The Apple of My Eye novel Chapter 1599

"Sher, I got too emotional. I didn't mean to do that! You don't blame me, do you?" Isla realized she shouldn't have talked so much, but at the time, she had no other choice. She had felt obliged to defend Sheryl.

With a faint smile, Sheryl shook her head and said, "Of course not, Isla. I know that you care about me. You were trying to speak on my behalf. How could I blame you?"

Sheryl, overwhelmed with sorrow, tried to keep her emotions in check as she responded to Isla. Her face, however, betrayed her. Intense sadness was reflected in her eyes. This did not escape Isla's attention. It broke her heart. In Isla's eyes, Sheryl was weak and needed care. To get Sheryl back to the present, Isla pulled her close and embraced her. "It's okay, Sher. Don't be sad. You have me. I will stand by your side no matter what happens."

"I am fine, really. I can do this alone. You don't have to worry about me!" Even though Sheryl was in a lot of pain, she didn't want to cause Isla any trouble. Nonetheless, Isla was a close friend. She had known how Sheryl really felt just by looking at her face.

After a while, Sheryl returned to her office. Upon checking her phone, she noticed several missed calls from the same number. She chose to ignore these, but her heart felt heavy.

Sheryl felt conflicted. On the one hand, she didn't want to divorce Charles, but on the other hand, she dreaded the humiliation that came with becoming Ferry's lover just in order to make a deal. There was no third option.

Aside from that, the news must have reached Charles by now, and he must be very disappointed in her.

'Are you going to give up on our marriage, Charles?'

Sheryl thought, as tears started flowing down her cheeks.

In Dream Garden, Leila and Melissa talked in hushed tones.

"Leila, who's this man? Is he the same person who was in the video that you showed me? The one filmed in the shopping mall?" Melissa asked, her eyes fixed on the news. She couldn't help but grow suspicious about how Leila had gotten so many pictures.

"These pictures were taken by my friend, quite unintentionally. Sheryl had been supposed to be with a man at that spot, Aunt Melissa. Someone must have photo-shopped the pictures to blur the man's face," Leila patiently explained to Melissa.

At last, Melissa finally knew the truth.

They exchanged smirks as they looked at each other.

Moments later, Charles returned to Dream Garden wearing a gloomy expression. When he stepped into the dining room, he saw Melissa and Leila sitting on the sofa, happily talking with each other.

Charles' return immediately caught Leila's attention.

She jumped to her feet and walked over to him. She greeted him by remarking, "Charles, are you okay? You look awful today." Leila, showing much concern, grabbed Charles by the arm.

Charles was watchful of Leila's apparent care. He treated everything she did with a sense of misgiving. In an instant, he remembered what Isla had told him. For him, it was Leila who had made Sheryl turn her back on him and their marriage. If it wasn't for Leila, he and Sheryl wouldn't have been in the situation they were now in.

"Keep your hands off me!" Charles cast Leila a spiteful look as he angrily pushed her hand away.

Taken aback, Leila froze. She didn't know how to react.

Melissa quickly assessed the situation. Wanting to be a step ahead, she approached her son and grabbed his arm. With a reproachful look, she admonished him. "Charles, why do you direct your anger at Leila? She hasn't done anything wrong, has she? Sheryl is the one to blame. If you ask me, Leila has been nothing but thoughtful. She cares about you so much!"

She put her hand on her chest and faked a cough soon after she had spoken. She was pretending to be in distress to earn her son's sympathy.

It worked. This display of Melissa's frailty caught Charles' attention. He couldn't help but grow concerned about his mother's condition.

"Mom, are you okay?" Charles asked, full of concern, as he helped keep her steady.

Melissa's knees buckled. She stumbled slightly, took a few steps back, and then sat on the sofa. She shook her head and replied with a faint smile, "I am fine."

"Really? I am relieved to hear that. Well, I want to go upstairs now to get some rest!" Upon hearing that his mother was fine, Charles felt relieved. He turned away and decided to find a place where he could be alone.

Melissa and Leila exchanged looks behind his back. They nodded knowingly to each other but Melissa signaled for Leila to stay silent.

Leila followed Melissa's instructions. Since the situation was in her favor so far, she thought it would be better to just wait. It was still too early to leap into action. She could wait until Sheryl and Charles were completely and certainly broken up.

Besides, she hadn't played all of her cards yet. She was confident that Charles would lose all his faith in Sheryl before the end.

Leila couldn't help but grin at the thought. Her lips curved into a cheeky smile.