“You don’t even know her name. Then why are you so sad?”
Estelle slowly lifted her head, her long hair soaked by the rain, with a few strands clinging to her face.
“Mr. Roberts, please promise to keep today’s events a secret for me, okay?”
“Are you feeling cold?” Tim ignored her request and asked about her well-being.
“Promise me.”
“Are you feeling cold?”
“… Yes.”
Staring at her, Tim assured, “You can trust me. I’m not one to gossip. I’ll keep your secret safe. There’s a little store just over there. I’ll go get some hot drinks. Stay here and wait for me, okay?”
Estelle, now composed, nodded slightly in agreement.
After glancing at her with concern, Tim hurried out into the rain.
Tim purchased some snacks and gave the shopkeeper extra money, requesting the bottle be filled with hot water.
Exiting the store, he spotted Estelle standing beneath a nearby rain shelter, her back turned to him.
Estelle had removed her wet suit jacket, and her white shirt clung to her slender frame. It was only then that Tim realized how thin she was.
“Boom! Boom!” The thunder growled.
Frightened, Estelle squatted down and wrapped her arms tightly around her body.
Seeing this, Tim ran toward her quickly.
****
Meanwhile, Cristofer tossed and turned in his bed, seemingly troubled by his dreams.
“Star, when will you marry me?” he asked.
Estelle, engrossed in drawing a design, replied distractedly, “Well, let’s discuss that later.” She was clearly preoccupied with her work and not in the mood for a conversation.
Cristofer squatted in front of her without getting angry and gently covered her drawing board with his hand.
Gazing at her with burning eyes, he said sincerely, “What should I do to make you agree to marry me? Tell me what you want.”
Estelle pouted and stared at him, somewhat displeased with his behavior, saying, “I said I want a star.”
Hearing this, Cristofer took out all the star-shaped candies in his pockets and handed them to her.
“Here you are.”
“These aren’t stars. I want a genuine star,” Estelle said, her tone somewhat sulky.
“So, if I manage to give you a real star, you’ll marry me, won’t you?” Cristofer inquired.
Raising her chin like a proud princess, Estelle snorted and said, “Don’t talk big. Can you pick off the stars in the sky?”
“I can. As long as you are with me, I can do anything for you,” Cristofer promised, looking at her eyes seriously.
Everything in front of him became blurred the next moment, and then another scene came into view.
It was a rainy night.
Covered all over with blood and barefoot, Estelle walked slowly from the darkness with a baby in her arms and implored, “Save her… Please save her…”
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” The thunder was so loud that it could shatter the windows.
Cristofer jolted awake from his dream, drenched in sweat, and it took him a while to regain his composure.
The final scene in his dream felt eerily vivid as if he had witnessed it before.
In the dream, Estelle wore a white dress adorned with purple floral patterns, but it had turned a haunting shade of red, stained with blood.
The blanket wrapped around the baby in her arms was also stained with blood. And blood flowed down her thin arms and fell on her bare feet.
This was the first time Cristofer had spent alone in their marital house, and the emptiness weighed heavily on him.
Then he recalled that Estelle had lived in this vast, vacant villa alone for nearly six years.
As thunder rumbled outside, Cristofer suddenly remembered Estelle’s fear of thunder. Without changing his clothes, he rushed out of bed, grabbed his car keys, and headed towards the door.
However, he hesitated before stepping outside.
‘Is it necessary for me to go to see you, Estelle?’
‘You’re deeply in love with Mr. Mysterious, and I don’t believe you’ll ever return to me. I doubt you even want to see me anymore.’
‘Even if you want to see me, it may be just because my figure and voice are similar to those of Mr. Mysterious.’
‘Damn it! This is ridiculous! I actually become another man’s substitute in your heart,’ Cristofer thought helplessly.
At this moment, a seemingly absurd idea crossed his mind.
‘Yet, if I can be with Estelle by pretending to be Mr. Mysterious, it might be worth it.’
Simultaneously, a sad reality struck him: even if he were willing to step into Mr. Mysterious’ shoes, Estelle might not be willing to be with him. From the moment he handed her the divorce papers, he felt like he had lost her forever.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Cristofer answered the phone. “Hello?”
“Dad!” A childish voice came from the other end of the line. “I’m so scared…”
“Yvonne?” Cristofer immediately recognized Yvonne’s voice and said, “Don’t be afraid. What happened? Where is your Mom?”
“Mom hasn’t come back…” Yvonne said while sobbing.
Cristofer’s heart skipped a beat when he heard this.
“She hadn’t gone back? Do you know where she has gone? Are your Grandma and Yohan with you?”
“Yes, they are with me…” Hearing Cristofer’s voice, Yvonne cried even harder. “Dad, did you go to beat the bad guys again? Did They capture Mom? Can you save her?”
Hearing this, Cristofer was burning with anxiety. He grabbed the car key and went out as he continued to talk to Yvonne, “Yvonne, don’t cry. I’ll go to pick up your Mom. Could you put your Grandma on the phone?”
“Okay…”
Soon, a familiar female voice came from the other end of the line.
“Hi, Cristofer.”
“Auntie Aurora, do you know where Estelle is now?” Cristofer asked.
Aurora quickly answered, “Maybe… She’s in the police station.”
“Police station?”
“Yes. Didn’t you read the news today?” Aurora asked.
“What news?” Cristofer inquired, his confusion evident.
Cristofer had left in frustration the previous night at the Grand Hotel in Hadale City when he realized that Estelle mistook him for Mr. Mysterious.
However, he later regretted his abrupt departure, thinking that perhaps he shouldn’t have bluntly revealed her inner thoughts. If he had stayed, he might have been with her longer.
He had been in a foul mood today, so he buried himself in his work. For him, work was a way to forget the pain and unhappiness. While others found work tiring and depressing, he believed only work could bring him happiness.
It wasn’t until late at night that he returned to the villa, having avoided the news all day.
“Today, my younger brother York went to the company and caused a scene,” Aurora said, sounding embarrassed. “He even jumped off the Hudson Group building.”