Seeing Estelle lost in thought, Eva tried to change the topic. “How did your meeting with the customer go tonight? If you close a deal, I can start preparing for it tomorrow.”
Eva hoped to lift Estelle’s spirits by focusing on work. Unfortunately, everything she said seemed to remind Estelle of something frustrating. Estelle replied with a neutral expression, “Let’s not talk about it.”
“Did I say something wrong?” Eva asked, feeling embarrassed.
Estelle sighed, and her expression softened slightly. “It’s just not the right time to discuss it now.”
Eva didn’t say anything more and hurried off to help in the kitchen. Shortly afterward, Cristofer emerged from his study. Estelle had wanted to discuss his recent actions, but when she saw him struggling to walk with a cane, she decided to hold back.
As Cristofer took a seat beside her, he spoke softly, “I’m sorry. I overheard your conversation with Eva just now. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have lied about the children’s safety just to get you to come here.”
Estelle, still displeased, moved slightly away from him, but Cristofer continued with tenderness, “I heard you met Wern today. I’ve encountered him once or twice, and I know he’s a bit of a playboy who has hurt many women. I didn’t want you to get too close to him. But that doesn’t mean I want to force you to be with me. It’s just that… well, I couldn’t help feeling jealous when I heard you had dinner with him alone.”
Estelle was taken aback by his confession, and she looked at him in disbelief.
Cristofer went on, “I know I don’t even have the right to be jealous, but I couldn’t control myself. Back when we were in school, I intercepted all the letters other boys wrote to you. You can’t imagine how cheesy their words were. You were so young and hadn’t been in a relationship before, so I was afraid that you might agree to date them just because you didn’t know how to refuse them. And then I’d lose my chance. Compared to Wern, the boys at school were much easier to deal with. Wern knew how to attract women, and that terrified me.”
Cristofer’s directness caught Estelle off guard. Their recent conversations had revolved around work and the children, and the topic of their personal relationship had faded into the background. His sudden admission of jealousy left her uncertain how to respond.
With a gentle smile, Cristofer continued, “Now that Mrs. Moorsum is back, you won’t have to worry as much. She’ll be able to help with the children, allowing you to focus more on your work. I invited her to bring the children here because she missed Yohan and Yvonne a lot, and…”
“And what?” Estelle prompted.
Cristofer hesitated for a moment, then confessed with a touch of awkwardness, “And because of me. I’ve missed you.”
Estelle was taken aback and turned to look at Cristofer in surprise.
In a fluster, Cristofer hurriedly explained, “I didn’t mean to… I won’t push you into anything you don’t want. I just want to spend more time with you. I promise I won’t use the children as an excuse to trick you into coming here. I promise.”
Estelle found Cristofer’s unusual humility a bit strange. She pondered, ‘Cristofer, you’ve always been confident and composed as if you’re in control of everything since we first met. Even when Victor tried to come between us, you remained calm and planned your way through. But now, you seem anxious and concerned. What’s going on?’
“I get it,” Estelle assured him. “You don’t have to explain. I understand.”
Cristofer felt a bit relieved that she wasn’t angry. He continued, “Actually, I’ve decided to give you more space. You can live your life as you wish, as long as you’re happy. I thought I wouldn’t be sad as long as you weren’t around me frequently. But then you came here and took care of the children…”
Estelle confessed, “I… I was the reason Victor had escaped punishment, and I was afraid you’d be angry…”
“I was angry. How could you not recognize me after all these years? But what hurt me more was that you could tell Victor apart from me and still chose to help him. I knew you disliked me, but it still pained me.”
“Cristofer, have you been drinking?”
“No.”
“You’re quite talkative today.”
Cristofer chuckled, “Yeah, I guess I am. Sorry.”
“No need to apologize.”
“It doesn’t matter. Actually, nothing really matters. I just thought maybe we could finally have a chance to talk. Now that you’re here, we should have an open conversation. It would be better than living in constant uncertainty and second-guessing each other.”
While Estelle remained silent, Cristofer continued, “Estelle, you know what I want to say. I just want you to know that I won’t stand in your way, and I won’t be an obstacle to your goals. But if you ever feel tired and need a break, I hope I can be your refuge, at least one of them. Will you consider me as your first choice?”
Estelle hesitated, biting her lips, and her nose twitched with emotion.
“You don’t need to give me an answer right away. I just wanted to express my feelings,” Cristofer said gently, changing the subject. “You know how amazing Mrs. Moorsum’s cooking is. If you’re feeling down, maybe eating something delicious will help lift your spirits.”
They walked downstairs together, with Estelle leading the way. She glanced back to check on Cristofer, making sure he walked steadily.
In the dining room, Mrs. Moorsum was waiting anxiously. She greeted them warmly, “Mr. Hans, Estelle, please come in and join us for dinner. The ravioli is ready, and I’ve prepared some of Estelle’s favorite dishes.”
The children eagerly headed to the dining room upon hearing about the ravioli. Eva, who had just come out of the dining room with Mrs. Moorsum, managed to catch them and guide them to the bathroom to wash their hands.
Seeing the cheerful children made Estelle feel better, and she didn’t want to be rude to Mrs. Moorsum. So, she agreed, “Okay, we’ll come now. I haven’t had such delicious ravioli since I left. It just didn’t taste right no matter how I tried to cook it.”
Mrs. Moorsum looked proud of her cooking skills and said, “It’s not too hard. The secret is in the filling. If you’re interested, I can teach you how to make it sometime.”
Estelle hesitated and replied, “Well, I’ve been quite busy lately. Maybe we can do it another day.” She thought to herself, ‘It’s already getting late. If I start learning to make ravioli after dinner, I might end up staying here again tonight.’