The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1999 Something Amiss

Try as she might, Sheryl could not stop the curved smile that came to her lips at the sight of Clark and Isla working together so perfectly. She planned to keep up her facade of anger, but even so, she knew that it wouldn't work. Having no other resort, she continued to watch them with a small, resigned smile.

Isla was doing her best to steer clear of the issue. She kept talking to the children about the most mundane of topics, effectively burying the graveness of the matter beneath these, at least for a while. Sheryl was aware of what Isla was doing. She knew that it was for her sake.

It was as if she found herself at a crossroads. The children knew nothing of the divorce. On the one hand, she wanted to tell them and explain-it was the right thing to do. And yet, she did not know how to begin. How does a mother tell her children that their family was no longer whole? No matter what words she used, it would all go back to the same thing: their home was broken. And now, here was Isla, coming to her rescue, delaying the inevitable shattering of their peace.

Isla knew the conflict that was eating at Sheryl's insides. She had two reasons behind her actions: the first one being that Clark already knew, and the second was a matter of timing. She did not think that telling them now would be good.

After Isla's persistent waylaying, Sheryl did not attempt try to bring up the matter again.

All was well. The two women played with the kids for a while after dinner, and for a moment, the heavy burdens were forgotten, with the two of them carefully bearing the delicate balance of the house. Soon enough, the kids succumbed to the contentment of sleep, and Isla followed Sheryl to the living room.

"Joan, it is getting late. Go and get some rest," Sheryl said, feeling apologetic at the sight of Joan still waiting for them.

"Alright, Miss Xia. Then, I will be going back to my room. Please let me know if you need anything. Good night," Joan gave Sheryl a small smile and made her way to her bedroom.

The moment she left, Sheryl looked Isla straight in the eye.

Her gaze pierced through the other woman with such intensity that it created in Isla a growing awkwardness. Unconsciously, she touched a hand to her head and smiled at Sheryl. "What?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

Sheryl's gaze remained fixed on her despite her visible discomfort. "You did that on purpose, right? Why did you stop me from telling the kids?" The children were young, but they were entitled to the truth. She could not keep it a secret forever.

"Sher, do you really think this is for the best?" Isla reasoned, meeting Sheryl's eyes.

Sheryl fell silent at the question. Truth be told, she did not know the answer herself.

Indeed, was it really for the best? Was the truth always absolute?

She had already felt confused. Now, in the face of Isla's question, it was as if her doubts were doubled.

And then, there was also Melissa. She had been frequenting the house these days. Besides that, she had seen what Charles had done. There was simply no way to unsee something that was very clear, no matter how much one circled and twisted the truth.

"Isla, do you...Do you think there is still a chance for me and Charles?" Sheryl was able to let down her guard only when she was in front of Isla. Yet, her question caught Isla off guard.

"I..." It was Isla's turn to be silent. Sheryl looked at her as if she was pleading for an answer, but it was not something that she or anyone else could give. She felt dwarfed by the weight of Sheryl and Charles' conflict, but there was nothing that she, an outsider, could say or do that could possibly fix things. Only the two of them could make the decision for themselves and for their family.

However, she was Sheryl's best friend. She had no answers or solutions, but at the very least, she could offer her friend advice and hopefully ease some of her burdens. Taking a deep breath, Isla looked at Sheryl's expectant eyes. "Sher, tell me honestly. Have you ever thought that this relationship with Charles was doomed this time?"

Isla had seen the two of them with her own eyes. It seemed that Charles truly had no more feelings for Sheryl when she visited him yesterday. The other woman was probably just a convenient pretext for him to cut off his ties with Sheryl.

"Do you think it is still necessary, right now, for us to hide it from the kids?" Isla's question prodded at the places that hurt the most. Sheryl had tried to ignore these feelings, but she knew that Isla was right. It was impossible for her to get back together with Charles this time. It was almost a relief to finally acknowledge it. There was nothing more she could do. It was time to move on.

The thought of ending things with Charles overwhelmed her. After that step, it was as if nothing but misfortune followed her, and no matter how desperately she tried to keep things together, she was staggering under the weight of the situation. But it had been enough. She no longer wanted to wallow in melancholy days. If possible, she did not want to involve herself in any way with him.

She had lost more than enough. She would keep what little remained of her pride and stop trying to make something out of nothing. She gave until she had been wrung dry, but all of it had been for nothing. Isla followed the movement of Sheryl's head as she broke away from her gaze and slumped. She was the image of a woeful woman, worn out by the miseries of life.

"Sher, stop being so gloomy. Charles will regret it someday. Then, it would be your turn to watch him suffer and pay him back in full. You can make his life hell. I will fully support you," she declared. Taking a step forward, she gently gathered her friend in her arms.

At her words, a sudden laugh came from Sheryl. She let Isla comfort her, grateful for the small warmth she gave.

"You're right. About the kids too. They are too young to understand, and there is no need to rush. They will be able to come to terms with it in their own time, maybe when they've grown a little older," Sheryl sighed.

They were such close friends that Sheryl understood Isla's concerns without having to hear them out loud. At this time, she was Sher's only ally, and she wanted to return every small bit of relief to her that she could.

"Well, that's good to hear." Sheryl felt Isla relax at her answer.

"Alright, then!" Isla suddenly shot up, clapping her hands together. "I'm going to wash up. I'm gonna sleep over by you tonight, and I won't take no for an answer!" she declared, throwing Sheryl a challenging look.

Sheryl could do nothing but smile at her friend's childish antics.

As Isla headed to the bathroom, Sheryl was once again alone with her thoughts. A long, drawn-out sigh came from her. She could only hope that the divorce would not scar the children. The last thing she wanted was for them to get hurt. Closing her eyes, she prayed silently for the future to be kind, if not to her, then at least to them.

At the Dream Garden

Charles had not seen Melissa since he came back from the Shining Company. He looked at Nancy and asked, "Where did my mother go?"

"I don't know, Mr. Lu. The madam always goes out early and comes back late these days. She does not tell me where she goes," Nancy replied. It was a lie. She knew that Melissa had gone to visit Sheryl these past few days.

However, it would be best for her not to get involved in their affairs. It was something that the mother and son should settle personally.

Charles pondered at her words. He had no idea where Melissa went and what she was doing. Reaching for his phone, he dialed and made a call.

"Mother, where are you?" Charles asked directly as soon as the call connected.

He had caught her on her way back home. A pang of guilt crept in her chest, and she hesitated for some moments before she answered. "I'm shopping with my friends. Is something the matter?"

"No, nothing important. I just wanted to know when you will come back." The call ended abruptly after his reply. Charles did not say anything more as he heard that Melissa was with her friends and hung up right away.

The end of the phone call left Melissa feeling confused. She did not know why he suddenly called her, but one thing was for sure-it was not good.

It was dinnertime when Melissa finally arrived at the Dream Garden.

Their meal was heavy with silence. Charles raised his eyes to look at her on some instances, but otherwise remained silent. He simply continued to eat his dinner with an unreadable face.

This cold silence from him had all but confirmed Melissa's earlier inkling. Something was amiss.

She tried coaxing him to talk throughout dinner, but was met with passive responses of "Hmm..." or "Ah..."

After a while, Melissa stopped trying altogether. Clearly, Charles was in no mood for conversation.

She was on the edge of her seat. After dinner, she headed straight to the stairs, wanting to flee on the spot. However, she was stopped by Charles.

"Mother, please come to my study later," he said, providing no further explanation. Charles walked straight towards his study after he spoke to her.

Melissa could only stare at his back. No doubt, something was wrong, but what? She could not figure it out. Hurrying downstairs, she immediately went to Nancy. "What happened?" she asked.

"I don't know, Madam. Is there something wrong?" Nancy grew confused as she saw Melissa's troubled expression.

"Nothing. Charles just seems a bit strange today. Did he say anything to you when he called me earlier?" Melissa pressed further. She was unable to relax at this situation.

Nancy shook her head in response. But, as Melissa was about to ascend upstairs, she stopped her, remembering something all of a sudden.