The Apple of My Eye

"Clark!" Sheryl reached out another hand to hold her son as she bent down to bury her face on the shoulders of her kids. She was crying now.

Joan had also come out to help with all of Sheryl's things. As she watched the loving scene between Sheryl and her kids, she nodded to Nick and said, "I can help with Ms. Xia's other things." Nick followed Joan to help her put Sheryl's things away.

Sheryl kept hugging Clark and Shirley before pulling back and asking them, "Hmm, have you not been eating these past few days when mommy was gone? You're getting thinner!"

Clark didn't say anything while Shirley pouted as she said, "Mommy, we missed you so much when you weren't here!"

"Well, it's my fault. I promise I won't leave you ever again!" Sheryl pulled her kids close again for a hug, tears streaming down her face.

"Mommy, we've been so good! We always finish our homework early, and we're always in bed early!" Clark updated his mother about how they'd been behaving these past few days when she was in the hospital.

Sheryl nodded her head in approval, patting their heads, and beaming.

As long as she was with Shirley and Clark, she knew she could easily feel better no matter how upset she was.

She then told the kids to take a shower and prepare for bedtime. They nodded with understanding and went to take a shower. They knew they had to learn to be independent.

She saw Nick waiting for her downstairs in the living room as she walked out of the children's room.

"Sher, are the kids asleep?" Nick intended to leave as he knew it was already late.

"They're taking a shower." Sheryl couldn't help but feel sentimental as she hadn't seen the kids in so long, and she was so happy to be reunited with them. She said, "I felt so empty when I was in the hospital as I couldn't see the kids. I feel much more fulfilled now that I'm with them again."

Nick nodded, smiling. Then he said, "Well, you know what they say, your family is incomplete if you don't have kids. I'm glad you're feeling much better, Sher."

"Thanks. I won't indulge myself in things that won't make me happy anymore. I'll let them all go."

"That's great. I'm happy to hear that."

Sheryl saw Nick off at the door. Once he'd driven away, she went back inside the apartment.

Joan had cooked a bowl of Braised Bird's Nest with Crystal Sugar. She had placed it on the table. She then greeted Sheryl with a smile as she said, "Miss Xia, have some soup. It is perfect just before you sleep because you'll rest better after having this soup."

Sheryl was touched. She knew how dedicated Joan was in taking care of the kids. She was grateful for Joan as, if not for her, she wouldn't know what to do. She said, "Thanks, Joan. I'd like to offer you a raise I'll raise your salary by five dollars starting next month. What do you think?"

"Oh, how very kind of you!" Joan felt a bit excited about the news. She didn't expect she'd receive a pay raise so soon. She expressed her gratitude, saying, "Thank you so much, Miss Xia! I'll continue to work hard. Thank you so much for your generosity."

"You're welcome. You deserve it. I'm a bit too late actually, but anyway, you can turn in for the night. I'll go to bed after I've had the soup," Sheryl replied.

Joan smiled back as she left happily.

Sheryl felt content as she had the sweet soup. It felt like life could be sweetened by the sweet dish.

Suddenly, her phone rang.

As she answered it, her face softened upon seeing who was calling her.

"Hey, Isla," Sheryl greeted.

"Sher, I thought we had a deal before that I would pick you up when you got discharged from the hospital. Yet Nick told me you're already home. I thought you were getting discharged tomorrow? What is the point of hurrying?" Isla said, all in one breath.

Sheryl shook her head with a faint smile. There was nothing she could do about the quick temper of her good friend.

"Isla, I didn't rush anything. The doctor told me I could be discharged this afternoon. I know you have a cold, and I just wanted you to rest first, so I didn't tell you about it. Please don't get mad."

"I'm not angry. I just worry about you. Sher, are you really alright?" Isla's voice revealed how worried she really was.

"What could possibly be wrong with me?" Sheryl asked instead of replying to her friend's question.

Of course, Sheryl knew exactly what Isla meant when she asked whether she was alright. Isla was just worried about her, especially after all that had happened to her.

Isla could tell that Sheryl was just trying to sound as if she was fine. She couldn't help but be more worried.

"Are you sure that everything is fine with you?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm fine!"

"Okay. Just remember I'm always here for you. If you need me for anything, don't hesitate to ask. And I'm going to take care of the company first, so you don't have to go back to work yet. Your main priority right now should be resting, okay?"

"Alright. Thank you, Isla."

"Well, it's my pleasure, but when you come back, you need to let me off for half a month too. I want a vacation too," Isla joked.

Sheryl couldn't help but smile and shake her head. She always thought Isla to be quite childlike despite being an adult already. "Okay, I promise you will have that long holiday, okay?"

"Hmm, that's more like it. You should sleep already. I won't bother you anymore."

"Okay, good night!"

A soft smile lingered on her face after she hung up. Isla always had a way to cheer her up, no matter how low her spirits may be. She was glad Isla was her friend because she was always a ray of sunshine.

"Beep. Beep." Just moments after Sheryl put her phone down, her phone beeped again, signaling an incoming message.

The message was from Damian, and it read, "Sher, are you sleeping?"

Sheryl hesitated for a while, wondering if it was a good idea to respond. Finally, she decided to reply, "I'm about to sleep."

Soon, Damian messaged back again. "You must be tired already. I won't bother you anymore. Good night."

Sheryl was relieved to read this. She had worried that Damian would keep bothering her, and she wouldn't know how to deal with it.

Fortunately, that didn't happen, so she quickly responded, "Good night."

She waited for a few more moments to see if he would reply back-she was relieved to find that he didn't.

She then put her phone back on the table. Soon, she was gripped by a sense of loss.

This man, Damian, was outright trying to be with her while she didn't feel the same way. She couldn't help but think of Charles, the man she longed for. He probably didn't even think about her.

With a resigned smile, Sheryl finished the bowl of sweet soup she was eating. She put the bowl away and went upstairs to shower before sleeping.

When she woke up the following morning, it was already a bit late. The kids had already gone to school.

Looking around in the quiet and empty house, Sheryl started to feel uneasy.

She missed the good old days when her kids were playing and clowning around and making all kinds of noise in the house. She also started to yearn for the days when she could share her ups and downs with one person.

She thought she could move on and get used to a life without Charles, but she realized that she was wrong.

She was only pretending to be fine for the sake of the people around her and partly to fool herself too, but she knew that she was just creating an illusion that she knew wasn't real.

Pouring herself a cup of warm water, Sheryl sat on the deck chair on the balcony, watching the clouds drifting over the blue sky. She couldn't help but feel downcast.

She wanted to stop thinking about him already, but she just couldn't get him out of her head. What was wrong with her?

She'd almost moved on from Charles. But with everything that'd happened, she was back to square one-she found herself unable to stop thinking about him.

What kind of magic did Charles have over her that she couldn't forget about him despite everything he had done to her?