“No,” Cristofer, who was now in the driver’s seat, responded as he started the car.
“But I can smell it,” Estelle insisted.
With a smile, Cristofer explained, “I didn’t have the mood to wear cologne yesterday. Right now, my body is filled with the scent of disinfectant.”
Estelle then nodded and thought, ‘What you said made sense. Yesterday, your arm was injured. Later, you went back to the Hans’ Residence and stayed downstairs for a whole night. Then, in the morning, we went to the hospital together. After coming back from the hospital, you just talked with the others in the hall for a while and then went to prepare the car Cristofer, you indeed didn’t have time to wear perfume. But where did the faint fragrance come from?’
Cristofer spoke up while Estelle was lost in thought, “You met Mr. Mysterious yesterday. Maybe… it’s because the scent of his cologne got on your clothes, and that’s what you smelled.”
Hearing this, Estelle raised her hand to sniff her sleeve. However, she only detected a faint laundry detergent scent on her clothes, leaving her more puzzled.
After a pause, Cristofer continued, “Yesterday, you…”
“What?”
“When you meet Mr. Mysterious, you should have…” Cristofer said, smiling a bit sheepishly. “You two finally reunited after a long time apart. You both missed each other a lot, and you might have hugged, held hands, or even kissed…”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude on your privacy. I just wanted to say… if you were really close to him, his cologne might have stuck to your clothes,” Cristofer added.
“We didn’t do any of that,” Estelle quickly denied. “We didn’t hug, hold hands, or kiss.”
“You didn’t do any of that?” Cristofer looked surprised.
Turning to him, Estelle asked, “Do you want me to hug and kiss Mr. Mysterious?”
Cristofer turned his face away, avoiding her gaze. “I didn’t mean that… I don’t have the right to meddle in your private matters.”
Estelle lowered her head with a soft sigh and said his name, “Cristofer.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll ask you one last time. Are you really not Mr. Mysterious?” Estelle glanced at him.
Cristofer swallowed hard and remained silent.
“I want to know the truth. Even if I can’t accept that you’re Mr. Mysterious, I still want to know the truth. Don’t lie to me, even if it’s a small lie.”
Cristofer tightened his grip on the steering wheel and hesitated for a while before responding, “You want to be with Mr. Mysterious and have a peaceful life with him, right?”
“Yes,” Estelle nodded.
“Then, are you willing to be with me for the rest of your life?”
Estelle fell into a thoughtful silence.
“I already have my answer from your silence,” Cristofer chuckled and continued, “Estelle, don’t burden yourself with unnecessary doubts. Don’t keep questioning me and Mr. Mysterious. He came back to you with the dog you both shared. Isn’t that enough proof of his identity?”
“But I always have this feeling…” Estelle began, but Cristofer interrupted her.
“Let’s change the subject. We don’t get to take the kids out often for fun. Let’s enjoy the day and not dwell on other things, okay?”
In their child seats, the three kids were completely immersed in joy, chatting and laughing, completely unaware of the conversation happening between the adults.
“I promise you, I’m not Mr. Mysterious. You can trust me. Mr. Mysterious is Mr. Mysterious, and I am me. That’s the truth,” Cristofer reassured Estelle.
From then on, neither of them talked during the ride to the amusement park. When they arrived at the park’s entrance, they spotted a long line of people at the ticket booth.
After parking the car, Cristofer said, “Wait here. I’ll go get the tickets. Yohan, take care…”
“Dad, don’t worry. I’ll look after Mom and my sisters,” Yohan assured before Cristofer could finish his sentence.
“Good boy,” Cristofer said with a smile. He then opened the car door and hurried to the ticket booth. Soon, he returned with the tickets, and the kids excitedly grabbed their passes before happily running into the amusement park.
Seeing this, Estelle was about to run after them out of worry, but Cristofer gently pulled her arm and said softly, “They’re having so much fun today. Let them enjoy themselves.”
“I just can’t help but worry about their safety,” Estelle replied.
“Eva will take care of them.”
“Eva? Your secretary?” Estelle asked.
Upon hearing her question, Cristofer chuckled and confirmed, “Yes.”
Estelle gave him an annoyed look and remarked, “Why are you talking in such a tone? Are you interested in her? Eva told me once that she had a boyfriend. She’s working as your secretary for the high salary you pay her. She’s saving money to find her boyfriend in a border area.”
“I’m aware of that,” Cristofer acknowledged.
“Good that you know.”
“I’m thinking of cutting her pay in half,” Cristofer said nonchalantly.
Hearing this, Estelle furrowed her brow and questioned, “Why would you do that? She hasn’t done anything wrong. Why cut her pay?”
“I just don’t want her to search for her boyfriend,” Cristofer explained.
Estelle somehow felt herself getting upset upon hearing his words. “Do you have a crush on her? Mr. Hans, you’re quite something. You want to interfere in someone else’s relationship as the other man?”
Cristofer chuckled and responded, “What’s on your mind? She’s lost contact with her boyfriend for over a year.”
“So what? They haven’t officially broken up, and Eva still loves him. It’s unethical for you to interfere in their relationship.”
“Actually, I had someone try to find her boyfriend for her previously, but I didn’t tell her.”
“And then?”
“Her boyfriend… he’s passed away,” Cristofer revealed.
“What?!” Estelle was taken aback.
“Her boyfriend was a soldier. He died on a mission two years ago…”
Estelle sensed something was off. “He died two years ago, but you mentioned that he and Eva had lost contact for just over a year?”
“The living conditions in the border area are harsh, and the soldiers have dangerous missions. There’s a tradition at the frontier station where if a soldier dies, another soldier pretends to be him, uses his phone, and keeps in touch with his family and friends so they don’t find out he’s passed away.”
“But if that’s the case, why did Eva lose contact with the soldier impersonating her boyfriend?” Estelle asked.
“Because not long after Eva’s boyfriend died, the soldier impersonating him also passed away,” Cristofer explained.
“…”
“He was on a mission during heavy snowfall. The others couldn’t find his body or Eva’s boyfriend’s phone, so Eva completely lost contact with him.”
“…”
“The reason I reduced her pay is to encourage her to save money gradually, delaying her plan to go to the border area. Perhaps, with time, she might let go of her boyfriend, or she’ll be devastated when she learns about his passing.”