In the pages that followed, Estelle’s diaries became shorter. Some pages only had a heart and a simple smile drawn on them. When Cristofer saw these symbols, he could sense Estelle’s happiness during those times.
As time passed, he read through most of the diaries and reached the last page. There was just a short line written on it-Cristofer gave me a new diary. I’m so happy.
After quietly gazing at Estelle’s handwriting for a long while, Cristofer gently touched the yellowed paper, feeling deeply sad. He thought, ‘Estelle used to love me. She really loved me back then…’
****
Estelle and Cristofer lived in the same house, but they rarely saw each other. They hardly ate meals together, almost like an unspoken agreement to avoid each other to prevent embarrassment. Despite their three children trying to get them to reconcile every day, it never worked. Even when they did sit at the same table, Cristofer and Estelle acted like strangers, barely speaking.
One night, after telling a bedtime story to the three children, Estelle did her usual routine of caressing Yvonne’s head and said, “Yvonne, it’s late now. Go tell your Dad it’s bedtime.”
“Mom, Christina told Dad to go to bed yesterday. Yohan did it the day before yesterday, and I did it the day before that,” Yvonne counted on her fingers. “Today, it’s your turn, isn’t it?”
The three children then turned their expectant gazes toward Estelle, hoping that she and Cristofer would reconcile soon.
Estelle wanted to go see Cristofer, but the thought of the sadness and disappointment in his eyes every time he looked at her made her hesitate. In a soft voice, she explained to Yvonne, “I can’t do it right now, so I need you to help me. Can you do that for me?”
Yvonne felt a bit down but finally agreed under Estelle’s gentle gaze. “Okay, Mom, but you have to remind Dad in person tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay,” Estelle agreed verbally. ‘I might break my promise tomorrow,’ she thought worriedly.
Yvonne went to the study next door and returned after a short while, saying, “Mom, Grandpa Luke is talking to Dad. I didn’t disturb them.”
Surprised, Estelle held Yvonne in her arms again and asked, “It’s so late. Is your Dad still working?”
“Yes, Dad works hard every day,” Yohan remarked. “Mom, why don’t you go talk to Dad? Maybe he’s waiting for you. You’re both adults, and you must have a lot to talk about.”
Christina nodded vigorously and chimed in, “Yes, Mom. Go be with Dad. Yvonne and I have a deal to give you all our chocolates if you go see Dad.”
Seeing that all three children were determined to get her to see Cristofer, Estelle couldn’t help but smile helplessly. She agreed to their request after putting them to sleep. Afterward, she took a deep breath, left the children’s room, and went to the study.
Standing outside the study, she raised her hand to knock but hesitated. While she was unsure what to do, the door suddenly swung open, startling her.
Cristofer was the one who had opened the door. He looked surprised to see Estelle standing there but quickly averted his gaze, trying to appear indifferent. “What are you doing here?” he asked.
“I heard from Yvonne that you were still working at this late hour, so I got a bit worried,” Estelle explained, feeling as though saying those words had drained all her energy.
“I’m not working. I was discussing family matters with Uncle Luke just now,” Cristofer replied, his voice carrying bitterness. He didn’t want to engage in conversation with Estelle, but for some reason, he couldn’t stop himself from speaking when he saw her. “Grandpa has been buried, but I haven’t arranged a proper funeral for him yet. I’m planning to do that.” His voice grew softer and filled with sadness as he talked.
Estelle lowered her head, gathered her courage, and said, “I’m sorry.” She knew that her apology held little meaning at this moment. What Cristofer needed was comfort, but she understood that whatever she said would offer little comfort.
“If only I had found a better solution when Victor wanted to kill Cristofer, and if I hadn’t hurt Cristofer six months ago, maybe Cristofer wouldn’t have turned himself in, and he wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to see Grandpa Gary for the last time,” Estelle thought in regret.
Just as Estelle was beginning to feel overwhelmed by guilt, Cristofer spoke up, saying, “Get some rest. We’ll be quite busy in the coming days with the funeral.” He then maneuvered his wheelchair towards his bedroom.
“Good night,” Estelle whispered softly, watching his retreating figure.
Without looking back, Cristofer responded, his voice devoid of emotion, “Good night.”
Soon, with a click, the door to his bedroom closed, and the hallway returned to its quiet state.
Gary’s funeral was planned for the upcoming weekend and would take place at the Hans’ Residence. Since Cristofer couldn’t move freely, his responsibility was to make phone calls and inform Gary’s friends about the funeral. Meanwhile, Luke had hired a professional team to handle the funeral preparations.
The mourning hall was set up in the villa the day before the funeral. Estelle worried that the three children might be frightened by the solemn atmosphere, but to her surprise, they showed no fear at all. Yohan set a good example for his younger sisters. “Mom, Grandpa Luke looks really tired. Is there something I can do to help him?” Standing by the French window in the living room, he observed Luke and the servants working tirelessly, wanting to lend a hand.
“You’re such a thoughtful boy,” Estelle praised him, gently patting his shoulder. “You can ask Grandpa Luke if there’s any task he needs help with.”
“Okay,” Yohan agreed and hurried over to Luke. Initially, Luke wanted to decline Yohan’s offer, not wanting a young child to engage in tiring tasks. However, when he saw Cristofer nod in approval and motion for him to accept Yohan’s help, Luke gave in. He said to Yohan, “Yohan, please assist me in moving these white flowers over there. Many people will be here tomorrow, so ensure each one gets one flower.”
Observing Yohan at work, Estelle approached Luke with Yvonne and Christina. “Uncle Luke, we also want to help. You can count on us to verify the list of mourners attending tomorrow.”
Luke sighed with emotion and replied, “Okay. Old Mr. Hans adored the children when he was alive. He would be delighted if he knew his great-grandchildren were helping with his funeral preparations.”
Upon hearing Luke’s words, Estelle nodded, her throat tight with sadness. She took a seat at the table with Yvonne and Christina and began to review the list of mourners with a heavy heart. Gary had been well-connected in life and had many friends. However, not all of them would be able to attend the funeral tomorrow because some had already passed away. While going through the list, Estelle couldn’t help but reflect on how fleeting life could be.