Hearing this, Rebecca couldn’t contain her concern and blurted out, “Then you’re not planning to tell him about the baby…”
Realizing her slip of words, Rebecca stopped herself, aware that she shouldn’t have brought up such a sensitive topic.
The miscarriage Estelle had suffered three years ago had left a deep emotional scar. It was precisely because of this painful experience that she had chosen to care for Christina.
Seeing the regret in Rebecca’s eyes, Estelle offered a reassuring smile and said, “If I’ve decided to move on from him, it’s probably best not to tell him about it.”
“Are you sure you want to keep it a secret and bear this pain on your own?”
Estelle took a deep breath and reassured herself, “It’s okay, Rebecca. I’ve managed to get through these tough years on my own. I believe I can continue to face and handle everything by myself in the future.”
****
After chatting with Estelle for a while, Rebecca left in a hurry because of other commitments.
Once Rebecca was gone, Estelle couldn’t help but reflect on the past, sighing with a mix of emotions.
So much has happened over the past three years.
Howard had transformed from a rising star to a full-fledged superstar, earning a prominent place in the entertainment industry.
However, he hadn’t achieved this success through his own talent and hard work; instead, he had used Rebecca to get where he is today.
He knew Rebecca quite well.
Back then, Howard had cunningly taken advantage of the opportunity to pose as her fake boyfriend. This allowed him to get closer to her, slowly earn her trust, and eventually exploit her family’s connections for his own gain.
Estelle could still vividly recall a cold winter morning not long after she had gone abroad when Rebecca called her, sobbing uncontrollably.
It had taken Estelle quite a while to console Rebecca and extract the details of what had transpired.
As it turned out, Howard had slept with one of his fans, and that fan had given birth to his child.
Regrettably, the baby was born with liver disease, which required expensive medical treatment that the fan couldn’t afford. Fearing that his career would be jeopardized, Howard refused to acknowledge the child as his own or provide any support.
Feeling immense pity for the suffering child, Rebecca decided to step in and offer help.
However, Howard’s fans misinterpreted her intentions, believing she was attempting to blackmail him using the child.
Consequently, Rebecca became a victim of online harassment and endured a barrage of hurtful insults from Howard’s fans, eventually breaking her spirit.
Rebecca, driven by her compassion for children, couldn’t simply ignore the plight of the ailing baby. She had no choice but to turn to Estelle for assistance in that dire situation.
At that time, Estelle was still in the pain caused by the miscarriage and in desperate need of comfort while the baby needed somebody to care for her.
Then fate tied them together.
The baby came to her side shortly after, and Estelle named the baby Christina.
She took Christina as her own child, and Christina thought that Estelle was her biological mother.
Thinking about Christina, Estelle couldn’t help smiling.
Suddenly, her phone rang. And Estelle was wrenched back to the present.
Seeing it was Eva calling, Estelle looked at the time on the phone screen and found that it was time to get off work.
Then she answered the phone and said gently, “Hi, Eva.”
“Mommy!” Yvonne’s sweet voice came from the other end of the line.
Hearing her voice, Estelle smiled and said in a softer voice, “Yvonne, why did you call me with Auntie Eva’s phone?”
“Because Yohan is playing games on Dad’s phone, so I can’t call you with Dad’s phone!” Yvonne’s voice was full of joy.
“Yohan is playing games?”
“Yes!” Yvonne answered and giggled, “Dad is awesome. He has completed more than three hundred levels in the game!”
“Didn’t he have work to do today? Has he been playing games with Yohan all the time?”
“Auntie Eva said Dad didn’t have work to do today.”
‘How could it be possible? Hans International Corporation is ten times larger than it was three years ago. Cristofer must have a lot of work to do,’ Estelle thought.
“Mom, Dad promised me that he would tell me stories every night before I sleep!” Yvonne declared joyfully.
Hearing this, Estelle frowned slightly and said, “Is he going to take you to his house? Yvonne put your Dad on the phone.”
“Okay!”
Soon, a husky voice came from the other end of the line.
“Hi, Star.”
Estelle was stunned when she heard the familiar voice. “Did you smoke again?”
“Why do you suddenly ask about this?”
“Every time you smoke, your voice will become hoarse,” Estelle quickly responded.
“Well, my voice is indeed a little hoarse,” Cristofer said.
“You’d better smoke less.”
“Are you worried about me?”
“No. I’m just concerned that the two children might be harmed by passive smoking. They’re still young. If you’re not aware of the dangers of passive smoking, you can look it up online.”
Cristofer fell silent. After a few moments, he managed a bitter smile and said, “Star, you still resent me.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Perhaps you don’t realize it, but every time you interact with me, you seem to become like a hedgehog, raising all your spines to protect yourself.”
Not in the mood to delve into this with him, Estelle said firmly, “You’re the children’s father. You even promised Yvonne that you’d tell her a bedtime story. Do you plan to lull her to sleep with the smell of smoke clinging to you? I don’t care if you prioritize your own health or not. Smoking is your choice. But please don’t harm the children’s well-being with your smoking!”
“Do you have to talk with me like this?” Cristofer asked helplessly, feeling wronged, “I didn’t smoke. My voice is hoarse just because I have a dry throat. You have a lung problem, and the children are still young. I won’t smoke when I’m with any one of you.”
Biting her lower lip, Estelle didn’t know what to say.
Rubbing her temples, she sighed and said, “I’m sorry. I misunderstood you. I shouldn’t have talked to you with such a bad attitude just now.”
“You don’t have to apologize. I can understand that you said those words for the kids,” Cristofer said.
“By the way, Star, it’s inconvenient for you to stay in the hotel all the time. And it’s more comfortable to live in our marital house. You can move back with Auntie Aurora and the children.”
“There’s no need to do so,” Estelle refused him, “I think it’s convenient and comfortable to stay in the Grand Hotel of Hadale City.”