The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1467 Comfort

After Sheryl heard the words uttered by Shirley, she began to boil with rage. Her eyes started to inspect the bruises on Shirley's arm. She found it hard to fathom that Melissa was capable of exerting brutality on a little kid! 'Shirley has done nothing wrong! And even if she did, she didn't deserve this harsh treatment! I cannot believe my eyes.' Sheryl wanted to scream.

At this moment, Sheryl's contempt toward Melissa reached its peak. The mere thought of Melissa filled her with distaste. Until today, she had tolerated everything. Only rarely she had fought back. But she never expected Melissa would behave so atrociously to Shirley. 'No matter what, you are not allowed to harm my kids,' she thought to herself with resolution.

As a mother, the thought of her kids being in pain tortured her mind.

'

Now her gaze shifted back to Shirley and Clark. Slowly, she sat on the edge of the bed and caressed Clark who had his head buried into his arms. She tried to come up with something soothing, but words failed her.

Clark, who rarely cried, now looked like a lonely beast licking its wound in a dark night.

"Clark, would you please lift your head and look at Mom? Aren't you a strong boy?" Sheryl asked in an encouraging voice. Her voice was like warm spring wind which intended to calm her son.

Yet he remained silent. All he wanted to do was bury his head deeper and deeper.

He loved his mother more than anyone, which was why he didn't what her to see him in this condition. He was aware she would tear up if she saw his tear stained eyes.

Clark was akin to a beaten sapling and depression wandered around him. After realizing her words weren't helping him, Sheryl felt herself go out of control. An urge to slap Melissa across the face overtook her 'Today Melissa crossed all the limits. She showed us her true face! Shame on her!' thought Sherly.

At the same time, she wanted to hide her rage in front of her kids. No matter what, she wanted to set a good example for them. After concealing her true emotions, she gently pulled them into her arms. She hoped this silent hug would comfort them.

After soothing them with her soft hands, she mustered up the courage to speak. "Shirley, how's your arm? Does it still hurt?"

"No, Mom. It doesn't hurt anymore. Look here! It doesn't look so bad now. I'm a strong girl." Shirley flashed her mother a bright smile which looked like the brightest star in the sky. Her motherly heart welled up with pride.

A gush of warmth ran inside her body, lifting her spirits.

"Yes, I know what a strong girl you are. Next time if a bad person tries to hit you, make sure you hide quickly. You have to remember that I will come to save you as soon as I can." Sheryl caressed her daughter's soft hair as if she was cherishing the most precious gem in the world.

"But she is our grandmother. How can she be a bad person?"

Shirley tilted her head, widened her eyes and asked Sheryl with curiosity. There were times when she felt Melissa was extremely rude toward her and Clark. 'But at the end of the day, we have to love her, right? Because she is our grandma, ' Shirley wanted to ask.

Sheryl choked at Shirley's question. She was speechless because she couldn't think of an appropriate answer to that question.

Melissa was a member of the Lu family. Even worse, she was the grandmother of Shirley and Clark. Now Sheryl wondered if she had made a mistake by telling her kids that their grandmother was a bad person. She feared they would regard her as an enemy in the future.

But once again she looked at the miserable condition Melissa had put her kids in. No loving grandmother would do that to their grandkids. Firmly, she made up her mind that Melissa was guilty beyond forgiveness.

Back from her reverie, she looked at Shirley who was looking at her with her questioning eyes. "Yes, she is. She beat you both up even though you did nothing. This definitely makes her a bad person." Shirley nodded her head as her mother's words started to sink in. Yet she was too young to completely understand it so she didn't ask further questions. She continued to wag her head, trying to fully comprehend it.

Right at this moment, Clark finally lifted his head. He became a little bashful and looked to his mother with crying eyes.

Sheryl wiped tears off Clark's eyes with her incredibly soft hands. She ardently wished to wipe gloom off his heart in the same manner.

"Clark and Shirley, my babies, listen to me. You have no reason to be heartbroken. Mom will promise you that such a thing won't happen again. I will be right by your side to protect you both. And now It's bedtime. Would you both like to listen to a story?"

"Yes, yes!" They both gave their consent together. Their eyes lit up with excitement. They applauded as hard as they could.

Sheryl was amused by their reaction. Soon, Sheryl's beautiful voice filled the small room.

"Once upon a time, there was a princess. She lived in the most beautiful ocean. She had thick black hair..."

Sheryl didn't realize how long it had been since she began the story. But now her voice had become hoarse. When she glanced at the bed, the kids were sound asleep. There was a small smile on their faces. Suddenly, Shirley kicked the cover off her body. This brought a smile on Sheryl's face as well. She went forward and pulled it back. Slowly, she spread it across her daughter's body.

After this, Sheryl placed a small kiss on their foreheads and murmured a "Goodnight." If possible, she would have stayed there all night, admiring their peaceful faces.

But she knew she had to leave. Carefully, she tiptoed to the door, turned off the light and closed the door.

Once she was outside, she became a different person. The smile was wiped off her face.

The happy woman who had gazed at her kids was gone. Her eyes were bereft of any tenderness. Anger oozed out of her body.

With a closed fist, she stood frozen. Her mobile phone rang and brought her back to reality. In this sullen mood, she had no desire to speak to anyone. She was about to reject but changed her mind when she noticed her husband's name on the screen.

"Hi, Charles!"

"Sher, how are the kids? Are they feeling better now?" Charles asked anxiously over the phone.

Sheryl didn't expect that Charles would learn about this incident so soon. She was waiting for the right opportunity to tell him. But since he had already known it, she had no reason to hide anything.

In fact, there was a part of her that wanted to know how her husband would deal with it.

"They were feeling pretty bad, but then I put them to sleep. Now they are fine."

"Okay, I just wanted to check on them. We will discuss this when I reach home," he replied and they hung up. Charles was only a few minutes away from home. Yet his heart wouldn't rest until he was certain they were doing fine. Now that he had an answer from her, his worries slightly dissipated.

Each time he thought about Melissa, his whole body shivered with fury. He had warned her, but she paid no heed to it. Determinedly, he made up his mind to teach her a lesson soon.