“Understood,” Cristofer replied gently. “Estelle, when the staff member mentioned that we could enjoy a beautiful city view from the Ferris wheel, you seemed to agree. Have you and Mr. Mysterious ridden it together before?”
“Yes.”
“Did you gaze at the stars together?”
“Yes,” Estelle nodded.
“If I were him, I would have proposed to you when the Ferris wheel reached its highest point. Did Mr. Mysterious do that?”
“… Yes.”
“Ah, I had a feeling,” Cristofer said with a smile.
“You and your twin have such similar thoughts, it’s quite astonishing,” Estelle remarked.
“Estelle, did you accept his proposal?” Cristofer swiftly asked.
“… Yes, I did,” Estelle replied.
“That’s wonderful. You accepted his proposal because you love him, right?” Cristofer continued.
Estelle nodded gently and admitted, “Yes.”
“How much do you love him?” Cristofer asked again.
“… I love him very much.”
Cristofer couldn’t help but smile even wider. “I’m glad to hear that you love him.”
“Cristofer, you’re acting strangely.”
“Perhaps it’s because my emotions are a bit unsettled today,” Cristofer explained.
After they waited in line for several minutes, they could finally get into the Ferris wheel cabin. A staff member opened the door of the cabin and ushered them respectfully, “Sir, ma’am, please.”
The Ferris wheel was still slowly rotating. Putting his hand on Estelle’s waist, Cristofer gave her a boost up into the cabin and then quickly took a big step and got into it.
The staff member then closed the cabin door for them. As the Ferris wheel rotated, the cabin slowly rose and was getting closer and closer to the sky. The stars studded the dark blue sky, looking so beautiful.
Cristofer closed his eyes and prayed devoutly when the cabin reached the highest point.
‘May God guide you to the right path. May fate let you meet kind people. Wish you happiness forever. Even if you will forget me, you are always my beloved woman.’
It took the Ferris wheel about thirty minutes to complete a full rotation. The moon shone brightly, casting a soft light on everything, and the stars twinkled in the night sky.
Cristofer and Estelle remained silent during the ride, gazing up at the sky, not wanting to disrupt the serene atmosphere. They continued to enjoy the view until the Ferris wheel completed its rotation.
Cristofer offered to help Estelle as they exited the cabin, but she politely declined, citing his injury.
“I can manage on my own. You’re injured, and I don’t want to make it harder for you,” she said softly.
Hearing this, Cristofer just smiled and said nothing. ‘Maybe you just don’t want to have physical contact with me, so you grabbed an excuse,’ he thought.
Nearby, Christina was still asleep in Eva’s arms, while Yvonne and Yohan had also fallen asleep. Yohan, who was still awake, sat quietly with the balloon strings in his hand.
When Cristofer and Estelle returned, Eva greeted them with relief. “Mr. Hans, Mrs. Hans, you’re back.”
Estelle took Christina from Eva’s arms and thanked her. “Thank you for taking care of them. You must be tired.”
Eva stretched her sore arms and jokingly commented, “Taking care of kids is exhausting. If they weren’t so cute, I’d prefer working overtime at the office. At least I’d get paid for overtime.”
She glanced at Cristofer, hoping for a reward or bonus for her efforts. However, Cristofer simply picked up Yvonne with one arm, seemingly unfazed by her comment.
Seeing this, Eva was a little frustrated. Then she looked at Estelle with pleading eyes, hoping that Estelle would persuade Cristofer to give her some bonus. Being stared at by her like this. Estelle couldn’t bear to refuse her. But when she thought of the reason why Eva wanted money, she turned her face away, feeling a little apologetic.
Eva’s hope was completely extinguished, and she was very disappointed. “Oh, my God! I’m so pitiful. Have you forgotten that I helped you two get back together? How could you two treat me like this?”
Hearing this, Estelle sighed. ‘Sorry, Eva. I had no choice but to refuse you. If you really save enough money and go to the border area to find your boyfriend, what you will face is pain and grief,’ she thought.
Estelle had experienced the painful feeling of being separated from her beloved man, and it felt as if her heart had been torn apart. She thought that dealing with the sadness of her reduced salary was easier to bear compared to this heartache.
Cristofer suddenly spoke up behind her, reassuring her, “Estelle, don’t have any regrets.”
Understanding his message, Estelle replied gently, “Okay, I understand.”
“Just follow your heart and do what you believe is right. No regrets,” Cristofer encouraged her.
“Okay, let’s head home. It’s getting late,” Estelle suggested.
“Agreed, let’s go.”
Once they returned home, Estelle settled the children in their room, and Cristofer went to his study to handle company matters.
With Christina’s upcoming liver transplant surgery on her mind, Estelle decided to call Derrick and inquire about any postoperative care instructions. She hadn’t heard from Derrick since their last encounter, and she wondered if her rejection had hurt him. Feeling the need to apologize, she dialed Derrick’s number multiple times, but he didn’t answer.
‘Did he block my number? Or is he doing an operation? It’s late now. I shouldn’t bother him anymore.’ Estelle put away her phone, took a shower, and went to bed.
****
The next morning, Estelle woke up early, her thoughts consumed by Christina’s impending surgery. Her night had been restless, and she reached for her phone to check the time-it read six o’clock.
As she glanced around the room, she noticed that she was alone. Absently, her eyes scanned the empty space beside her, finding only smooth sheets with no wrinkles, suggesting that Cristofer hadn’t slept in their bed.
‘Did Cristofer work all night?’ she mused.
Concerned, she got out of bed and searched the entire floor but found no trace of him. As she thought while heading downstairs, her phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, she answered the call politely.
“Hello, Dr. Carrey.”
“Miss Hudson, did you call me yesterday? I’m sorry, I was having surgery when you tried to reach me, and my phone was unavailable.”
“It’s alright,” Estelle reassured him.
“Is Christina scheduled for surgery today?” Derrick asked.
“Yes,” Estelle replied.
“Would you like me to come to the hospital to keep you company?”
“No, thank you. I can handle everything,” Estelle promptly declined.
“Which hospital is Christina having the operation at?” Derrick ignored her words, asking gently.
Estelle shared the name of the hospital with him.
To her surprise, Derrick responded, “That hospital is the best in Hadale for treating liver diseases. I’m on my way there now. See you soon.”
Before Estelle could utter another word, Derrick hung up the phone, leaving her feeling conflicted.