The Apple of My Eye novel Chapter 767

Sheryl realized she had not been to the company for a long while. She didn't try to make small talk with Sue, and the elevator ride felt endless.

Sue stood behind her in the left, and stayed noticeably quiet. Sheryl could tell she had something to say. Before she could step out of the lift with her daughter, Sue's voice stopped them. "Sheryl!" It came out a bit louder than Sue wanted. "Are you… Are you free right now?" Her voice was uncertain. "I want to talk to you… if that's okay."

Sheryl sighed. She was tired, having just dealt with Anthony the day before. Now, she had to deal with another one who brought her trouble. She looked back at Sue for a moment, not very willing to speak to her, but she knew that she would have to do so, sooner or later.

She crouched down until she and Shirley were eye level. "I need to have a chat with Sue. Would you mind wait a little while?"

Shirley didn't seem happy about having to wait, but she listened to her mother anyway.

They headed towards a cafe in silence. It was still morning, so not many people were around, and they easily found themselves a table. After their orders arrived, Shirley busied herself with her cake, not paying any mind to the other two. Sue noticed how different she behaved from before, and voiced it out, "Sheryl, how is Shirley? She seems..." Sue didn't quite know how to word it.

"She has autism," Sheryl explained with a wry smile. "She's getting treatment now."

The news had Sue stunned. "What? What happened? How did she end up like this?"

Sheryl just looked at her daughter, and didn't respond. She didn't want to bring up the reason why. The words describing that night might trigger something bad in the young girl.

Understanding Sheryl's lack of response, Sue didn't prod any further. She knew that it was a troubling time for the woman, and she didn't want to add to her burdens. At that time, though, she had no choice but to face Sheryl directly.

Sue wanted to be sure that Sheryl had already broken up with Anthony or not.

"Mimi, just ask what you need to ask. I'll answer whatever I can." Sheryl wanted to get it over and done with, so she had to get rid of Sue's hesitation. It did nothing to make Sue speak faster, though, so Sheryl sighed in frustration. "Look, I have other things to do, so please be quick about it," she urged her on.

Sue's face dimmed, and her embarrassment surfaced. At that moment, she wondered when their friendship had taken such a bad turn.

After taking a deep breath, she finally spoke. "I asked you here because…" She paused for a moment. "I want to talk about Anthony."

All the while, Sheryl was watching her daughter as she played with her food, and she didn't quite catch Sue's words. Anthony's name, though, made her head perk up. Her eyebrows furrowed. "I have nothing to do with him anymore. I have nothing to say if you want to talk about him."

She fought the urge to roll her eyes when she saw that Sue wasn't satisfied with her answer. "Don't you think it's a bit ridiculous to talk about your current boyfriend with his ex-girlfriend?" Sheryl leaned back and sighed. "This isn't necessary, you know."

"Sheryl, I…" An embarrassed flush crept up Sue's face. Anthony had still been with Sheryl when Sue had an affair with him. All she cared about was her chance with Anthony, and she did it without any hesitation. Now that she was sitting in front of Sheryl, she couldn't help but feel terribly awkward.

It was frustrating how easily emotions could fluctuate, she thought, now that she had to own up to her actions.

"Look, my relationship with Anthony…" She didn't quite know how to continue. "I'm just so sorry, Sheryl." She lowered her head in shame. "I know that I hurt you… I knew that it would hurt you at the time and I did it anyway. I'm so..."

"You don't need to say sorry to me," Sheryl stopped her. She shrugged, like it was nothing, and added, "When it comes to love I guess there's no real right or wrong. To be honest, after everything, I'm glad that you found some happiness with him." Sheryl leaned forward and looked Sue in the eyes. "Sue, I sincerely hope that you live a happy life with Anthony."