The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1073 Fifteen Years

In the next few days, Melissa spent her time standing by the windowsill gazing out at Dream Garden. She had witnessed each and every move made by everyone in Lu family and everything had seemed under control.

Melissa didn't like Sheryl very much. Maybe it was because Leila had spoken ill of Sheryl to her before, which had really left a terrible impression on Melissa. Or maybe it was just because Melissa had a bad gut feeling the first time she caught sight of her. But regardless of which reason it was, Melissa simply disliked Sheryl and this feeling had become increasingly obvious.

After these days of observation in the shadows, Melissa had learned nearly all there was to know about Lu family. She planned to make her next move. If she were to fulfill her purpose, Melissa couldn't continue to just watch them; instead, she had to make her presence known in Dream Garden.

However, what made her feel unsure and confused was that despite seeing everyone in Lu family, she hadn't been able to get a single look at Gary.

She couldn't help but think to herself, 'Has Gary gone out? Where did he go? Why has he been away from Dream Garden for so long? Has he gone travelling abroad, or has he moved out to live somewhere else?'

Whatever was going on with Gary, to Melissa, it was causing a hiccup in her plan. If she failed to replace Gary, she wouldn't be able to prove to anyone that she was the lost mother of Charles. Only Gary could prove her identity to Charles.

As Melissa troubled over this, a familiar figure suddenly came into her view. Her eyes lit up.

It was Gary. He was still in Dream Garden after all, but he had apparently been keeping himself in his own bedroom these days.

Gary was too old to move around and would only leave his bedroom when it was completely necessary.

Seeing Gary in Dream Garden made Melissa's throat constrict. She could finally feel assured that her plan would be carried out on schedule. Swallowing hard, Melissa tried to concentrate on her breathing. She needed to relax and compose herself if she wanted to seize such a rare opportunity that might never come again. This could be her only chance.

Realizing this, Melissa took a deep breath. While she was excited to finally take action, she was also slightly nervous. Not wanting to wait any longer, Melissa hurriedly got herself changed and then put on make-up. After looking in the mirror to make sure she looked okay, Melissa rushed downstairs.

Gary had, in fact, not intended to go outside that day, but he felt tired of staying indoors and needed some fresh air. Wandering around the courtyard alone, he was clueless to the fact that there was someone waiting for him.

When he looked up and saw Melissa's familiar face, his eyebrows shot up in surprise. Not believing what he saw, Gary slowly walked closer to the woman, his eyes wide open. "Melissa? Is it you?" he asked in amazement.

Gary's mind was racing. While he recognized the woman's face, he was still unsure as to who she was. "Yes, Dad. It's me, Melissa," Melissa responded as she smiled fondly at the old man. The startled look or Gary's face made her feel somewhat relieved because clearly, Gary still remembered who she was. Hesitantly, Melissa took a step forward. When Gary didn't move away, she gathered enough courage to walk all the way to Gary and say, "Dad, can we talk?"

"Okay," Gary nodded slowly. "Let's go to the tea house where Eugene used to stay. Charles will be back soon." While his voice did not sound loud or bitter, Melissa could sense that there was an invisible wall separating her from Lu Family.

This brief thought made Melissa nervous. It meant that Gary might not be able to forgive her for what she had done back in the past.

Unsure of what she should do, Melissa took a deep breath to settle her nerves, and then she responded awkwardly, "Well, it's been a while since I went there last time and I kind of miss it. I'd be happy to go there with you." With a faint smile, Melissa gestured at Gary to lead the way.

The tea house was not far from Dream Garden, so they didn't need to take a car. Gary walked ahead silently as Melissa followed him. It had been fifteen years since they had last seen each other, so they each had a lot to catch up on. Yet, instead of a heartfelt conversation, there was simply a stone cold silence. Gary didn't ask Melissa any questions or initiate any dialogue with her. Not knowing what Gary was thinking, Melissa felt incredibly uncomfortable, so she kept her mouth shut and didn't say a word.

When they arrived at the tea house, Gary finally asked her, "Now that I know you're alive, where did you go? It's been fifteen years and Charles is a grown-up now. Why haven't you come back before? Why now?"

Gary was struggling to figure out how he felt about seeing his daughter-in-law again. He couldn't forget what had happened in the past and held a strong grudge against her. If she hadn't picked that fight with his son, Eugene Lu, fifteen years ago, he wouldn't have driven off in the middle of the night and died in a car accident.

When Eugene Lu died, Melissa simply vanished. She had been missing ever since. During a period of time back then, Charles, who was too young to understand what had happened, would relentlessly ask Gary where his mother was.

Whenever Charles asked that question, Gary would be at a loss for words. His reply always ended up being the same, "Your mother has gone to heaven to look for your dad.' While it was quite a cruel answer to the young boy's question, he hoped that it would allow Charles to forget his irresponsible and heartless mother and to live his life bravely.

The painful look on Charles' face when he heard of his mother's death was still imprinted in Gary's mind. His face crumpled and his eyes instantly filled with despair and fear. Every day, the memory of Charles' face had motivated Gary to love and care for him as much as possible and to help him cope with the trauma in his heart. Whenever his parents were mentioned accidentally, Charles would always react calmly and end up comforting Gary instead. With a smile, Charles would always say, "Grandpa, don't be upset! Although Mom and Dad are gone, you still have me. I will stay by your side and protect you for the rest of your life."

Having such a clever and cute grandson by his side, Gary felt blessed and truly relieved.

Many years later, whenever the memory of Charles' words would cross Gary's mind, he couldn't help but weep. Young Charles' thoughtfulness back then was touching.

However, as he grew up, it became increasingly harder for Charles to talk about his parents. In turn, Gary would also try to avoid the topic.

And over the years they just got used to it.

But Gary would always wonder where Melissa had gone.

At the age when Charles needed his mother most, Melissa was nowhere to be found. Even if she had hated Eugene Lu and had had a fight with him, Eugene had died for it.

Was that not a good enough reason for her to return home? How she could be so ruthless to abandon Charles after his father's death?

Gary had pondered these questions for fifteen years and had never found any answers.

He had even started believing that maybe Melissa had died.

If she wasn't dead, then why hadn't she come back to take a look at her own son?

However, now Melissa had turned up out of the blue. Seeing her in the courtyard had shocked Gary. His mind was so bewildered that he had considered ignoring her and treating her just like a stranger. But that was too difficult for him to do, especially at his age.

As he got older, he found it harder and harder to make tough decisions.

And, given that Charles was married and had his own children now, he must feel overwhelmed and desperate for help. Gary thought it might be a good idea to let him know that his mother was alive as she could help ease his burden. Gary was too old to help Charles, but Melissa wasn't and could even guide Charles when it came to parenting.

So, if Melissa wanted to talk to her son, then so be it. Besides, Gary desperately wanted to know exactly what had happened to her fifteen years ago.

He needed to finally have all his questions answered.

"Dad, I admit that the fight with Eugene was my fault, but you still don't understand what it was even about." Taking a deep breath, Melissa looked directly into her father's curious eyes. The truth that had been buried deep within her heart for fifteen years would finally be exposed.