The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1470 Her Original Sin

It was as if a heavy weight was tied around Charles' heart, which increased his burdens. How he wished he could wake his mother up and tell her to never ever hurt his wife and kids again, but his gut feeling told him to replace Sheryl and check how she was doing now. She must be sulking and quite upset. He needed to make her happy first. He couldn't afford to let her get sick a second time, especially when things started to get better.

A bitter smile cracked his lips when he walked to their bedroom. He felt powerless amidst all the family affairs.

It took him all his strength to push the door open. He was greeted by complete silence. Only the light of the dim lamp on the table lit the room, and his wife wasn't in the bed as usual. Charles' heart missed a beat. With a bated breath, he looked around the balcony, the bathroom, and every corner he could search. However, Sheryl was nowhere to be found.

It was already late, and Sheryl wouldn't be out at such time.

'Maybe she's in the kids' room, ' Charles thought and hurriedly turned around.

The door to the kids' room was unlocked, and a thin sliver of light broke out through the gap. Charles stopped in front of it, but hesitated.

Inside the room was his family. They depended on him and in turn, he treasured them deeply. But he couldn't do the right thing for them, and so he felt that he didn't have enough rights to enter the room. What if his wife was crying with the two kids in her arms? What should he do then? Should he go to his mother's room and force her to apologize to them?

He couldn't offer anything else but soothing words, and he hated that. However, it was his own mother on the other side. He couldn't force himself to do anything violent to her.

As a son who was brought up in a traditional Chinese family, he was used to obeying his elders.

Charles felt like a deer with its horns being pulled on either side; unable to advance or retreat.

He stood still by the door for a few moments, and then pressed his ear against the wood to listen to any sounds behind it.

Only the faint hum of the air-condition was heard. He guessed that Sheryl might have fallen asleep with the kids now.

But in the next second, padded footsteps tapped against the floor. Charles hurriedly stepped back and nervously waited for the door to open.

The door slowly creaked, and then finally opened to reveal Sheryl.

Charles heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the familiar face of his wife, but his heart twisted in pain once again when he saw the tear stains on her cheeks.

"Sher," Charles called, but he couldn't say anything else. It seemed that every word was so powerless, now that he understood that actions spoke louder than words.

Sheryl just raised her head and swiftly glanced at him, as if she had known that he was there before she came out. There wasn't a hint of emotion in her glassy eyes, and she looked at him like he was an ordinary inanimate object.

If Charles hadn't lived with her for so many years, he would've thought that she was fine and nothing bothered her. However, she wasn't fine at all. The quieter she was when something had upset her, the more hurt she was. It was especially bad now because it had been a long time since Sheryl had looked like that.

Charles felt a stab of pain in his heart as he watched Sheryl. He knew how deeply she was hurt, but he gazed at her with pleading eyes in hopes that she would respond to him.

However, Sheryl just lowered her head and quietly passed by him.

But Charles couldn't take the silent treatment anymore, so he reached out a hand and grabbed her arm.

"Sher, I know how you feel right now. Please talk to me," he choked out. As the words slipped out of his lips, they left a bitter taste on his tongue that ran along his throat down to his stomach.

Sheryl paused in her tracks, but she refused to look at him. Both of them just stood there for a long while in silence without saying anything. Finally, Sheryl's voice broke the ice.

"What should I say?" she said emotionlessly. "Anything that troubles you, Sher. Look, I'm not a man who can't tell right from wrong. I'll talk to my mother. I'm really sorry for what happened today, but please, you must trust me..." Charles managed to say.

"Forget it. What can you do? Can you make her move out? No, you won't. After all, she's your mother," Sheryl interrupted.

Once again, her voice was lifeless and unwavering.

"No, Sher. Please don't say that. Please don't be disappointed at me! I..." Charles said quickly.

"No, you're wrong, Charles. I wasn't disappointed at you. It was I who brought the kids here and not you," Sheryl said. Then she finally looked him in the eye and continued, "Charles, I've thought about it thoroughly just now after the kids fell asleep. It was all my fault bringing them to live in this house. I know that Melissa has a problem with me. What happened today will happen again and will continue in the future as long as we live here. I should blame myself, not you or your mother. It's all my fault!"

Even if Sheryl spoke quietly, her calm analysis didn't bring any peace to Charles' heart. The irritation rose and rushed madly inside him, trying to replace a way out but to no avail.

If he could choose, he'd rather have Sheryl punch him instead of blaming herself. In that way, they might've vented their frustrations at least and that would've made him feel a bit relieved.

He was upset at how calm Sheryl was, and it felt like the calm before the storm. What would happen if she couldn't bear everything any longer? Would she leave him with the kids?

Even the mere thought of it drowned him in sorrow. His heart ached for all the uncertainties that plagued his mind.

He would be a walking dead if Sheryl and the kids left him.

Soon enough, Charles got tired of the tension between them and gathered Sheryl in his arms, and hugged her tightly as if she would escape any second.

"No, Sher! Don't talk like that ever again! I love you, please don't leave me!"

Charles almost sobbed and he rested his head against her neck, as if he was holding on to dear life.

Tears began to well up in Sheryl's eyes. She then raised her hand and wiped them off.

She had sworn before that she would never cry for anyone again apart from her own kids. She understood that it was none of Charles' business, but Melissa was his mother, and that was a fact that would never change. But she didn't know what she would do if Melissa kept upsetting her kids. Thus, she needed to replace a way to stop it for good. The only person who could help her was the man holding her. And so, Sheryl decided to retreat for the sake of advancing, to force Charles to make the right decision.

She patted his back and said bitterly, "I won't go anywhere, Charles. I'm your wife and we have two kids. They need their mother and father. I don't think I can handle bringing them up alone. I didn't have thought of leaving you. But, what's on your mind? Do you want me to leave?"

"No, never! I swear that's the last thing I'll do in this world. Sher, I can't afford to lose you, I just can't."

Charles let go of her and held her at arm's length, as his eyes bore deeply into hers. "Everything will be fine, just give me some time. Okay?"

"I will," Sheryl said with a nod. "Oh, thank God! I thought I would lose you again," Charles exclaimed in joy and relief.

He had prepared himself for when Sheryl wouldn't talk to him, but today had gone differently. To his relief, Sheryl treated the matter like a different person. It was the best outcome that could happen, that he didn't expect it even in his dreams.

"No, I won't," Sheryl said softly. She took her hand from his and continued, "But I have one condition. It doesn't matter how bad Melissa treats me, but not my kids. I hope that was the last time she hurt them. You must promise that."

"I know, and I promise," Charles said without second thoughts. "I've learned the whole situation from Nancy, so now I know who should be blamed. Please trust me, Sher. I'll talk to her first thing tomorrow morning. She'll be prohibited from bringing her guests home again, to play cards under this ceiling. All the things that bothered you will never be seen in this house again. This is my promise!"