“Come on, admit it. You still have feelings for him,” Victor said softly, reclining on the bed with his head resting on his arms. “By the way, did you tell Cristofer that you like me just to discourage him from trying to save you?”
Estelle hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, I said something along those lines.”
“I thought so,” Victor sighed. “People in love can be quite foolish.”
“Perhaps,” Estelle replied with a smile.
“Believe it or not, even if you told him that you’ve fallen for me and want nothing to do with him, he’d still come here,” Victor asserted.
Estelle’s eyes widened with a sense of unease as she looked at him.
With a sly grin, Victor added confidently, “He’ll definitely show up here tomorrow.”
****
Estelle spent a sleepless night. She had never been so afraid of the coming of dawn. Unlike her, Victor slept soundly and snored loudly.
When the day broke, Estelle suddenly heard a faint ringtone in the house. Startled, Estelle opened her eyes in an instant and thought in surprise, ‘Victor has another phone?! No wonder he was so calm when he knew that I threw his phone. What a cunning man!’
“Morning!” Victor, who was woken up by the ringtone, said in a lazy voice as he rubbed his eyes. Then he answered the phone. In the following minutes, Estelle heard him keep talking nonsense.
“Hello, Mr. Hans. You’ve arrived? Okay, I’ll be right there. Haha. It’s too late. Your beloved woman is in my arms now. Yes, we were sleeping together all night.”
“…”
“Hey! Why are you yelling at me? I said I couldn’t resist her charm. Besides, you and I are twins. It’s normal that we like the same type of woman…”
A few seconds later, he suddenly frowned and put the phone far away from his ear, complaining, “You are so noisy. Stop shouting at me. It’s meaningless! I’ve already slept with her, anyway. Besides, she slept with me voluntarily. If you don’t believe me, you can ask her about it later. Let’s talk when we meet. I’m hanging up.”
After ending the call, Victor seemed displeased as he got up from the bed. He was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. After some thought, he decided to bring along his romantic novel book. He then turned to Estelle with a smile and said, “Come on, I’ll take you to see your beloved man.”
Estelle eyed him cautiously, checking his attire. Victor was dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans, and the pockets in his jeans appeared empty. She felt a bit relieved, thinking, ‘Victor, you haven’t brought any weapons with you, have you?’
Victor noticed her scrutiny and asked, “Why are you giving me that look? Wondering what kind of weapon I’m planning to use on Cristofer?”
Shaking her head, Estelle inquired, “Where is he now?”
“He’s on a nearby hill. He insisted that I come alone and not let you know,” Victor replied.
Estelle nodded and fell in a deep thought. ‘It seems that my words to him last night didn’t work. Cristofer is still coming here. He’s so stubborn.’
Suddenly, Victor put his arm around her waist, and she detected the scent of cigarettes on him.
“What are you up to?” she asked, on guard.
With a smirk, Victor chuckled and said, “I’m feeling a bit sentimental about the two of you and thought I might just let you both go.”
However, Estelle remained skeptical. She questioned, “You’re going to release us just like that? Are you really that kind-hearted?”
“Haha! Of course not! But I’ve decided not to let Cristofer die so soon,” Victor said carelessly.
Puzzled by his words, Estelle asked, “Do you have a new plan for revenge against him?”
“No, not really. I just want to make my current plan a bit more interesting. Since Cristofer is here, I won’t let him leave alive. But simply killing him immediately is dull. So, I’ve chosen to torment him before he dies,” Victor replied.
A surge of anger welled up in Estelle’s heart, and she couldn’t hold it but growled, “What else do you want?! He’s already severely injured, with over ten broken bones. Isn’t that enough?!”
“He’s only suffering physically right now. I want him to endure both physical and mental anguish! I want him to die in excruciating pain!” Victor retorted angrily.
Estelle clenched her teeth and argued, “He’s mentally unstable! He suffered from bipolar disorder and even had a split personality in the past! Don’t take it too far!”
“So what? His mental condition has nothing to do with me. Plus, I didn’t harm him or cause his severe injuries! I haven’t had my revenge or satisfied my hatred yet. Don’t expect me to show him any mercy,” Victor said coldly.
With a contemplative look, he lowered his voice and whispered in Estelle’s ear, “Miss Hudson, are you good at acting?”
“What do you mean?” Estelle asked.
“You suddenly inspired me. I believe that nothing is more torturous for Cristofer than seeing his beloved woman snuggle close up to another man.”
When Estelle heard this, her eyes widened in astonishment. She snapped, “You… Ah!”
Before she could say anything else, Victor suddenly tightened his grip on her waist.
“Let’s go. If you cooperate with me and act well, maybe I will show mercy to him and let him die with a whole body,” Victor ordered. Then, he forcibly took Estelle out. And Estelle staggered out of the small yard.
The sun hadn’t come out, and it was very difficult to see everything clearly because of the fog. But Estelle still saw Cristofer at a glance when she arrived at the forest.
Cristofer had been waiting for a while, not driving but riding his motorcycle there. He wore a coat to conceal the hospital gown he was wearing underneath, and the bandages on his arms and legs were gone.
When he saw Estelle with Victor, he was taken aback and stood still, his gaze shifting from her face to her waist, where Victor wrapped his arm around her. After a moment of silence, Cristofer finally talked, but the strong wind made it hard for Victor to hear.
Victor turned to Estelle and asked, “What did he say?”
Ignoring Victor, Estelle turned her face away from him.
“Did he mention your secret?” Victor asked once more.
“No,” Estelle replied, looking down. “He… he congratulated me.”
Victor raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Are you feeling sorry for him?” he teased.
Annoyed, Estelle said, “Can you please stop talking?”
“Why are you being so harsh? Shouldn’t you be begging me to let him go in this situation?” Victor quipped.
Estelle responded bitterly, “Begging you won’t help, will it?”
Victor countered quickly, “How do you know it won’t work if you don’t give it a try?”