The Apple of My Eye novel Chapter 1610

"Stop it! Isla, stop talking nonsense! I know you want to defend me and I know you resent the fact that Charles once betrayed me, but he's my husband. Can I ask you to stop nursing a grudge against him?" Sheryl felt annoyed. In the past, she had successfully avoided lashing out at her best friend. This time, however, she failed to put up with Isla's tone and had to ask her to put Charles' and Leila's offense in the past.

When Isla saw that she had upset Sheryl, she immediately covered her mouth with her hand. With an apologetic smile, she softly said, "Ah, I was only kidding. Why are you mad? All I meant to say was that you don't have to worry. The doctor hasn't reported anything bad about Charles' condition. Right?"

Sheryl relaxed her shoulders and dropped her head. After a moment of silence, she said, "I'm not mad. I just didn't want to lie to Nancy. But I didn't want to worry her."

"Then you just have to keep it from her. What she doesn't know won't worry her. You should take it easy as well. Don't worry too much about Charles. I remember you telling me about the promise that he made, that he would never leave you. Remember?" Isla reminded Sheryl in an attempt to cheer her up.

Sheryl stared into Isla's eyes. Despite her confusion, she gently nodded, letting her friend know that she was going to be fine and that she was staying optimistic and hopeful.

Isla decided to respectfully change the subject. She said, "Oh, Sheryl, I think it's time for you to call the kids. They might be asleep if you call any later."

"That's right! I would've forgotten if you hadn't reminded me!" Sheryl was immediately brought back to her senses. She shifted her weight, took out the phone from her pocket, and dialed Joan's number.

Joan was putting the kids to bed when she received Sheryl's call. She beamed and said to the kids, "Hey, sweeties! Guess who's calling! It's your mom!"

"Oh! Let me talk to her!"

Shirley shrieked in excitement. She leaped, attempting to grab the phone from Joan's hand. The latter gently handed it to her. In a sweet voice, she asked, "Mom, when are you coming home?"

The question rendered Sheryl speechless. In a hurry, she thought up an excuse. "Mom still has a lot of work to do with your auntie Isla. I can't make it tonight. You have to behave and listen to your brother while Mom's away. Understood?"

"No! I want to see you. I miss you so much!"

Shirley hadn't seen her mother the whole day. As a result, she felt uneasy and had some trouble sleeping.

But Sheryl had no choice. All she could do was to make up excuses to shield her children from terrible truths.

In the middle of the conversation, Shirley, seemingly recalled something, and burst into laughter. After pausing to compose herself, she started narrating a story. "Mom, today at school, a little girl said she liked Clark. But Clark turned her down. The poor girl was hurt and cried on the spot!"

When he heard what his sister had said, Clark lost his composure. He snatched the phone away from Shirley's grasp and explained, in a hurry, "Mom, that's not true! I didn't make that girl cry!"

"Take it easy, Clark. Mom believes you! Our Clark is a good boy. You're not running around school making girls unhappy. Right?" Sheryl both comforted Clark and pretended to scold him, all in an attempt to make him smile.

They talked for a few more minutes, and then Sheryl instructed her kids to get some sleep as it was getting late.