“You defeated the bad guys, right?”
Not knowing what he was talking about, Cristofer frowned slightly and asked, “What do you mean?”
“Yohan, your Dad is tired. Let him have a rest first, okay?” Estelle said gently, interrupting their conversation.
“Okay.”
When Yohan was about to straighten himself up and loosen his grip on Cristofer’s waist, Cristofer grabbed his arms to stop him and said gently, “It’s okay. I’m not tired.”
Hearing the response, Yohan leaned his head on Cristofer’s back and said happily, “Dad, you’re so great!”
“I’m great?”
“Yes! Mom said that the bad guys you beat this time were very fierce and difficult to deal with, so fighting with them would take a long time. Dad, I knew you would defeat those bad guys because you are the most powerful superhero in the world!”
Cristofer was surprised that Estelle explained his absence to the children in this way. He raised his head to look at her and then found that she had a sad look on her face and didn’t look well.
“You are here to visit Uncle George’s grave, right?” Cristofer asked, looking directly into Estelle’s pale face.
“Yes, today is the anniversary of his death,” Estelle affirmed and said, “Are you here to visit your parents’ graves?”
When she finished speaking, the realization struck her that today was also the anniversary of Cristofer’s parents’ death.
‘What a sad coincidence,’ she thought with a bitter smile.
“I’ll go to visit their graves later,” she quickly explained.
“No, thanks,” Cristofer shook his head.
Upon hearing this, Estelle replied with a sigh, “Do you still believe that I’m not worthy of visiting their graves?”
Cristofer quickly shook his head and admitted, “I didn’t mean that. I’ve learned the truth about the car accident. Star, I owe you an apology.”
“No need to apologize. It’s in the past. Let’s move forward. There was a time when I believed I couldn’t live without you. However, reality has shown that I can. My health has been stable for years, and my life is on a positive track.”
“Really?”
Estelle turned her face away and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
“Yes. I’ve gone through the hardest time. Although life isn’t always easy, I’m sure I can overcome all the difficulties I meet in the future.”
At this time, a raindrop fell on Yvonne’s forehead.
Then she said excitedly, “Mommy, it’s raining!”
Estelle looked up at the overcast sky and sighed, “It’s already December. The rainy season should have ended. Why does it keep raining?”
Yvonne, on the other hand, enjoyed rainy days and enthusiastically patted Cristofer’s left arm, exclaiming, “Dad, look! It’s raining!”
The sudden sharp pain in his arm made Cristofer tense up, and he couldn’t help but frown and let out a groan.
Seeing this, Estelle suddenly felt worried, asking, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Cristofer answered as he picked Yvonne up with his right arm.
“I’ll take the children back in the car first.”
“Wait…”
Before Estelle could utter a word, Cristofer had already taken Yohan’s hand and was striding quickly toward the cemetery gate.
Estelle had no option but to follow them.
Cristofer’s car was parked not far from the gate. Although their walk was brief, their clothes remained damp from the rain.
Once inside the car, Cristofer switched on the air-conditioning, removed his suit jacket, and handed it to Estelle, instructing, “It’s quite cold. Put this on.”
“I’m not cold. You may give it to Yohan or Yvonne.”
Frowning slightly, Cristofer looked at her with a trace of worry on his face.
“If you catch a cold, your lungs might feel uncomfortable. I’ve adjusted the air-conditioning, so it’ll warm up soon. Please put it on.”
When Estelle was about to protest again, Yohan reached over and gently draped the jacket around her shoulders.
“Mom, is it because Dad is here that you don’t feel the cold?” he teased.
Estelle blushed slightly and gave his hand a soft pat, replying, “No, don’t make things up.”
“Mom, no need to be shy. I know you’ve missed Dad a lot. I’ve even heard you cry secretly at night.”
Estelle, who didn’t expect that Yohan would expose her secret in front of Cristofer, felt more embarrassed and denied in a low voice, “I didn’t cry.”
“Mom, will we still stay in the hotel today?”
“Yes,” Estelle answered.
“Can’t we move back home?”
“We…”
“We’ll go home later,” Cristofer quickly interrupted.
“Yeah!” Yohan cheered.
He was so happy that he spoke nonstop, expressing his plans for the coming days. He mentioned wanting to visit his best friend and stopping by the hospital to see the nurse who had cared for him.
His cheerful chatter eased the tension in the car, preventing the atmosphere from becoming overly awkward. However, fatigue caught up with him after a while, and he grew quiet.
Yvonne had drifted off to sleep in Cristofer’s arms, her small mouth slightly opened. The car’s warmth gradually lulled Yohan to sleep as well, nestled in Estelle’s arms.
“Are you feeling unwell?” Estelle whispered softly to Cristofer, making an effort not to wake the two children.
“I’m fine,” Cristofer replied with a strained smile, masking the discomfort in his left arm.
It was rainy today, and his left arm ached terribly. And now, the weight of Yvonne on his left arm made the pain more severe.
Soon, droplets of sweat welled up on his forehead.
He looked at Estelle in the rearview mirror to divert his attention from his left arm.
It had been three years, but Estelle hadn’t changed too much and still had a girlish aura as before. And perhaps it was because she had become a mother that she was quieter, more steady, and more mature than before.
“You told the kids that I went to beat the bad guys?” he gently asked.
Hearing this, Estelle was a little stunned and then shook her head. “No.”
“Don’t lie to me. Yohan just said that you told them that I went to beat the bad guys before. And he also said that you… missed me very much and cried secretly at night,” Cristofer teased, and his smile broadened. “Star, I also…”
“Their Dad he was referring to was Mr. Mysterious, not you,” Estelle interrupted his words, cutting him off.
Hearing that, the smile on Cristofer’s face froze.
Without saying anything else, Estelle sighed, removed the suit jacket, and covered Yohan with it.
“I am their father,” Cristofer said after an awkwardly long silence.
“But it was Mr. Mysterious who took care of them before.”
In response to Estelle’s remark, Cristofer took a deep breath and responded with evident annoyance, “It’s true that I haven’t directly taken care of Yohan, but I did take care of Yvonne for some time.”