The room was empty. Diego wasn’t in the room.
Mrs. Barnett panicked. She was worried about Diego’s mental state. She didn’t want her son to do anything silly.
“Find him! Find him right now!” Sam felt his heart was gonna jump out of his mouth as he bellowed.
Mrs. Barnett left the room to find her son instantly.
Linford played bowling with his friends and wife in a strip mall he owned.
Fritzi and Drew both came.
Cristelle was sitting on the couch with Candace and Cody.
She could see a couple of girls looking in Linford’s direction, giggling and talking.
If she were not here sitting with the babies, they would have come forward and asked for Linford’s phone number.
Cristelle shook her head.
Fritzi suddenly approached Cristelle, pulling her hand, “Why are you just sitting here, Cristelle? Why don’t you play with us?”
Cristelle shook her head, smiling, “I’m not good at bowling. You guys just enjoy your time. I’m actually gonna grab some snacks for the babies now.”
Cody’s arms folded before his chest. Yet his eyes fell darkly on the giggling girls standing nearby, gnawing at his Dad, “Fritzi, can I join you guys?”
“You wanna play, Cody? Let’s go!” Fritzi was thrilled.
“Mom, take care of Candace. I’ll be back soon,” Cody jumped off the couch.
Fritzi liked Cody the most. She looked happy as she held the boy’s hand and led him to the team.
At this moment, however, a message burped into Cristelle’s phone.
Cristelle picked up her phone and checked it. The color of her face changed.
Hesitant for a second, she put Candace on the tall chair, “Mommy needs to go to the toilet. You wait here and enjoy your snacks. Don’t run around alone, okay? I’ll be back soon.”
Candace was holding a bag of chips, nodding, “Go.”
Linford turned around to drink water. He happened to see Cristelle walk away. He thought she was going to the toilet and she was gonna be back soon. So he didn’t ask anything.
Cristelle got in the elevator and went directly to the wide balcony of the mall.
Diego was waiting for her in a crinkled suit. His hair was a mess, and he looked like he hadn’t shaved for days. His eyes were bloodshot, as if he was sleep-deprived.
Cristelle’s steps faltered, but she still mustered the courage to approach him, “You said you want to tell me something about my mother. What is it?”
Diego’s dull eyes lit up when he saw Cristelle, “Cristelle! You really came to see me!”
And then, the smile on his face became bitter, “If I didn’t use that excuse, you wouldn’t even come here to see me, would you?”
“I wouldn’t,” Cristelle didn’t even hesitate as she said, “Do you really have anything to tell me, or is it just another lie? I don’t want to be seen with you if you have nothing important to tell me.”
“Did our memories together worth nothing to you, Cristelle?” Diego looked desperate, “You can’t be so cruel to me.”
“You think I’m cruel?” Cristelle smiled coldly, “Do you need me to remind you what your mother did to me?”
Diego went pale, “What did she do?”
Cristelle let out a sad smile and told Diego everything. Mrs. Barnett had never been kind to her. And she had nothing to hide.
Linford was listening secretly behind the wall. He couldn’t see Cristelle’s face, but he could detect the rage churning in her chest as she told the story. Even though he had known this woman had gone through a lot, hearing all the pain and struggle from her mouth still made his heart sore.
Linford was listening intently, not aware of the small figure approaching him.
“Gosh! Cody!” Linford hissed, “You scared the hell out of me!”
Cody pressed a finger against his lips and hushed him. They both started to listen closely because Diego suddenly started to speak.
“It’s impossible. Mom and Julia told me that you slept with another man while I was away, which was why you got pregnant. She said you wanted me to think I was your children’s father.” Diego shouted as if he was out of his mind, “Why would Julia ever lie to me? Our families had been friends for years.”
“Friends?” Cristelle smiled sarcastically, “Your family was also a friend of mine. Don’t you remember that? But you guys just ran away when my parents got in trouble. Your Mom didn’t want you to know the truth because my family had fallen. You hid from me, Diego. You hid from me for ten months. You didn’t even show up to ask about the truth. I was waiting for you like an idiot. But I only got to know that you and Julia are gonna marry in the end!”
Cristelle blew a breath out of her lungs, trying to calm down, “Mr. Barnett, things can’t go back to how they used to be after what happened between you and me. I hope this is the last time we ever see each other.”
With that, she turned around and walked away.
“No! Cristelle!” Diego tried to stop her, “I tried to see you that time! I really did. But…”
“But your Mother stopped you from doing that, right? And your mother also forced you to marry Julia, right?” Cristelle rolled her eyes, “Diego, you’re such a baby because if you were a grown man, you could at least make decisions for yourself. If you really cared about me for the slightest, you would at least show up and ask me. But you didn’t. You thought I was a slut. You were positive that I was just like what your mother told you. That was why you never came to find me!” Cristelle snatched off the mask Diego was wearing. “Stop lying to yourself, Diego. You’ve never loved me.”
“No! It’s not like that! I can explain everything.” Diego cried.
He tried to hug Cristelle, but she pushed him away, “I don’t wanna hear any explanation. You could have explained it 6 years ago. Now, everything is just too late.”
With that, Cristelle walked directly into the elevator and left. She didn’t even want to spend one more minute with this man anymore.