year would be enough to punish her for her misdeeds. But now he realized that she deserved a more severe one.
Sheryl and Charles stayed with Clark and Shirley, and cheered them up for a while, trying to let them get over the previous day's trauma. When the kids finally burst into a smile, Sheryl and Charles felt relieved. Their giggles filled the air with positive vibes. Sheryl applied the cream onto Shirley's injured skin to help her recover better. Then they went downstairs together to have breakfast.
In the dining room
It had been a long time since they had breakfast together. Therefore all of them were quite happy today. They enjoyed the delicious food and chatted with each other. They finished breakfast in a lovely atmosphere. After they got everything ready, Sheryl and Charles drove the kids to school.
After they bid farewell to the kids at school, Charles proposed to drop Sheryl to her company, which came as a pleasant surprise to Sheryl. She could not help appreciating Charles. Indeed, he had been a perfect husband and father this morning.
They arrived at Sheryl's office building soon.
"Charles, goodbye. Drive carefully," Sheryl said curtly. Charles was driving a luxurious car, and she didn't want to attract her colleagues' attention for that. Hence, she didn't want him to stay with her for long. Before she got out of the car, she gave him a goodbye kiss.
"All right. Bye," Charles smiled.
A bright smile crept over Sheryl's face. She was so joyful that she even hummed a merry tune as she walked into the building. She felt that her life was full of happiness and blessings.
She was a very simple woman who could get satisfied very easily. Just a loving gaze from Charles or his occasional ride or just a simple family meal with all her loved ones around could cheer her up. Her happiness was really very simple.
Charles followed Sheryl with his eyes as she entered the building. Then, he started his car and drove back to Dream Garden.
At the hospital
Isla had been going through medical checkups one after the other till it was time for her to return to her room for breakfast. Aron was there with her all night. He had left early in the morning because he had something important to deal with in his business.
Having nothing to do, Isla sat toying with her mobile. Then she dialed Sheryl's number to inform her of her current condition. If Sheryl didn't see her at the company, she might wonder why.
Isla could imagine how Sheryl would lecture her once she came to know about her illness.
Isla also knew it for sure that she couldn't lie to her about it. She was lying in the hospital at the moment, and Sheryl would know it sooner or later. Anyway, Isla had got fully prepared.
Sheryl was completely submerged in work as she answered the call from Isla. All her focus was on the business report she was reading in her office. Therefore, when Isla said that she needed to take sick leave for a few days, Sheryl just answered yes without putting her mind to what Isla was saying.
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