“Boom! Boom! Boom!” The continuous thunders growled, rattling the windows of the apartment.
Estelle was intensely afraid of thunder. And it seemed that both Yohan and Yvonne had inherited her fear of thunder.
Yvonne kept crying while Yohan held Estelle tightly with his body trembling. “Mom, I’m afraid…”
“Don’t be afraid. I’m here with you,” Estelle coaxed, trying to calm him down.
“But Mom, you are trembling too.”
“I’m fine. Don’t be afraid, Yohan. Superheroes will protect us.”
Yohan pouted, trying to hold back his tears. “Mom, I dreamed about Dad again.”
“Really? What did you dream of?”
“I dreamed…” Yohan stated in a trembling voice and raised his head as tears streamed down his cheek. “I dreamed that Dad was defeated by a bad guy and was covered all over with blood…”
At this moment, they heard the sound of the doorknob being turned.
Startled by the sudden sound, Estelle held the two children in her arms to protect them and asked, “Who is it?”
The next moment, the door was opened, and she saw a tall figure in the darkness.
“Sir?”
Mr. Mysterious was a little stunned and said in an extremely gentle voice, “You haven’t slept yet, have you?”
“Dad!”
Yohan recognized his voice at once. He jumped off the bed, ran over with bare feet, threw himself into Mr. Mysterious’ arms, and said in a sobbing tone, “Dad, I miss you so much!”
Yohan was already five years old with a weight of more than forty pounds.
Mr. Mysterious could have picked him up with one hand effortlessly. But when Yohan threw himself in his arms, he lost his balance and took a few steps back because he was injured and weak.
“Dad, why are you wet all over? Were you caught in the rain? Wait a moment. I’ll get a towel for you!” Yohan offered and then quickly ran to the bathroom.
As Yvonne’s crying came to an abrupt halt, she flapped her little arms and made cooing noises as if trying to express something.
Estelle walked towards Mr. Mysterious, holding Yvonne in her arms. When she touched his wet clothes and noticed his injured arm, she frowned and scolded, “Quickly take off your clothes. How could you let yourself get soaked in the rain with your arm injured? Where’s Ron? Didn’t he come to pick you up? Where have you been today? I was so worried about you. You…”
Suddenly, something heavy fell on her shoulder, interrupting her words.
It dawned on her that Mr. Mysterious had rested his head on her shoulder.
In her heart, he had always been invincible. However, at this moment, she could sense his vulnerability and helplessness.
Seeing him in such a state, Estelle couldn’t bring herself to blame him any further, feeling nothing but heartache for him.
Her tone softened, and she asked with concern, “Did your benefactor give you a hard time again?”
Shaking his head, Mr. Mysterious replied in a hoarse voice, “Estelle, I want to hug you.”
“Okay. Let’s hug.”
“No, I can’t do that. I’m wet all over. If we hug, I’ll get you and Yvonne’s clothes wet…” Mr. Mysterious murmured.
As Mr. Mysterious stared at Yvonne, he gradually straightened up, revealing himself in the light coming in through the window.
Estelle finally saw him clearly and was utterly taken aback.
She had never seen Mr. Mysterious in such a vulnerable state before.
He looked like a lion that was defeated after fighting fiercely for a long time, and his face was full of depression, helplessness, self-reproach, and guilt.
It was not until he saw Yvonne that he smiled. Then he bent over and gently kissed her on her chubby face.
Being kissed by him, Yvonne was happy, giggling and babbling.
Yohan rushed over with a big bath towel and lifted it high before Mr. Mysterious. He said with a smile, “Dad, dry yourself quickly, or you’ll catch a cold!”
His son’s caring words deeply moved Mr. Mysterious, and he felt a lump in his throat.
Despite his hardships, having Estelle and the children by his side made it all worthwhile.
With a tender expression, he squatted down, took the towel, and lovingly kissed Yohan on the cheek.
“Thank you, Yohan.”
Yohan suddenly blushed.
“Dad, is it because the bad guy is powerful today, and you fought with him for a long time that you came back late?” he asked curiously.
“Well… Yes.”
“Did you defeat him?” Yohan inquired, curiosity piqued.
“I…” Mr. Mysterious’ expression froze as he struggled to find the right words to respond to Yohan.
Sensing his father’s unease, Yohan held his big hand and gently patted it to comfort him. “Dad, it’s not important whether you defeated him or not. No matter what, you are always the strongest superhero in my heart!” he reassured him with a warm smile.
Upon hearing this, Mr. Mysterious was overcome with emotion. His eyes turned red, and his voice choked as he expressed, “But I… I experienced a complete defeat today. I failed miserably.”
Yohan was taken aback for a moment, but then he stepped forward and gently cupped Mr. Mysterious’ face in his hands, examining it carefully.
“Dad, did you get hurt in the battle?” he asked, showing genuine concern.
In response, Mr. Mysterious asked, “Yohan, are you disappointed in me?”
“No!” Yohan quickly shook his head.
With a sympathetic look, he stared into Mr. Mysterious’ eyes and said, “Dad, victory, and defeat are both part of battles. I know you did your best. In my heart, you are the best dad in the world.”
“No, I’m not,” Mr. Mysterious choked out, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably.
“Yohan, I haven’t been a good father. I wasn’t there to keep you company when you were sick and alone abroad. When your mom needed me during her illness, I wasn’t by her side. I’m a hopeless and bad guy.”
“No, you are not!” Yohan couldn’t bear to see his father in such distress and started crying too.
Disregarding the fact that Mr. Mysterious was still wet, Yohan hugged him tightly.
“Dad, you are not a bad guy. You are the best person in the world!” he reassured him with sincerity.
However, Yohan’s words and warm embrace only intensify Mr. Mysterious’ feelings of sadness and guilt.
Wiping his tears, Mr. Mysterious said in a choked voice, “Yohan, I wasn’t a good person before. But I promise to do my best to protect you for the rest of my life. I won’t let the bad guys hurt you, and I won’t lose a battle again.”
“Dad, are you crying?” Yohan asked.
Mr. Mysterious sniffed and took a deep breath, trying to sound composed. “No, I will never cry.”