ENCHANTED LOVE, VOLUME 2 - Season 8 Episode 86

Taking a sip of beer, Charles turned to Andy and said slowly, “Rick is safe now. Sheryl and the kids are also back. Let’s move forward and put the entire accident behind us. Act as if it never happened.”

“That’s easier said than done. You’re asking me to forget about what I’ve done. I simply can’t do it. The guilt that I’m feeling is eating me up inside. I just can’t forgive myself.” Andy smiled wryly and continued, “How could I? I can’t even fall asleep because I keep on thinking about all the things that have happened.

There’s Sheryl, who suffered so much because of this accident. And I also thought of you, and how you suffered for so long when she went missing. It hurts to have this much regret. I feel like someone set a heavy stone on my chest and it weighs down on me with every minute that passes by.”

The part that Andy felt most apologetic for was the fact that he trusted Anthony could make Sheryl happy. He couldn’t believe what Anthony had done to her.

Charles offered him a warm smile and tried to console him. “Stop thinking about that. Listen to me. Let it go. Things will get better now. Stop burdening yourself with things that have already happened.”

As they continued to drink, Andy kept apologizing to Charles, who chose to forgive him and offer him comfort.

Charles was just putting himself in Andy’s shoes. Like Andy, he was also a parent, so he knew very well how natural it was to be selfish for one’s own child. It was already morning when Charles left Andy. Before he reached home, Charles got a call from Hugo, who told him that Leila was brought to the police station. He sighed in relief upon hearing the good news.

He arrived home before sunrise. Glancing at his empty home, Charles reallized that his heart felt just as vacant.

He rested on the sofa and closed his eyes for a while. Shortly after, Nacy came in. She saw Charles on the sofa and asked with a worried tone, “Mr. Taylor, have you just gotten home?”

“Yes,” he mumbled. He softly dug his knuckles at the sides of his head, hoping to ease his headache. “How was Charlie last night? Did anything happen? Is he okay? Was he in pain? Did he cry?” he asked, one question after another.

“Don’t worry. Charlie is perfectly fine,” Nacy replied. “He’s just as tough as you are. Even if he was in pain, he never complained about it. Not a peep.”

For a small child to have suffered such a severe fracture must be very painful. But Charlie didn’t cry in pain or say anything. It impressed Nacy when she saw how brave the boy was.

Charles smiled in delight. He felt proud, hearing Nacy compliment for his son’s tough demeanor. “Of course he’s a tough kid, Nacy. He’s my son, after all.”

“Definitely.” Nacy smiled and continued, “Aside from your appearance, his temper is exactly the same as yours, too.”

She got a whiff of alcohol from Charles and sensed he might be a little drunk.
“Mr. Taylor, are you hungry? Let me cook you some porridge. It can help clear your head from all that alcohol,” she offered.

He waved his hand in dismissal. “I don’t need it,” he said, while shaking his head. “I’m not hungry. But please prepare some porridge for Charlie. I’m going to my room to rest.”

Nacy nodded. “Understood,” she answered. Just as she was about to enter the kitchen, Charles stopped her and instructed, “Do wake me up if Sheryl comes here later.”

“Of course,” she replied. Nacy was completely different from Nancy. Unlike Nancy, she did exactly as she was told. She followed orders to the letter and avoided trouble by not doing anything that was beyond her duty.

After taking a shower, Charles quickly fell asleep.

Just before noon, Sheryl went by to Charles’ place, a homemade lunch in tow.

She was actually planning to be there earlier, but she was determined to cook something really nice for Charles. And the soup that she was carrying took more time to prepare than she expected, causing her to be a little late. She had Shirley with her, and the moment they got inside the house, the little girl rushed to find Charlie. Meanwhile, Sheryl headed to the kitchen to reheat the soup.

“Miss Courtenay, have you just arrived?” Nacy greeted Sheryl with a smile.

“Yes,” Sheryl answered. She wanted to talk to Charles about Charlie. “Where’s Charles? Is he home?” she asked.

Nacy nodded. “Yes, he is,” she replied. “Mr. Taylor came back home just this morning. He seemed a bit drunk so he went to bed. He must be sleeping in his room.”

She looked at Sheryl and continued, “But he did tell me to wake him up if you come here.”

“No need.” Sheryl stopped Nacy. “Let him sleep as much as he needs to. He’s been so tired lately and he needs to rest.”

Nacy nodded in agreement. “That’s true.” Noticing that Sheryl was planning to cook something, she gently took the bag from her hands. “Miss Courtenay, let me do this for you. This is my job. And besides, the kitchen is a bit dirty. Let me handle this instead,” she insisted.

Sheryl smiled back and replied, “It’s alright. I don’t mind doing this. Don’t worry about me.” As she set the soup to heat up, she thought about Charlie. She thought of ways on how she could make him feel loved and cared for. With her mind made up, she started thinking of a nice meal to prepare for him.

Before Nacy had any chance to stop her, Sheryl started cooking. Knowing she couldn’t change Sheryl’s mind, Nacy left the kitchen in silence.

When lunchtime came, Charles woke up and came down from his room. Charlie and Shirley came down with him, chatting nonstop. Sheryl stopped fixing the table as her eyes landed on Charlie. Her eyes refused to leave him even for a second.

But Charlie remained oblivious of his mother’s stares. When he was trying to help Shirley open a bottle, Sheryl rushed to his side and took the bottle. “Let me do it, Charlie. Just stay where you are.”

She then turned to scold Shirley, “How can you ask him to do this? Can’t you see that he’s injured and in pain?”

Shirley looked at her mother but couldn’t say anything. She frowned and felt hurt hearing her mother’s words.

Sheryl was very attentive to Charlie during lunch. She looked at him with extreme care. Due to his fracture, Charlie couldn’t move his hand freely. Sheryl helped him eat, and peeled the shell of the shrimps nicely. The attention made Charlie feel embarrassed, so he tried to politely stop Sheryl. “I’m okay, Sher. I can do this on my own,” he said.

Shaking her head, Sheryl replied, “Please let me do it. You’re hurt and it would be hard for you to take care of yourself.”

Thinking of how hard it must be for Charlie, she couldn’t contain her tears as they streamed down her cheeks. Charles sat beside her, patting her back gently to console her. “Alright, let’s stop being sad, okay? Just look at Charlie. He’s looking much better, isn’t he?”

“I’m fine,” she replied, wiping her tears with the back of her hands.

After lunch, Shirley and Charlie headed to the courtyard to play. Sheryl looked out the window, staring at them, with loads of thoughts running around her head.

Charles stood beside Sheryl and handed her a cup of hot tea. “What are you thinking about?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Nothing.” Diverting her eyes to Charles, she added, “Well, there is one thing. I’m thinking about how I will tell Charlie that I’m his mother.”

At the back of her mind, she knew that one day, the truth would come out, but she had no idea how to tell him.

Charles shrugged. “Just tell him the truth, as best as you can,” he suggested. “Don’t worry about Charlie. He’s not like other kids. He’ll understand. Trust me.”

“But still…” she began saying. She couldn’t admit it out loud, but she was terrified of hurting Charlie once she revealed her true identity.

Even after thinking about it for a while, Sheryl still couldn’t make up her mind. “I’m sorry. I still need more time to think about this, to think about what I should do,” she said.

“Don’t worry,” Charles said, trying to reassure Sheryl. “Charlie is our kid, and I know him pretty well. It may be hard on him at first but I know that he will be able to accept it.”
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