“You must listen to my explanation. Cristofer, haven’t we had enough misunderstandings before? In the past, you refused to listen to my explanation and put all the blame on me. You said that you wouldn’t repeat the same mistakes and taught Yohan to believe the person he loved. But why don’t you let me explain to you now? Don’t you believe me? Or don’t you love me anymore?”
“How is it possible that I don’t love you?!” Cristofer blurted out.
As soon as he finished his words, both of them were stunned. After a short, awkward silence, Cristofer turned his face away and said, “All right. Explain if you want. I’ll listen.”
Walking toward him, Estelle squatted down and gazed at him, saying gently, “At that time, Victor misled me into believing that he had placed explosives in the forest and he would detonate them by remote control if I asked the police to arrest him. There were many other innocent people in the forest. I couldn’t let Victor detonate the explosives. Only by helping him escape his crimes could I save you and the others.”
Hearing this, Cristofer took a deep breath and said, “Well, I’ve heard your explanation. I misunderstood your relationship with Victor. I’m sorry. Could you go out now?”
“You still don’t believe me?”
“I believe you.”
“Then why do you still show such an attitude to me?”
“Because…” Cristofer took a deep breath and avoided looking into her eyes.
“Because of what?”
“Nothing. Please go out. I’m going to take a shower.”
“You can take a shower even if I’m here,” Estelle said as she moved her hand, which was holding the scissors to his trousers.
Seeing this, Cristofer got anxious. Putting his hands on the armrests of the chair, he struggled to stand up, but Estelle pressed his shoulders and got him back on the seat easily.
“I don’t want your help with my trousers!” Cristofer snapped, the veins on the back of his hand visibly prominent. He decided that if he couldn’t stop Estelle, he would get up and leave, regardless of his current condition.
Understanding his intentions, Estelle spoke patiently, “Don’t act impulsively and hurt yourself because of me.”
“I wasn’t being impulsive,” Cristofer retorted, as if he hadn’t been the one considering getting up just moments ago.
“Alright, I won’t push you anymore. I’ll wait here until you agree to let me assist you,” Estelle said and stood up. She knew Cristofer well. If she couldn’t persuade him, he would go to great lengths to prevent her from helping him with his shower.
The two of them were locked in a standoff, neither willing to give in. Being in the bathroom with Estelle under these circumstances made Cristofer feel uneasy. Five minutes later, he glanced at Estelle, who was leaning against the wall, and couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you tired?”
“I’m not tired. I can stand here all day,” Estelle replied.
“Humph,” Cristofer grumbled, at a loss for words. Over the past five minutes, he had struggled not to look at Estelle and had instead focused on everything else in the bathroom to divert his attention. He even read the instructions on the shower gel bottle nearby. Yet, his thoughts kept returning to Estelle, and he had an urge to look at her.
Estelle had dressed comfortably in casual attire for convenience today. With her hair pulled back in a ponytail, she resembled a modern young woman, which reminded Cristofer of their youthful days.
After a while, Cristofer finally gave in, his anger completely dissipated. He casually leaned against the chair’s backrest, his face reflecting helplessness as if saying, “You win. You can do whatever you need to do now.”
Estelle appeared relaxed and composed, but she had secretly worried that Cristofer would stubbornly reject her help, regardless of her efforts. Seeing him relent, she breathed a quiet sigh of relief and picked up the scissors once more, saying, “I’m going to begin. Stay still. I’ll be careful.”
Cristofer shot Estelle a sideways glance, as if he wanted to say something, but then decided against it. He closed his eyes and thought to himself, ‘Out of sight, out of mind.’
However, once his eyes were closed, his other senses heightened, particularly his sense of touch and smell. Even though he couldn’t see Estelle, he could feel the warmth and softness of her fingers more distinctly as she touched him. The familiar, subtle scent of jasmine that lingered around Estelle’s body was soothing to his nose.
Estelle didn’t take his apparent indifference to heart and continued to carefully cut the cloth around the plasters.
The bathroom remained quiet, with only the sound of fabric being cut filling the air. As the cloth fell to the ground, Cristofer’s legs were exposed, revealing skin near the plaster that was as white as the bandage. To prevent the cold scissors from touching his skin, Estelle squatted down in front of him, becoming even more cautious as she continued cutting his trousers.
Cristofer could sense her meticulousness, and it touched him. He pretended to be composed, but his slightly trembling eyelashes betrayed his true emotions. ‘Estelle, if you don’t love me at all, why are you so gentle and considerate? Don’t be kind to me, or I won’t be able to control myself…’
Since Cristofer had avoided looking at Estelle, she felt more at ease and openly expressed her concern, saying, “Please do tell me if I accidentally poke you with the scissors or if anything makes you uncomfortable.”
“Okay,” Cristofer replied. Unable to hold back any longer, he opened his eyes and stared at Estelle.
Estelle was busy wrapping his legs with the plaster wrap, her head lowered, and she didn’t notice his affectionate gaze. After completing that task, she stood up and spoke softly, “It’s better if you try to clean yourself with a towel instead of taking a shower. I’ll check the water temperature for you. Just wait a moment.”
She then adjusted the temperature of the water and filled the bathtub since helping Cristofer clean himself would be time-consuming given his current condition. The bathroom door had been closed when Estelle entered, and as the temperature rose, the bathroom filled with steam. Cristofer’s breathing became heavy and rapid. In this high-temperature environment, his beloved woman was so close to him, making it difficult for him to stay composed.
When Estelle began to gently wipe his body with a towel, Cristofer couldn’t help but say, “I can clean my body myself except for my legs.”
“Are you sure?” Estelle looked at him and asked. “Can you reach your back by yourself? If you can, I’ll leave you to it.”
Cristofer was left speechless by her question. After a few seconds of silence, he replied, “At the very least, I can clean the front of my body myself.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the warm towel fell onto his shoulder. Estelle gently wiped his shoulder while saying, “I promised the doctor that I would help you clean your body, and I intend to keep my word.”
As her fingertips brushed against the tattoo on Cristofer’s heart, she felt his rapid heartbeat, and she paused momentarily.