Sheryl was over it. She snapped at Charles, "Charles, after all the time we have spent together, don't you know what kind of person I am? Do you really think I would do something like that to Mom?"
At this moment, Sheryl finally realized that things would never be the same between her and Charles. The moment Leila walked into their house was like a signal that they could never go back to those good old days. Although Charles kept reassuring Sheryl that Leila wouldn't affect their marriage, it was a lie. As time went by, the truth would come out.
With Charles' suspicions pinning her down, Sheryl was heartbroken and angry. She lost all of her faith in Charles. Nothing that she could say would change his opinion.
"I'm tired of saying anything to defend myself. You wouldn't believe me anyway. If you think that I did that to your mother, then fine. It's me." Sheryl smiled bitterly and left the ward.
Sheryl didn't walk far after she left. She slowed down, thinking that Charles would chase after her. But as much as her imagination hoped, reality failed her. No one even opened the door after she shut it.
Sheryl rushed out from the hospital, tears welling in her eyes.
As soon as she was back in her car, Sheryl collapsed and cried like she had never cried before, heaving with sobs and moans. She cried as if every other thing she had cried for in her life had been a waste of tears.
She never knew that it would be this heartbreaking and painful to be suspected by Charles, her beloved husband. Recalling the vows they had made when they got married, Sheryl wondered if those were nothing but lies.
In Melissa's ward
After Sheryl stormed out, the room fell into dead silence.
Exchanging gazes, both Melissa and Leila felt happy and excited, but they dared not show their joy. They remained silent and tried their best to contain their happiness, feeling the coldness around Charles which scared them both.
After a while, Leila coughed, finally breaking the silence as she could see Melissa wasn't feeling very good. "Charles, you stay here and take care of Aunt Melissa. I will go and find a doctor."
Hearing Leila's words, Charles lifted his head up to look at Melissa. Her injuries seemed to have gotten worse.
"Sure,"
Charles said and walked towards his mother.
Leila took her leave.
After walking out of the ward, Leila didn't go to the doctor's office. Instead, she went to a corner, took her phone out and dialed a number.
The phone rang endlessly. It seemed that whoever Leila was calling had no intentions to answer her call. Feeling annoyed, Leila was about to hang up when the person finally picked up her call.
"Do you think that I can do nothing to you?" Leila said angrily.
"I did everything you asked me to do! What do you want from me?" The man on the other end of the line sounded irritated.
Smiling coldly, Leila answered, "If you don't want to follow me, you can just ignore me and do whatever you want. I don't really care!"
Leila's confidence was overflowing, knowing that she had this man under her control, having possession of his wife's naked pictures. He would never have the guts to ignore her.
"You…" The man wanted to yell at Leila, but he managed to control himself. There was a moment of silence.
"What else do you want me to do?" he asked, grinding his teeth.
"Call Charles now and give him the files. As long as you do that, I promise you that I will give your wife's pictures back, including the negatives. I won't keep anything." Leila hung up right after she finished talking, not allowing the man a chance to respond.
Hearing the busy tone on the other end of the line, the man was so furious that he threw his phone on the ground, as if he could only vent his anger by doing so.
As soon as Leila left, Melissa looked at Charles, teary-eyed. Hesitant, she said, "Charles, I am not forcing you to divorce from Sheryl. But you can see what kind of person she is. She promises one thing now, but does the complete opposite the moment she finds a chance. I don't really know how long I can put up with her, especially with my condition. If you choose her over me, I will understand. I mean, I am old. It's just a matter of time before…"
She couldn't help but yell when the doctor dressed her injuries, making Charles feel sorry for her.
At this moment, Charles' phone started ringing. He looked at its screen and saw that it was the detective calling. "Keep an eye on Mom," he said to Leila, "I need to take this call."
"Okay, just go and focus on your work. I will take care of Aunt Melissa," Leila said considerately, assuring Charles.
As Charles walked out the ward, Leila and Melissa exchanged gazes, vicious smiles showing on their faces. No one in the room would have noticed. Their plan had worked.
Charles picked up the call immediately when he reached the hallway. He asked nervously, "What did you get?"
"Mr. Lu, I've sent the files to your e-mail. Just check you inbox."
Charles hung up right after the detective finished speaking. He couldn't wait to see what the detective had found out.
The detective was one of Charles' old friends, so he knew he was trustworthy.
Going back to his own ward, Charles opened his computer and checked his inbox.
What Charles saw in the email totally blew his mind.
It turned out that the rumors on the internet were true! Sheryl was seeing Lewis. And what was worse, Lewis wasn't the only one. Sheryl was regularly seeing another man too.
Charles clenched his fists. He couldn't believe what he just saw. He murmured to himself, "Sheryl, what other things are you hiding from me?"
The doctor and the nurse left after they finished their job, leaving Leila and Melissa alone in the ward. Leila walked towards Melissa's bed, grinning from ear to ear. "Aunt Melissa, I have a few tricks up my sleeve. And hopefully, it is working!"
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