"Sher, did you send Isla home?" Charles asked gently.
Sheryl nodded her head. But before she could speak to Charles, she suddenly felt his grip on her hand. Charles held Sheryl and walked straight into their bedroom.
Sheryl followed Charles. Unable to see his face, she only heard the scurry of their footsteps through the silence. When she noticed the rush in Charles' footsteps, her heartbeat quickened and her face turned pink.
What was Charles's up to? She looked at his broad shoulders and his gait from behind. A shy idea crept in her mind. She couldn't help but start to wonder about what was waiting for her in the bedroom. Charles, as she knew him, was a very calm and composed man who seldom lost control over himself. It was rare that Charles held her hand in the way he did at the moment.
But it warmed Sheryl's heart when he did. She felt rather satisfied. Her lips curved into a sweet smile.
Women's mind is inexplicable. Even the greatest of the philosophers have failed to explain it. Sometimes, just a single touch from the man she loves can fill her heart.
However, as they entered the bedroom, Charles loosened his grip. He pushed the door closed and turned towards Sheryl in a grim face.
One look at his face and Sheryl was out of her daydream. She felt a changed atmosphere. All the contented feeling in her heart vanished in an instant and she stared at Charles with confusion. Without any hesitation, she blurted out, "Charles, what's the matter?"
"Our daughter misbehaved and disrespected her grandma. Then she got scolded for that and then burst into tears." Charles tried to restate the whole thing in an understated tone.
Hearing this, Sheryl was completely taken aback. She stared at Charles with a surprised look. She found it difficult to understand Charles' statement. She denied at once, "Shirley is always well-behaved. You know that! How could she be rude to her grandma? There must be some mistake!"
"Mistake? Do you doubt my judgment?" Charles cast a grim look to Sheryl, as he continued, "Sher, was it you who asked Shirley not to take food from Melissa?"
Sheryl dilated her eyes with utter shock as even such thoughts were alien to her. Why would she tell her daughter to do that?
Charles sounded absolutely unreasonable and ridiculous to Sheryl. She had that much commonsense to appreciate the fact that staying under the same roof, they couldn't avoid having meals together every day. She also knew that if she worried that Melissa might lay her hands on the kids again, she had to be cautious about every meal every day. Besides, she didn't think Melissa could be stupid and audacious like that.
Sheryl raised her eyes and met Charles' gaze. She felt a sting in her heart and it showed clearly in her eyes.
The stern look in Charles' eyes proved his stance. Obviously, he refused to trust Sheryl this time.
Sheryl felt utterly disappointed at that. Even after she had put so much effort to love this family and endured all the humiliation cast upon her by Melissa, Charles still couldn't completely put his faith on her.
This broke her heart into a million pieces. Slowly, tears rolled down her cheeks. Sheryl tried to control her feeling and stay calm. Putting on a faint smile, she asked Charles, pronouncing every word as clear as possible, "Don't you trust me? If I insist that I didn't tell Shirley to do that, are you willing to trust me?"
Watching Sheryl's distressful look, Charles immediately realized that he might have been too blatant without taking into account how Sheryl would feel.
But he still didn't want to give in. Now that he had brought up his doubt, he wanted to figure it out.
"Sher, of course, I want to trust you. But Mom said she heard that Shirley claimed that to her face. Right now, I am not blaming you, nor am I doubting you. But if Shirley did say those words, could it be because she heard them from somewhere else?" Charles explained, making his tone a little softer.
"Then you are still indirectly pointing your finger at me. Yes, I have brought up Shirley all by myself in her early years. It was me who taught her how to speak and read. Even if I denied that I directed Shirley to say those words, you must think I have something to do with her manner in one way or another," Sheryl tried to say in a mild tone, but her heart had sunk into distress, tears running down her cheeks.
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