After hearing the entire story, Estelle was left speechless for a long time due to the shock.
Cristofer sighed softly and continued, “Estelle, separations in life and death occur every day in this world, and many people endure the pain they bring. I don’t want you to experience such agony. Three days from now, return to Mr. Mysterious without delay.”
Estelle looked up at him with a mixture of emotions. Gazing into the distance, Cristofer pretended to be calm and said, “Three days from now, we’ll put an end to our over ten years of entanglement.”
Realizing that the countdown to the end of their relationship had begun, Estelle suddenly felt that these last three days were precious.
‘Today, we’ll enjoy the amusement park with the kids. Tomorrow, Christina will have her liver transplant surgery, and we’ll be there for her. But what should we do on the third day?’ Estelle pondered and then looked up at Cristofer.
At that moment, Cristofer stood tall with his right hand in his pocket, gazing ahead with tender eyes. Following his gaze, Estelle saw the three children eagerly picking their favorite animal-shaped seats on the merry-go-round.
As the eldest sibling, Yohan was always thoughtful and responsible. He helped his two sisters get into their seats first and then happily settled into a purplish-red horse-shaped seat. Catching Cristofer and Estelle’s glances, he turned and waved at them with a joyful smile.
As the youngest, Christina was too small to sit alone. So, Eva took her seat and held Christina securely in her arms for protection. Then she looked toward Estelle and signaled with an “okay” sign, reassuring her not to worry.
When the music began, the merry-go-round began to move.
“Twinkle twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are…”
“Estelle,” Cristofer called Estelle’s name.
“What’s the matter?” Estelle inquired.
Cristofer expressed, “I’m sorry…”
The music blared loudly, and Estelle couldn’t hear what he said clearly.
“What did you say?” she asked.
“I’m really sorry…” Cristofer repeated.
Estelle still struggled to hear him over the music. Just as she was about to ask him to repeat himself, a clown-costumed staff member approached them, offering a variety of balloons.
“Sir, ma’am, would you like to buy a balloon for your child? I have balloons with many different shapes and patterns,” the staff member said enthusiastically, showcasing a colorful assortment of balloons, including ones with Peppa Pig, Ultraman, Transformers, and more.
Cristofer inquired, “Do you have balloons with Iron Man patterns?”
“Yes, yes,” the staff member confirmed and presented the Iron Man patterned balloons.
Cristofer then handed his wallet to Estelle, explaining, “It’s inconvenient for me to pick up the money. Please help me pay for the balloons.”
His sudden gesture of handing her his wallet caught Estelle off guard. Without further ado, Cristofer quickly selected a few balloons for the children and held the balloon strings in his hand. He also noticed the staff member selling accessories and purchased two lovely hairbands for Yvonne and Christina.
“Ma’am, the total is fifty dollars,” the staff member informed Estelle with a polite smile.
“Oh, alright…” Estelle, still a bit dazed, refocused her attention and opened Cristofer’s wallet. She noticed that there were only one-hundred-dollar bills inside. After a moment of consideration, she closed the wallet and took out her phone. “I’ll pay with my card.”
“Let’s get a few more balloons so he won’t have to give us change,” Cristofer suggested.
Observing him, Estelle blinked and replied, “But you’ve already bought three balloons.”
“Which one do you like?” Cristofer asked. “I remember you used to enjoy The Powerpuff Girls, but it’s a shame he doesn’t have balloons with those patterns.”
Hearing this, Estelle felt a bit embarrassed. ‘What an old cartoon… Kids nowadays probably haven’t even heard of it.’
Upon hearing their conversation, the staff member chimed in with a smile, “If there aren’t any balloons featuring your favorite cartoon characters, you can choose from other options. Take a look at this moon-shaped one; it’s quite charming.”
“Moon-shaped? Do you have star-shaped balloons?” Cristofer asked.
“Yes! I also have sun-shaped balloons!”
“I’ll take one of each shape.”
“Alright!” The staff member quickly selected three balloons and handed them to Cristofer. “Mr. Mysterious, it’s eighty-five dollars in total now. Would you like to buy one more balloon?”
Hearing this, Cristofer looked at Estelle, motioning her to pick one more balloon.
With a nod, Estelle looked at the balloons carefully and pointed at a cloud-shaped balloon. “I’ll take this one,” she said.
“Okay. Here you are, ma’am,” the staff member offered.
Taking the balloon, Estelle retrieved a one-hundred-dollar bill from Cristofer’s wallet and handed it to the staff member.
The staff member happily accepted the money and beamed at them, saying enthusiastically, “Sir, ma’am, you should consider taking a ride on the Ferris wheel at night. It’s the tallest Ferris wheel in our city, and you can enjoy a beautiful view of the entire city at night.”
“Yes, it’s really stunning,” Estelle agreed.
“Have you ever been on it before?” the staff member asked.
Estelle lowered her head, falling into silence. Observing her reaction, Cristofer smiled and replied to the staff member, “Thank you for the suggestion. If we have enough time, we’ll definitely take a ride.”
“No problem. Enjoy your day. I’ll be on my way. Goodbye!” the staff member said before moving on to sell balloons to others.
Meanwhile, the merry-go-round came to a halt, coinciding with the end of the music. After disembarking from their seats, Christina said something to Eva. Subsequently, Eva and the three children hurried over to a large plush doll nearby.
The three kids huddled together around the doll while Eva knelt down to take photos of them.
Cristofer gazed at the balloon shaped like the letter ‘H’ in Estelle’s hand and remarked, “Ah, I see. Since Mr. Mysterious has the last name, Hans, you chose this balloon.”
“His last name is indeed Hans, but my choice had nothing to do with him. I picked this balloon for you,” Estelle whispered softly.
Cristofer was pleasantly surprised by Estelle’s gesture. “For me?”
“Yes, the kids and I all have balloons, so you should have one, too,” Estelle explained, pointing to the balloon. “Your last name is Hans, so I picked this one just for you.”
Cristofer lifted his gaze to the balloon and couldn’t help but smile. “It’s a great-looking balloon.”
“I spotted it earlier. Do you like it?” Estelle asked.
“Why are you being so formal…” Cristofer responded with a chuckle.
“I really do like it a lot,” he admitted, gazing at her with affection in his eyes.
Estelle cleared her throat awkwardly and looked away to avoid his intense gaze. Then she noticed Yohan waving to them, prompting her to say, “Let’s go over there. Yohan is calling us.”