“Ah…” The warmth in Impostor Mr. Mysterious’ eyes vanished. He wore a displeased expression and questioned, “Are you out of your mind? What are you doing?”
“I… I’m sorry,” Estelle stammered, growing even more flustered. “Sir, please don’t get so close to me. I think it’s best if we don’t act this way.”
“Why? You’ve divorced Cristofer, haven’t you? Why won’t you let me kiss you? Have you fallen for him again after pretending to be a loving couple these days?”
“No, I haven’t…”
“If you haven’t fallen for him again, why did you reject me just now?” Impostor Mr. Mysterious inquired.
“I just feel… I still need some time to adjust to being with you,” Estelle replied.
“Do I appear different from before?”
“No,” Estelle conceded.
“Then why do you need time to adjust to being with me?”
“You still look the same as before, but your tone, expressions, and attitude towards me have all changed. Sir, I don’t know what you’ve experienced in the past few years and what caused this change in you. But you’re making me feel like you’re a stranger,” Estelle expressed.
Hearing this, Impostor Mr. Mysterious responded with a teasing smile, “Even if I’ve changed, I’m still me. The person you love is still me.”
“The person I love is Mr. Mysterious,” Estelle raised her head and affirmed.
“I am Mr. Mysterious. Estelle, take a good look at me. Aren’t I Mr. Mysterious?”
“Appearance isn’t everything. When I fell in love with you, I didn’t even know what you looked like. What I love about you is your kindness, thoughtfulness, and unconditional acceptance of me, not just your appearance or voice. Cristofer and you may look identical, but if I only loved your appearance, there would be no difference between the two of you, and I wouldn’t have declined his offer to reconcile.”
“Ha! That’s quite amusing!” Impostor Mr. Mysterious exclaimed, struggling to contain his anger. “Estelle, what are you implying? Are you comparing me to Cristofer? Have you forgotten what he did to you?”
“I haven’t forgotten!” Estelle responded firmly.
“If I were in your shoes, I would never forgive him! I would let him live with guilt and torment for the rest of his life instead of being lenient and pretending to be a loving couple with him!”
Estelle explained hurriedly, “I acted that way with him to bring happiness to Grandpa Gary and provide the children with a loving family environment.”
“Are you related to that old man by blood? Did he raise you or give you vast sums of money? If not, why are you so concerned about him? Why are you meddling in the affairs of the Hans family? Were you born a busybody?”
Hearing Estelle’s retort, Impostor Mr. Mysterious was taken aback. “I…”
“Sir, Grandpa Gary is your grandfather, after all. You want to return to the Hans family so you can spend more time with him in his final days, right? How could you say such things?” Estelle interjected, her voice charged with anger.
“I…”
“Sir, it seems like we’re both in a tense mood now. We should try to calm down. I… I’m going back,” Estelle declared.
Before Impostor Mr. Mysterious could react, she broke free from his grasp, hurriedly left the room, and descended the stairs. The day was sunny and warm, yet she felt a chill running through her. Her joy at reuniting with Mr. Mysterious after their long separation had evaporated, and her heart was now shrouded in sadness and despair.
‘Mr. Mysterious, how did you become like this? You are totally different from before. Maybe you are right. People change over time. I have lost the gentle and powerful Mr. Mysterious that you used to be.’
While Estelle was lost in thought, her phone suddenly rang. She saw that it was Rebecca calling, so she picked up the call.
“Hi, Rebecca.”
“Estelle, are you still in the Rose Garden?”
“Yes, but how did you know…”
“Justin asked me to come and pick you up. Oh, there you are!” Rebecca exclaimed.
While Estelle was thinking, her phone rang unexpectedly. Seeing it was Rebecca calling, she answered.
“Hello, Rebecca.”
“Estelle, are you still at the Rose Garden?”
“Yes, but how did you…”
“Justin told me to pick you up. Oh, I see you!” Rebecca exclaimed.
Her red car pulled up a moment later and stopped in front of Estelle. Rebecca quickly got out, gently ushered Estelle into the car, and then hopped in herself. The car sped away from the neighborhood.
“Estelle, are you okay?” Rebecca swiftly asked.
“Hmm? I’m fine. Why are you suddenly asking that?” Estelle was confused.
Rebecca scratched her head and explained, “Justin seemed very worried and told me to get you out of there as soon as possible because you might be in danger.”
“I might be in danger?” Estelle was puzzled.
“Yes, he looked really concerned when he mentioned it. I rushed to pick you up and didn’t have time to ask him how he knew,” Rebecca said. “Oh, and he wanted me to tell you that the man you just met is not Mr. Mysterious.”
Estelle was taken aback by this revelation. “He’s not Mr. Mysterious?”
“Justin claimed that he knows the whole story of what occurred between you and Mr. Mysterious. I’ll drive you to see him, and he’ll tell you everything,” Rebecca assured.
When Estelle was about to speak, her phone rang. It was Impostor Mr. Mysterious.
After hesitating, Estelle answered the phone and said, “Hello?”
“Estelle, can you come back?” Impostor Mr. Mysterious asked.
Estelle didn’t say anything, maybe because Impostor Mr. Mysterious’s voice sounded strange on the phone.
“I have no one else but you now. I went through a lot to come back to you. If I lose you too, I don’t know how I’ll go on,” he said, sounding desperate.
Hearing this, Estelle felt uneasy and said, “Please, calm down.”
“I can’t!” Impostor Mr. Mysterious growled and sighed. “Estelle, don’t leave me… please…”
“I…”
“Come back, Estelle. If you leave, I’ll jump off a building right now. Remember to bury my body.”
“No! Don’t do that!” Estelle was shocked. “What happened to you in the past years? Why are you so desperate?”
“I’ve felt abandoned my whole life. I was always alone until I met you. Now, even you’re leaving me. Estelle, did you forget your promise? You said you’d never leave me as long as I’m not Cristofer…”
Hearing this, Estelle felt a pang of sadness. “I haven’t forgotten that,” she said softly.
“Our secret base is in Room 1231 at the Grand Hotel in Hadale City. I planted lots of sunflowers around Hudson’s House, and we saw the ‘snow’ at Mount Cloud. We even had a wedding under the starry sky…”
Estelle didn’t know how to comfort him at that moment.
Rebecca, who was driving the car, noticed something was wrong with Estelle’s expression in the rearview mirror. She asked with concern, “What’s bothering you, Estelle?”