The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 555 Ferris Wheel Ride

As she continued to ponder, she had another thought. 'But why would they even sleep together if they didn't love each other?'

There were so many questions she wanted to ask. But since she had only met Charles, Sheryl decided it was best to keep her doubts to herself.

Unsure how to respond, Charles did note a hint of discontent in the woman's eyes and assumed she was busy thinking. But he didn't want to destroy the pleasant atmosphere, so he finally dropped the subject. "It doesn't matter. We have lots of time in the future to discuss this," he told himself.

He was convinced this misunderstanding between them will eventually be settled.

It was already 8:00 pm when the three arrived at the amusement park. Both adults and children crowded the place. Sheryl might be a mother herself, but the park remained to be an obsession. They tried out as many as possible of Charlie's favorite entertainment activities. When Sheryl walked past the Ferris wheel, she paused and stared at it longingly.

Noting her expression, Charles went straight to the ticket booth to secretly purchase three tickets. He then grabbed her hand and pulled her. "Follow me. We're riding that!" he exclaimed, pointing to the Ferris wheel.

"Oh, no..." Sheryl replied, as she tried to pull her hand from his grasp. "We should let Charlie decide what he wants to do," she argued weakly. Her expression, however, showed she wanted to get on that ride. "I already bought the tickets. We can't get a refund," Charles retorted. "Besides, Charlie told me he wanted to go on a Ferris Wheel ride, right son?" he added.

Father winked at son, and the boy immediately understood what he had to do next. He moved beside Sheryl and took her other hand. "Sher, I love the Ferris wheel and I would love to have a ride. Will you please come with me?" he asked sweetly.

Looking at Charlie's eyes full of excitement, she found it hard to deny his request so she eventually agreed. Besides, she truly wanted to get on the Ferris wheel, too. "Okay then. Let's try it out," she turned to Charles.

Charles initially thought the passenger car could only carry three people. But with so many tourists who wanted a ride, the guide squeezed in two more with them. Sheryl was forced to a corner and felt a bit awkward.

To prevent the other passengers from bumping into Charlie and Sheryl, Charles stretched his arms to cordon them off. Charlie wasn't a fan of the Ferris wheel, thinking it was only for timid girls. But as they began to ascend and the panoramic view of Y City unfolded before his eyes, he was in awe. Woman and boy laid their hands on the window, and together they looked down at the city with enchanted expressions. Charles felt a lump in his throat as he watched the two looking so thrilled.

Sheryl was intently observing the evening landscape, oblivious that for someone else's eyes, she had become the view.

Even as it took a great effort to keep the two other people in the car from getting close to Sheryl, Charles still managed to stare at her affectionately.

As he watched Sheryl with admiration, Charles had an impulse to gather the woman in his arms, but through sheer will remained at a polite distance. To Charles, it still didn't seem real to have his beloved standing next to him. What felt more real was the fear that Sheryl could again disappear in an instant.

On the other hand, Sheryl enjoyed the ride tremendously. Each time she found the landscape fascinating, she would turn around to share it with Charles. Shocked to see the affection in the man's eyes, Sheryl quickly averted her gaze. Composing herself, she turned to look at Charles again. "Miss Xia, I never expected you to be so interested in the Ferris wheel," he said with a charming smile. The affection and eagerness in his eyes were slowly vanishing.

"Most girls dream of being in a romantic atmosphere like this," she said simply. More quietly, but with a dreamy look in her eyes, Sheryl added, "I do, too."

Suddenly, she remembered Charles' affectionate look earlier. She gathered courage and boldly stared at the man's eyes. She saw nothing.

She berated herself, 'I must really think too much.'

Sighing, she thought, 'How can a man I just met feel so much longing for me?'

Sheryl shook herself mentally to get rid of the ridiculous thoughts running inside her head.

She glanced at Charles, who was standing behind her and asked, "Mr. Lu, do you believe in legends?"

"Legends?" Charles repeated, wondering what made her ask. He was never interested in fantastic legends. To his mind, they were only created to fool innocent girls. But looking at Sheryl's eyes, he noted expectation and didn't have the heart to disappoint her. So he smiled and asked, "Do you mean the legend about the Ferris wheel?"

"That's exactly what I was thinking." Sheryl nodded at him. "Well, this is what I know about it," she began. "Each car of the Ferris wheel ride is supposed to be filled with happiness. When we look up at the Ferris wheel, we're supposedly looking into our happiness. The higher the car goes, the happier we will be. When we anticipate happiness but are frustrated because it did not happen, we can take the Ferris wheel. We sit inside waiting for it to go up. Then we can overlook everything once it reaches the top." She paused for effect, watching Charles. "According to the legend, the Ferris wheel exists for couples in love. Once it finishes one round, there will be a new couple who kiss each other," Sheryl finished, her voice almost a whisper but her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Is that so?" Charles asked simply. He didn't subscribe to lies that business people spread to make a profit. However, Charles was almost willing to believe anything said by his beloved wife.

As their car reached the top, Sheryl closed her eyes with an earnest expression. She put her palms together and made a wish. Surprised with her action, Charles asked curiously, "What are you doing?" "I'm making a wish," she replied. Sheryl noted the man looked confounded, so she explained, "When we get on the Ferris wheel, happiness is within our grasp. As it turns and rises, we replace that we become disconnected from the outside world. We only feel a connection with the people inside this cramped space. And we also feel like we're getting closer to God." She continued, "Once your Ferris wheel car is on top, you can earnestly wish for something. And since it's way on top, God can hear our wishes. If you are good enough and deserve it, your wish will come true."

Charlie, who had been listening intently to the legend, followed Sheryl and made a wish. His father stared at his serious expression and felt funny. "Son, what did you wish for?" he asked.

"It's a secret!" Charlie replied. He looked serious again. "I learned it from TV. My wish will never come true if I say it out loud," he explained.

Charles smiled but said nothing. 'There's no need to figure out his wish,' he thought.

From the car's window, Charlie could see the reflection of Charles' and Sheryl's expressions. The light inside was enough for this. It made him very glad to see his father's bright smile. His wish was for Charles. The little boy wanted Sheryl and his father to live happily forever.

Sheryl spoke again, this time with sadness in her eyes. "However, not all tales about the Ferris wheel are beautiful," she said, her eyes beginning to darken. With a bitter smile, she continued, "There are also tales that say that there are couples who take a Ferris wheel ride but end up separating from each other."

Pausing to take a deep breath, Sheryl added, "But if the lovers kiss each other as the car reaches the top, they will be happy for the rest of their life."

Charles didn't believe this tale, yet his handsome face had a pained expression that he quickly masked. The man would not let anything awful happen between him and Sheryl.

In his head, he already had a plan. 'I'll bring Sheryl here again so we can ride the Ferris wheel. And when we reach the top, I will kiss her hard.'

When it was time to get off, Sheryl wobbled as they got out of the car, and was about to fall on her side. Instinctively, Charles reached out one hand to catch her and then wrapped another around her slim waist.