The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 574 Leila's Ultimatum

A few days ago, Charlie read a book on biology. From there, he learned that regardless of Charles' blood type, it was impossible for Leila to be his biological mother.

The book also said there was a possibility of genetic mutation.

The boy had kept that secret in his heart for days. He didn't mean to divulge it, but somehow let it slip out today.

His revelation startled Leila, and he saw panic in her face. She gaped at the boy and demanded, "Who told you that, Charlie?"

Rushing towards the boy, Leila grabbed him by the shoulders and screamed, "Tell me, who said that?"

The boy said nothing. Then suddenly, something clicked in Leila's brain. 'Sheryl! It's her!' she thought.

Envy filled her thoughts. 'It doesn't matter if she has amnesia or not. The fact is she doesn't like me. So, it must be her, ' Leila decided.

"Did Sheryl say that?" she asked again. The woman was becoming very agitated. "Ahhh!" the boy cried out in pain as she continued to shake him. "Tell me if she did it!" With her face so close to Charlie's, she looked like a mad woman. Her madness started to frighten the little boy.

"Let me go!" he finally cried out, and tried to squirm free. Leila's reaction to what he unintentionally revealed confirmed his suspicion.

"Listen, Charlie," she pleaded, while tugging at his shoulders. "You're my son. That will never change. I gave birth to you and raised you. And I did not bring you up to talk back to me. You had better keep that in mind," Leila warned the boy.

Despite her fury, Leila's face had turned pale. She was sure it was Sheryl who fed Charlie those things. Leila believed that Sheryl only pretended to have amnesia, and was merely setting a trap for her. Grimly, she thought, 'I know her tricks now. And I will never fall for them.'

"I'm your mother. Sheryl is..." she paused as anger bubbled inside her. "She's a bitch! So, why do you prefer to believe her instead of me?" The woman was now frustrated. She stared at the boy, who remained silent. Right now, she didn't like him very much. And for a moment, she kept thinking he was just as obnoxious as Sheryl.

Charlie finally shouted, "Enough!" Her words and behavior depressed him and right now, he didn't know what to do. He might appear more mature than other kids, but he was still a child. And it was hard to bear such a big secret.

At that moment, Charles arrived. He knocked, and Charlie hurried to open the door before Leila could react.

As soon as Charles entered, he sensed something was wrong inside the room. He looked down at his son and asked, "What's wrong, Charlie?"

For the first time since meeting the boy, he saw fear and confusion in Charlie's face.

Leila regained her bearings and screamed, "Give my son back to me!" Marching up to Charles, she stopped when they were face-to-face. "Give me back my son!" she repeated.

"What the hell are you doing?" Her behavior startled him, but he only frowned. Looking at her, he felt Leila was now beyond reason.

The woman let out a scream. Then without a word, she grabbed Charlie and hauled him into his room. She dumped the boy inside and locked the door.

Charlie was now crying and kept banging at the door. "Let me out of here! Let me out!"

The boy was starting to panic now.

"Leila, what are you doing? You're frightening the kid!" Charles demanded. He wondered, 'What happened to Leila? She was fine last night. Why is she behaving like this now?'

"Frighten the kid?" she hissed at Charles. "That's my son in there. What does he have to do with you?" she said with contempt.

"He's my son, too!" Charles retorted. Not sure about what happened to Leila, Charles was now concerned about Charlie. He swore to take the child away from the place. He would never leave him with this mad woman.

"Don't forget who you are, Charles," she reminded him. "I brought him up. He is my son, and no one can take him away from me," Leila sneered.

"Who said I was going to take him?" Charles asked as he held on to his temper. He was struggling for patience but Leila's fury was starting to rub off on him.

"You! You want to take him away from me," she threw back at him. Leila could not hold back her rage. "You took my son with you and spent the whole day with Sheryl. What about me? Don't you feel sorry for me?"

She was on the brink of tears, but held back. "Yes, that woman looks like Autumn. But she's not, Charles. She is Sheryl, Anthony's girlfriend. Do you really think she cares about you?" she challenged. There was no stopping Leila now. Sneering, she told Charles, "She's very happy now with her fiance and child. Why don't you simply let her go?" Leila sensed Charles hardening his stance, and this further fueled her to continue mocking him. "Don't you love her? When you love a person, you want to see her happy, right?" "Stop. I don't want to talk about that," Charles cut her off.

His ears picked up Charlie's cry from inside the bedroom and worried about his son. "I'm his father, and I'm going to take him away," he said with a frown.

"You can't!" Leila snapped. She stood in front of the bedroom door and declared, "From now on, you are not allowed to see him. Unless..."

Impatient, Charles asked, "Unless what?" He glared at the woman, waiting for an answer.

"Unless you marry me." A crazy smile lit her face. "If you marry me, legally you will be Charlie's father. And the three of us can live happily ever after. Isn't it just perfect?" she asked.

"Oh I know only Sheryl will own your heart," she said scornfully. "You're obsessed with her, I get it. But what about her? She doesn't even remember you. Her vows have long been forgotten. And you want her to be my son's stepmother? No way! I will never agree!" Leila declared.

"You're insane!" he told her coldly. Charles saw the madness in her eyes.

"Yes, I'm insane!" Leila admitted. "You forced me to become insane. So, you have no other choice, Charles, if you want to see your son. Don't take too long thinking about it. And don't try to take him away," she warned. "Or I will take him to a place where you'll never see your son again. I will make sure you'll regret it for ten, or twenty years, or even a lifetime."

"Daddy..." Charlie called weakly from his room. "Please go. I'll be fine," the boy told his father.

"Charlie! I'm going to take you away. Do you hear me?" Charles looked bitterly at Leila.

"I'm fine, Daddy. Please go," he begged Charles. Charlie had calmed down since he was locked in. The boy resolved to replace a way to escape, knowing he couldn't stay there anymore.

The man felt torn inside. He hated the thought of leaving his young son behind. But looking at the fierce woman before him, Charles knew he had no choice but to go.

He left with his mind jumbled with thoughts on how to rescue Charlie.

Once Charles left, Leila eventually settled down. She stared at the bedroom door and listened. There was no movement from behind. Once, she treated Charlie as her own and loved him with all her heart. But from now on, she made up her mind that he would only serve as a pawn.

"Since he can't accept me as his mother, I will stop treating him like a son," Leila muttered angrily.

Meanwhile, Sheryl somehow sensed that something terrible was happening to Charlie. It was an uncanny connection that she could not explain. So, she called Charles.

Not wanting to worry Sheryl, Charles assured the woman that everything was fine and that he would visit Charlie soon.

Sheryl felt relieved after his assurance.

Because it was Shirley's first time to visit Y City, Sheryl planned to take her around the city that afternoon. The little girl was fascinated by everything she saw on the street. And the young mother did her best to make the child happy.

They went to a children's store and Sheryl bought several clothes for her little girl. Mother and daughter had a great day together.