Estelle asked in confusion, “But…. Shouldn’t the husband and wife be honest with each other? Dad loved you so much but still lied to you….”
“I looked into them later and found that his parents introduced that girl to him. She was a nice woman. After that, your dad met me…..” Aurora was shy when talking about her story. She coughed to save herself from awkwardness. Then she continued, “I was angry with your dad for quite a long time. But we still loved each other and spent our life together. And we had you.”
Estelle looked at her mother in confusion. She felt Aurora wanted to say something to her, but she didn’t understand it.
“Your dad told me I was sensitive and fragile and couldn’t stand any flaws in our relationship. He wanted to tell me about his romantic history, but he was afraid I would leave and take you away after he told me, so he hid his history. He felt guilty for that and helped my brother a lot to make up for me.”
At a loss for words, Estelle looked away.
“Estelle, I only want to ask you one thing. Do you think Cristofer still loves you?”
Estelle looked up at Aurora and nodded.
“Well, you know he loves you, and that’s enough,” Aurora concluded, sighing.
“Mom.”
“I know there is something that keeps bothering you. I know it.”
Lowering her head, Estelle slowly put her arms around Aurora’s waist. “Mom, it’s not that I don’t want to forgive him. I don’t know how to face him. We both have changed a lot after so many things happened. He owes me something, and I owe him something. It’s too complicated. I don’t even know how to stay with him.”
“Didn’t you help him shower when he was injured?”
“That was because….”
“Because?”
“Because he got injured when he saved me. I couldn’t leave him alone.”
With a smile, Aurora touched Estelle’s hair, saying, “You are my only daughter, so I will always support you no matter what you decide to do. But I hope you can be happy.”
“…”
“I told you this story because I want you to let the bygones be bygones, and we should learn to move on. We can’t let what happened in the past influence the present and the future. You are still very young and have dozens of years ahead of you. As long as you still love each other, there’s nothing to be sad about.”
Then Estelle buried her head into Aurora’s soft belly.
“Okay. You should go to sleep. All right?” Estelle nodded and mumbled, “Okay.”
Yvonne left the room door open, letting warm light spill out. The two children, Christina and Yohan, sneaked into a corner to eavesdrop on Estelle and Aurora’s conversation. When Estelle mentioned taking them to Cristofer’s house, Christina got excited and shouted, “Awesome! We can see Dad tomorrow!”
Yohan wanted to stop Christina from revealing their eavesdropping, but it was too late. Estelle and Aurora heard them and came outside. They turned on the light and discovered the children hiding in the corner.
Yohan awkwardly explained, “Sorry, mom, grandma. We were just checking on Yvonne.”
Christina, still in her pajamas, quickly explained, “Yvonne had a bad dream and went outside, so I woke Yohan up.”
Yvonne stood silently beside them, at a loss for words.
Aurora gently pinched Yvonne’s cheek and told Yohan, “Alright, take Yvonne and Christina to their room.”
Yohan then turned to Estelle with hopeful eyes. “Mom, can we get up early tomorrow to meet Dad and have breakfast with him before school?”
With all three children pleading, Estelle couldn’t say no. She sighed, “Okay, as long as you go to sleep now and wake up early tomorrow. But don’t blame me if I have to wake you up abruptly.”
The three children remembered how Estelle once tickled them to wake them up, and they laughed as they ran away.
But as the laughter faded, the room became quiet, and a sense of solemnity filled the air. Estelle watched her children walk away, her smile fading. She wanted to be a good mother, but sometimes she couldn’t provide everything her children desired, and that weighed on her with guilt.
The next morning, the three children woke up early without Estelle having to urge them.
Estelle took a taxi to the Hans’ Residence since her car needed fuel, ensuring she wouldn’t run out of gas during her visit.
Upon arrival at the residence gate, Luke noticed them and enthusiastically greeted them. “Good morning, Estelle! Mr. Hans, Estelle, and the children are here!”
His loud voice drew the servants’ attention and caught the eyes of Vincent and Cristofer, who were in the study room. Vincent had arrived early to get Cristofer to sign an urgent document, and their timing coincided with Estelle’s visit. As Cristofer looked out the window, he noticed Estelle talking to Luke, with the three children nearby, animatedly recounting their recent experiences. It was a heartwarming sight.
After watching for a moment, Vincent glanced at his computer screen, which displayed an unchanged webpage. He knew Cristofer wouldn’t waste time scolding him, so he playfully asked, “Mr. Hans, do you want to go downstairs and join them?”
Cristofer replied, “No,” but his gaze remained fixed on the scene outside. When Luke guided Estelle and the children into the house, Cristofer continued to hold the document in his hand.
Then, suddenly, Vincent leaned out and shouted, “Be careful, Mrs. Hans!”
Startled, Cristofer jumped to his feet. “What happened?” He was in such a hurry that he forgot to grab his walking stick as he rushed toward the staircase, only to find Estelle standing safely and looking up at him.
They were both surprised when their eyes met. A few seconds later, Vincent’s weak voice came. “Watch out for the cold weather….”
Estelle frowned in confusion, but Cristofer immediately realized what Vincent was doing. He thought to himself, ‘Since when did you have the nerve to trick me like that, Vincent? It’s not funny.’
With that in mind, Cristofer turned around and glared at Vincent, who touched the tip of his nose and chuckled. And then he ran downstairs while saying to Estelle,” Mrs. Hans, it must be cold outside in the early morning. I will make a cup of tea for you to help you warm up.”
Before Estelle realized what was happening on the second floor, Vincent had already run away to make tea for her. And Cristofer froze there, pursing his lips.
Then Estelle looked at Luke and said, “Good morning. How have you been recently? The kids really missed you and always said they wanted to play with you. I guess their wish finally comes true this time.”