“You’re lying. Your arm is severely injured. How can it not hurt?” Estelle insisted.
“Seeing you makes the pain fade away,” Mr. Mysterious replied softly.
“Sir, please let’s go to the hospital to get your wound treated again. I’m afraid your hand might become permanently disabled,” Estelle pleaded.
“Don’t worry. I can still carry you with one hand,” he said, trying to lighten the mood.
“You…” Estelle, full of anxiety and concern, gently patted his chest in response.
Seeing her genuine worry, Mr. Mysterious’ demeanor turned serious as he spoke in a gentle tone, “Estelle, if I end up disabled, will you consider me a burden?”
Surprised by the question, Estelle asked, “Why would you think that?”
“Because I’m genuinely afraid,” he said with a bitter smile. “I’ve sacrificed everything for you, my career, identity, and wealth. Now with my arm injured, it’s uncertain if it will fully recover. I feel like I have nothing left. If you were to leave me, I fear I might lose the will to go on.”
Estelle took a deep breath, and then she wrapped her arms around his neck, speaking with sincerity, “Please don’t be so pessimistic. You’ll be okay. With proper treatment and care, your arm will recover. And even if it doesn’t fully recover, it won’t change how I feel about you.”
“What if it doesn’t recover?” Mr. Mysterious asked, testing her deep affection for him.
“Then I’ll be your left hand,” Estelle reassured him. “Don’t be afraid. I’ve already told you that I won’t leave you except in the unfortunate event of a relapse that leads to my death.”
Mr. Mysterious smiled and requested, “Can you say it again?”
“I won’t leave you…” Estelle began to say, but before she could finish, Mr. Mysterious kissed her.
Their kiss lasted for a while, leaving them both breathless when it finally ended. They looked at each other, their faces flushed from the intensity of the moment.
Estelle’s eyes were filled with affection as she gazed at Mr. Mysterious. Her shy and sweet smile reminded him of how she used to be when she was twenty years old.
“Estelle, I’ve taken what you said seriously. Don’t lie to me,” Mr. Mysterious said.
“I will never lie to you. Let’s go to the hospital now, okay?” Estelle urged him.
“… I can’t go to the hospital.”
“Why?”
“Because…”
“Oh, I see. You can’t expose your identity,” Estelle patted her forehead and smiled. “Have you been sick in the past thirty years?”
“Yes, I have.”
“Then who treated you?”
Mr. Mysterious shared, “Before I met you, I never sought treatment when I was sick. If I recovered, I continued living; if not, I welcomed death. I had nothing to lose back then.”
Concerned by his words, Estelle immediately covered his mouth with her hand to prevent any more pessimistic thoughts.
“How about I go to the doctor and learn how to treat the wound? We can ask Ron to buy the necessary medicine and medical supplies. I… I’ll take care of treating your wound,” Estelle suggested.
Raising an eyebrow, Mr. Mysterious asked, “Are you sure you can do it?”
“Not entirely…” Estelle admitted honestly. “Forget it, you should go abroad for proper treatment. Once I’ve taken care of everything here, I’ll bring the children to meet you abroad.”
“No,” Mr. Mysterious refused without hesitation. “I won’t let you face everything alone anymore. What happened today is too dangerous. What if I came late today? What if such a thing happened again in the future?”
Estelle thought his words made sense. If he hadn’t come in time today, she would have been doomed.
Mr. Mysterious smiled and replied, “So, I’ll stay here, and you’ll take care of treating my wound.”
“But what if I can’t do it properly?” Estelle asked, concerned.
“The worst outcome would be that my arm becomes disabled. But you’ve assured me that you won’t leave, even if that happens, right?” Mr. Mysterious asked for an assurance from her gently.
Estelle nodded eagerly, “I won’t leave you.”
“That’s enough for me. Let’s head back now,” Mr. Mysterious said, grateful for her love.
****
Mr. Mysterious decided not to take Estelle back to Rose Garden and instead headed to the Grand Hotel in Hadale City.
“In Yohan’s eyes, I’m a superhero. I can’t let him see me injured. I need to maintain a perfect image in front of him,” Mr. Mysterious explained his decision.
Estelle replied with a sense of helplessness, “Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Yohan loves you not because you’re a superhero, but simply because you’re his father.”
“Really?” Mr. Mysterious was pleasantly surprised by her reassurance.
“Absolutely,” Estelle affirmed as she laid out the disinfectant water, bandages, and other medical supplies she had purchased at the pharmacy on the table.
“Last night, Yohan dreamt that you were injured, and this morning he appeared listless and extremely worried about you,” Estelle shared.
Surprised by this revelation, Estelle suddenly had a realization. “He seemed to have dreamt about your injured arm. What a coincidence.”
“Maybe it’s because I’m his father, and we share a telepathic connection,” Mr. Mysterious suggested.
Estelle chuckled and replied, “You are not his biological father, so even if he has a telepathic ability, it should be with Cristofer, not you.”
“Yohan and I are still connected by blood. Perhaps even relatives can have such a connection,” Mr. Mysterious said, trying to convince.
After thinking for a while, Estelle nodded in agreement.
‘Yohan resembles Mr. Mysterious in character, although he’s not Mr. Mysterious’ biological child. Maybe this is the power of blood relation.’
“I’ll clean the wound now. It will hurt. Hang in there,” she said.
“Okay. Go ahead,” Mr. Mysterious nodded with a calm look.
Gritting her teeth, Estelle then began to clean his wound with disinfectant water.
In her memory, she had treated such a severe wound once before.
When Cristofer was in high school, he was popular and was the captain of the basketball team.
Once, the two of them had a disagreement, and Estelle, still upset with him, gave him the silent treatment for an entire week.
To make amends and reconcile with her, Cristofer asked Estelle’s desk mate to take her to the basketball court and watch him play in a game.
Cristofer truly lived up to the title of prince charming in the hearts of young girls.
On that day, he donned a dark blue uniform and sneakers, displaying impressive skills and agility during the match.
Even though Estelle was accustomed to seeing him every day, she couldn’t help but find him incredibly handsome.
Under the shining sun, Cristofer’s handsome face glistened with sweat.
Spotting Estelle standing at the edge of the court, his serious expression melted into a delighted smile.
“I’ll treat you to grilled squids after the game,” he walked over and said with a charming grin.