The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 787 What He Heard

The leaves rustled on the pebbled ground as the breeze gently blew in the balmy afternoon. A little boy played with sticks and stones in the yard while two figures staring at the open stood on the porch. "But I still feel restless." Sheryl said with a frown. "I worry that Leila might cause new trouble again."

"But I've told you, remember?" Charles stood nearer to Sheryl and looked at her affectionately with loving eyes. "I promise that she can never hurt you and the kids. Please trust me."

The sudden, loud clang of the door bursting open was heard. Chris had arrived and her eyes darted to Charlie playing in the yard, his hand plastered with band-aid. She felt a little sorry for the boy. Chris walked towards him and squatted to Charlie's eye level. "Show me your arm Charlie. Does it hurt?" she asked.

"I'm fine, Aunt Chris," Charlie said calmly. "This little injury doesn't matter for a real man like me," he quipped.

Upon hearing Charlie's words, Chris couldn't help but giggle a little. She took a good look at Charlie and said, "You're just like your father."

Charlie joined her in laughter, the sound of his boyish voice mixing in with the tinkle of the wind chimes.

Chris knew that Charlie got injured just now. She just recently gave birth to her baby, so Sam didn't want to disturb her with this matter. By the time she heard the news, Charlie was almost fully recovered. She immediately rushed to their house. When she found out that Charlie was fine and it wasn't very serious, she let out a sigh of relief.

Chris moved her legs to go inside as she said to Charles, "You and Sheryl are really an unlucky pair. How can so many misfortunes happen to you? Charlie and Shirley are just kids yet they've suffered so much. What's wrong with Leila? Is she crazy? Charlie is her son, so how could she even have the heart to hurt him?"

The light in Sheryl's and Charles' faces suddenly dimmed when she just said those words. She was confused at this and asked, "What? Did I say something wrong?"

Chris was aware that she was constantly saying inappropriate or even insensitive words without even realizing it, so she immediately asked them to know if there was something up with what she just said right after asking it.

Sheryl just remained silent because she didn't know how to tell Chris the truth about Charlie. Charles cast a meaningful glance at Chris and said hesitantly, "Chris, Charlie is not Leila's son."

"I'm sorry... What? What did you just say?" Chris asked in shock as she finally got to the porch, her eyes widened to the size of saucers. "What nonsense are you talking about? Charlie resembles you so much; he couldn't possibly be another man's son!"

Chris just thought that Charles just refused to admit his past relationship with Leila with Sheryl's present. Chris gripped Sheryl's hand as if to reassure her and said, "Sheryl, my brother made many mistakes before but he has changed now. Charlie is just a kid. If you don't want to accept him, I can take care of him so that he won't bother you."

"What are you talking about, Chris?" Charles arched a brow and scolded her, "You are being ridiculous."

Confused, Chris said, "Charles, I just want to help you and Sheryl. You spent so much effort just to get reunited so I simply don't want you to break up for this trivial matter."

"Chris, you misunderstood," Sheryl interjected and tugged on Chris' sleeve. She explained, "You misunderstood what Charles said."

"Sheryl, I can understand what you're feeling." Chris patted Sheryl's hand and consoled her, "I like Charlie and I am willing to adopt him."

She then added, "All I wish is that you can be with my brother happily. You didn't know how in pain he had been before you came back. He can't lose you once again." "What nonsense are you talking about?" Charles interrupted as he couldn't bear Chris' stupid words any longer. "Did I say Charlie is not my son?" he asked her pointedly. "You said it just now,"

Chris replied firmly.

"I just said Charlie isn't Leila's son. So how can you assume he isn't my son either?" Charles shot back and gave Chris an annoyed look.

"I think that is exactly what you mean," Chris said, clearly standing by her words.

"Chris, you have really misunderstood what your brother meant." It had been three years since Chris had become a mother, but she still had that same innocence and bouts of foolishness from before. Sheryl's eyes bore through Chris' and she said, "Your brother meant that... Charlie isn't Leila's son, but mine."

"What?!" Chris' eyes widened in shock even more and her jaw went slack. She stared at Sheryl in equal parts confusion and astonishment and asked, "Are you kidding? How can that be possible?" Chris remembered the first time she saw Charlie, he was with Leila. He looked like Charles so much so nobody ever doubted that he was Charles' son. Plus considering Charles' past relationship with Leila, everyone definitely believed he was her son.

"Hold on..." Chris asked Sheryl with a frown formed on her lips, "I feel more confused now. How can Charlie be your son?"

That was when Charles retold everything to Chris. When they got to the part where Leila and Ferry worked together to steal Charlie away, she couldn't stop the flurry of curses that flew incessantly from her mouth. "Leila, that bitch! She's always causing so much trouble. If I ever see her again, I will beat her up!"

"It's alright. I can handle her. You should put all your energy on taking care of your baby. Just leave all the trouble to me," Charles mildly told Chris.

Chris suddenly felt ridiculous because she once helped Leila be with her brother.

Luckily, Leila's scheme failed eventually, otherwise Chris would have no gall to face Sheryl.

"Sheryl..."

Chris said with her voice full of regret while gripping Sheryl's hand, as if to ask for forgiveness. "So does Charlie know all this?"

She didn't see any unusual expression from Charlie's face just now, so she guessed that maybe he didn't know it yet.

Now, that was the most difficult problem to deal with.

Charlie was indeed Sheryl's son but he had lived with Leila for such a long time, so he must be terribly attached to the woman. The worst outcome they could predict was if Charlie would know everything and then resent Sheryl for it.

"He doesn't know yet." Sheryl added with a bitter smile, "I'd been just talking about it with Charles before you came."

"So what will you do?" Deep inside, Chris felt happy to know that Charlie was Sheryl's son. It proved that Charles didn't betray Sheryl several years ago.

Of course, it added to the possibility of them being together once again.

However, Chris got worried when she thought about Charlie.

She glanced at Sheryl and her anxious eyes gave away the fact that she and Charles didn't get to a solution at all when they talked awhile ago. Chris was about to say something when a girlish voice interrupted her from behind. "Charlie, what are you doing here? Why don't you go inside?" Shirley asked.

The three adults' faces paled immediately especially Sheryl, who was quite shocked as they heard Shirley's words.

Sheryl turned back and saw Charlie at the gate, which was right beside the porch. She stared at him in an expression that was an unreadable cross between fear and amazement.

"Charlie, you..." Sheryl stammered nervously. 'Did he hear everything we talked about?' Sheryl wondered anxiously as she looked at her son.