Cristofer hesitated before saying, “I came back last night. The stars were beautiful, and I lost track of time while gazing at them.”
“It’s still early. You can go back to sleep,” he added in a gentle tone.
“What about you?” Estelle asked, looking into his pale face.
Cristofer looked away as he noticed her gaze, “I’ll stay here.”
Estelle persisted, “Why don’t you come inside and get some sleep?”
Cristofer shook his head and explained, “We should maintain some distance. If Mr. Mysterious finds out we’re still sharing a room, it might be hard for you to explain to him.”
Estelle felt a pang in her heart and a hint of anger. She retorted, “This is your house. It’s natural for you to sleep here. Besides, if you think we shouldn’t share a room anymore, you can use the guest room, or I can go there.”
Cristofer avoided her gaze and said with a bitter smile, “If he cares about you, he’ll mind it even if I’m in the guest room. Now that he’s back, my role as his substitute is done, and I should exit your life.” Losing in thought, he tapped the withered leaves on the ground with his shoe.
Hearing Cristofer’s words, Estelle lapsed into silence, unsure of what to say. She couldn’t help but feel sad seeing him so down.
“Is your arm really badly injured?” she finally asked.
Cristofer replied calmly, “No, Justin was exaggerating. I’ll be fine in a few days.”
“Did you go to the hospital?” Estelle quickly asked.
Cristofer remained silent.
“You didn’t go to the hospital, did you?” Estelle repeated her question.
“…”
“Stay right there and wait for me for a moment,” Estelle instructed. She fetched the first aid kit from the cabinet and quietly went downstairs.
When she reached the garden, Cristofer was still standing under her window. She noticed his black MV Agusta parked nearby and gave him a disapproving look. She scolded, “Your arm is injured. How dare you ride a motorcycle in this condition?!”
Cristofer smiled and replied, “I’m used to riding a motorcycle. I’ve told you it’s not that serious. Hiss…”
Before Cristofer could finish his words, Estelle gently touched his injured left arm, causing him to gasp in pain. She frowned and insisted, “You really need to go to the hospital.”
Cristofer tried to persuade her, saying, “There’s no need. You did a good job bandaging my wound last time. Do you have gauze in the first aid kit? If it’s not too much trouble, could you wrap my arm for me? But if it’s inconvenient, don’t worry; I can manage on my own.”
“Cristofer,” Estelle said firmly, her expression stern. “I said you must go to the hospital.”
Cristofer shook his head again, saying, “I can’t go to the hospital right now…”
Estelle pressed further, “Why not? You publicly declared me as your wife at the party, and everyone knows about our relationship, including Jimmy. He can’t use me to threaten you anymore, whether he knows you’re the helmet man or not. So, there’s no need to hide your injuries. You should go to the hospital.”
Cristofer hesitated and then replied, “No, I can’t.”
“Why are you so opposed to going to the hospital?” Estelle questioned.
Cristofer explained in a deep voice, “I can’t let others know that I’m injured. I can’t…”
Estelle asked, “Are you worried that it will affect your company’s stock prices if the public finds out about your injury?”
Cristofer began to say something but then stopped himself. He finally said, “Estelle, you’ll understand the reason soon.”
“I don’t want to know the reason!” Estelle exclaimed, her anger flaring. She continued stubbornly, “You have to go to the hospital today. Do you want to end up disabled?” With that, she set aside the first aid kit, approached Cristofer’s black motorcycle, and got on it. “Let’s go. I’ll take you to the hospital.”
Cristofer was taken aback by her stubbornness, and he began to cough violently. “Estelle, can you even ride a motorcycle?”
“No, I can’t. That’s why you need to teach me,” Estelle replied.
Seeing her firm reaction, Cristofer hesitated. Estelle frowned and urged, “Come on, Cristofer. You didn’t hesitate to grab the knife blade at the clinic before. Why are you hesitating now?”
Cristofer chuckled instead of getting angry. He said, “You’re still the same as you used to be.”
Confused, Estelle asked, “What do you mean?”
“You’re still the proud princess you were back then. I remember that you would argue with me no matter what I said. If I argued back, you’d get angry, and then I’d have to calm you down,” Cristofer reminisced.
Blushing slightly, Estelle mumbled, “Why are you suddenly bringing up the past? It’s been so many years.”
Cristofer sighed and said, “Yes, it’s been many years. I miss those old times.”
“Enough talk. Let’s go. It’s still early, and there’s not much traffic. It should be safe for me to ride a motorcycle now,” Estelle insisted.
Knowing that he couldn’t persuade her, Cristofer sighed and walked over to sit on the motorcycle’s rear seat. He explained the motorcycle’s main parts to her, saying, “The right handle is the accelerator. You can twist it to control the speed. The pedal at your right foot is the brake…”
As a quick learner, Estelle soon grasped the basics of riding a motorcycle. She started the engine and instructed, “Hold onto me tightly.”
Cristofer hesitated and asked, “Can… Can I hold you?”
“Of course. Just do it quickly. If you don’t hold on tight, you might fall off,” Estelle replied.
“Alright,” Cristofer agreed with a chuckle. Given his injured left arm, he could only gently wrap his right arm around Estelle’s waist.
Feeling his strong and muscular arm gently encircling her waist, Estelle held onto it and secured it more tightly, saying, “Let’s go.”
This was her first time riding a motorcycle, but she handled it well. It was still early when they arrived at the hospital, and the outpatient building wasn’t crowded. Estelle registered Cristofer at the reception desk and then took him to the doctor’s office.
“Let’s go inside,” she said, gently taking Cristofer by his right arm as they entered the office. The doctor acknowledged them with a nod and calmly said, “Please take a seat. I’ll examine your wound first.”
As the doctor unwrapped the bandage, he was taken aback by the severe injury. He looked up and asked, “Do you want me to contact the police for you?”
Cristofer shook his head and replied, “No, thank you. Please just treat the wound. It’s not that bad.”