The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 500 Playing One Role

"But he cheated on me!" Autumn blurted out. She took out a photo with both Leila and Charles naked on the bed, and showed it to Andy. "As you can see, he doesn't deserve to be my child's father," she said with conviction.

'Those drugs must have made Autumn become so assertive, 'Andy suspected. With a scowl, he defended Charles, "There must have been some mistake. Since you disappeared, he seemed to have lost his mind and looked everywhere to search for you. I think he really cares about you."

"The photo will not lie. It turns out he is a good actor and fooled all of us," Autumn exclaimed. After a long pause, she smiled wryly and continued, "I thought he was the man I could rely on for the rest of my life. But you have seen the picture. He is a cheater."

"Autumn, you..." Andy tried to persuade her, his brows knitted. Autumn looked at Andy, and interrupted, "Andy, if you really care about me, please stop trying to defend him. Charles and I... we're done."

As she spoke those words, she felt great pain as if a dagger pierced her heart. However, she thought leaving Charles was the best choice. All she could yearn for, was to have her daughter with her.

Andy's expression turned sour. He stated blandly,"I know you're still mad at him. When you calm down, you can come to talk to me."

Looking at Autumn, Andy negotiated, "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone that you're here, including Abby. When you're ready, you can come to us. Does that work for you?"

"Okay, thank you!" Autumn nodded.

Andy made this decision after weighing things out. 'It's Autumn's personal matter. If I tell Charles and the Zhao family that she is here, she will hate me. It'll just make things worse.

I'll just wait. When she composes herself and tells me her final decision, I'll figure it out,' he thought.

When Andy left Autumn's room, Anthony had already put away all the plates. At the sight of Andy, Anthony greeted, "Are you done talking?"

"Oh, yeah," Andy replied. Andy then asked why Autumn was staying here. Anthony told him how he discovered her. Knowing what had happened to Autumn, Andy understood why Autumn made the decision. "Anyway, thank you! Without you, Autumn and this child might have died," Andy expressed his appreciation.

"It's not a big deal. Autumn and I are friends," Anthony responded with a smile. After a long pause, he went on and said, "I hope you can do me a favor. Autumn gave birth to two children. Her son was taken by Leila. Can you help me replace him?"

"Don't worry. I'll replace that boy even if you didn't ask," Andy replied with a resolute expression. "Well, I got another question. When can Autumn receive her treatment?"

"She..." Anthony faltered, frowning. Shortly after, he stated in a serious tone, "I mentioned two treatment options to Arthur..."

Anthony listed all the pros and cons of each scheme. Andy hesitated for a while, and reacted, "I can't make a decision for her on this matter. We can discuss it later after Autumn gets better."

With a bitter smile, he urged,"Please take care of Autumn for now."

"I will," Anthony assured him,"I'll look after her well, don't worry."

When Andy stepped out of Anthony's house, he felt so much relieved. Now he knew that Autumn was safe. However, he couldn't share this good news with others.

After being discharged from the hospital, Abby returned to the Zhao family house. The moment Andy got home, he headed to his bedroom to replace Cindy inside. With her head rested on her hands over the crib side raid, she knelt on the floor staring at her little brother in the crib.

The Zhao family was supposed to be leading a happy life. But owing to Autumn's disappearance, none of them looked cheerful. Even the arrival of the baby couldn't wash away their concerns and unrest. "Cindy, go to your grandparents. I want to talk to your mom," Andy turned to Cindy. As Cindy got out of the room, Andy sat beside Abby. "I heard that you didn't eat much. What's up? Did you lose your appetite?" Andy asked tenderly with a concerned look.

"I'm fine," Abby replied with a listless expression. "I worry about Autumn. I don't know if she..." she uttered with her furrowed brows.

"You just had a baby. Don't think too much," Andy comforted Abby. There came a moment when he was tempted to tell Abby the truth. He tried not to give in though, because he wanted to keep his promise to Autumn.

"How could I stop thinking about her?" Abby countered dejectedly,"I don't know if she is safe."

"You have my word. I'll help you replace her back," Andy promised sombrely. "God will bless her. She is so kind and I believe that she will get through this," he pacified.

"I hope so," Abby answered.

Andy finally convinced Abby into drinking a bowl of soup. When he walked up the stairs, he heard Cindy's wailings. "I want little sister, grandpa," Cindy cried in Arthur's arms.

'Since Autumn disappeared, the whole family have been affected. Even obedient Cindy started to make trouble.

I can't imagine the scenes in Lu family.

But to keep my promise, I have to keep them in the dark,' he sighed.

After Andy left Anthony's house, Autumn opened her door, and went over to Anthony. "Is what you said to Andy true?" Autumn asked, her eyes kindling with expectation.

"What do you mean?" Anthony asked, quite puzzled.

"I remember you mentioning before. You said that Western medicine could not only cure my illness but erase my past memories too. Is that true?" Autumn asked, her eyes sparkling with delight. It seemed that the medicine's side effects turned out to be a good thing for her.

After much mulling, she thought the only way for her to start a new life and move on was to forget Charles.

"Are you gonna choose this drug?" Anthony asked, his pupils almost popped out.

"Yeah," Autumn replied enthusiastically. "I need to care for my child. If I fail to get a treatment for my illness, I'm afraid I might hurt my baby girl one day," she explained.

"But..." Anthony echoed hesitantly.

"That's it," Autumn decided. "After I take this medicine, please take me and Shirley with you. I don't mind wherever you'd take us. I just want to stay away from Charles. I don't want to see his face again." "What about your other family members? Are you gonna forget Arthur, Amy... all of them?" Anthony asked, lifting his eyebrows.

She was hesitant for quite a while, and then told Anthony, "This is the only way to help me forget him. You don't want to see me live in pain like this, do you?"

With a smile, she continued, "I never expected I would end up hating Charles like this. Right now, I only want to be a good mother, not a dutiful granddaughter nor a sensible wife."

'I can only play one role. And that is, as my daughter's mother,' she resolved.

"How about your other child?" Anthony asked carefully, focusing his gaze on Autumn.

She remained silent. After a long pause, she uttered, "Charles will take good care of him."