The Apple of My Eye novel Chapter 1583

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It was already late when Sheryl finally completed her daily task. On a normal night, she would take a deep breath of relief before she stood up from her chair, ready to leave for home. But tonight, she didn't look relieved at all. Sheryl failed to receive any response from Charles even after she called him countless times. She was upset at his indifference.

Sitting in her chair, she was in no mood to do anything, nor did she intend to go home yet.

Anxiously waiting for Charles to return her calls, Sheryl lost her appetite for dinner. What had kept him busy all day long was a great puzzle to her. She wondered what was so important that Charles was even willing to ignore his wife's calls.

Sheryl didn't want to shake off her faith in him, but after today's events, she had received nothing from him but disappointment.

To avoid missing his call unintentionally, she had constantly checked her phone. Now she felt stupid doing that.

Suddenly, as Sheryl was about to sink into more despair with regard to Charles, her phone started to ring. To her dismay, the caller ID showed an unknown number. Happily picking up the call, she found that it wasn't a man's voice speaking from the other end of the line. After a pause, she realized that it was Joan.

"Hello, Joan! Did the kids have dinner already?" Sheryl asked first.

Joan sighed helplessly. "Ms. Xia, the kids are upset. They cry for their mom, and I don't know what to do…"

Joan was in a dilemma. No matter how hard she tried to comfort Shirley and Clark, they wouldn't listen to her. Running out of options, she finally decided to call Sheryl to ask for help.

"Oh. That's okay. I am so sorry that the kids are causing you trouble. Please hand your phone to Clark. Let me talk to him," Sheryl said in an apology, feeling that she could no longer avoid her kids. She decided to talk to them.

"Mom, you always teach me to be honest. And I always have been. You promised me that Dad would come back and take care of me and my sister. But he's not here yet. Does he want to abandon us? Are you trying to hide the truth from me and Shirley?" Trying to stay calm, Clark threw one question after another at his mother. His words felt like sharp blades piercing Sheryl's heart.

Sheryl felt under fire. Clark had always been observant. She couldn't possibly hide anything from him for long. Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she replied, "Oh, Clark, my good boy! How can you entertain that sort of idea? You dad is just busy, like I said earlier. When he finishes all his work, Mom will take you and Shirley to find him. Agreed?" Despite feeling depressed about how things are going, Sheryl tried her best to sound optimistic. Her kids needed her to be strong for them right now.

Listening on the phone beside her brother, Shirley started to get impatient. She reached out, attempting to grab the phone. Clark had already lost the will to continue chatting with his mother, not wanting to hear any more of her lies. Without letting Sheryl know, he tossed the phone to Shirley. "Fine, you talk with Mom!" Clark snapped at her.

"Mom, are you there?" Shirley asked. "I have so much to share with you. You know, today in school, Clark was rewarded with a little red flower for his excellent performance. The teacher spoke highly of him during class…" Shirley paused all of a sudden. "Well, why hasn't Dad come home yet?" Sheryl felt sad.

"Shirley, my dear Shirley. Your dad is so busy lately. Once he gets all his work done, I am sure that he will come home and see us," Sheryl comforted her in a gentle voice. She knew that Shirley was a smart girl. Even if she didn't tell her much, Shirley would realize that there were changes in her surroundings.

Shirley pursed her mouth, in half doubt. Patting her on the back, Clark said, "Enough, Shirley! Hand me the phone. Let me talk to Mom."

Clark took the phone from Shirley's hand. "Mom, fine. We will believe you this time. But you cannot lie to us again."

Feeling threatened by Clark's tone, Sheryl couldn't help but smile faintly. Shaking her head, she added, "Sure. Please believe me as your mom. As soon as your dad becomes available, I will be the first to tell you. I promise!"

With Sheryl's reassurance, Clark didn't say a word. Pleased, he then called it a deal.

Taking time to talk to them, Sheryl continued comforting her kids before she hung up the phone.

She then buried herself in work till it was ten o'clock in the evening. Checking the time, she felt more unwilling to go home, knowing the kids had already fallen asleep at this hour.

Her heart still couldn't settle, since she had been waiting for Charles to call all along. She wavered on whether she should give Charles a chance and forgive him or not, in case he called her to apologize. But as it got late into the night, waiting further seemed to only add more pain in her heart. Eventually, she stopped hesitating and picked up the phone again. She finally figured out that it would do both of them no good to continue such a ruined relationship. She had to be tough and determined when needed, or else, both of them would end up consumed and exhausted. Finally, she decided to call Charles again, instead of waiting for his call.

Meanwhile, at Dream Garden

It was so late that the lights from every flat in Dream Garden had already been switched off. Charles was standing on the balcony and enjoying his moment of solitude. He had just got out of Melissa's bedroom and wanted to seek some fresh air to relieve himself. Lately, Charles had been so dispirited by Melissa's sickness.

He blamed himself for not taking enough care of his mother and regretted being indifferent to her for so long just to punish her. For some reason, he felt that her illness was due to the emotional abuse that he had subjected her to.

Against the quiet night, his phone started to ring. Given the inopportune timing, its tone sounded shrill and harsh to him.

Taking it out from his pocket, Charles checked to see who was calling.

He realized he hadn't contacted Sheryl the entire day. He remembered that he had promised he would be first to meet her once he returned. It seemed that Sheryl got anxious and ceased to wait.

"Sher," Charles began, lowering his voice.