Chapter 3 Chapter 3: Is It Blood?
It all happened in a sudden way. When Estelle realized what actually had happened, Cristofer screamed to split up with her and smashed all the glass bottles in front of her. The paper stars in the bottles scattered on the floor and got crushed by him mercilessly.
“Estelle Hudson, get out of my sight! I don’t want to see you again!” He stressed each syllable as he pointed at her nose, with his eyes reddened with rage.
By then, Cristofer was 23 years old. He lost his parents and his family business; there was nothing left. Meanwhile, the 20-year-old Estelle found herself pregnant.
Cristofer’s hatred scared Estelle. Afraid that he could not accept her pregnancy, she went abroad without leaving a note and gave birth to the child. She planned to explain to him when he calmed down that she knew nothing about the “conspiracy,” but things went beyond her expectations.
What was worse, an accident during delivery resulted in the child being born with a serious disease and having to stay in the ICU. Panicked, she decided to ask Cristofer for help, thinking that he would save the child. However, to her astonishment, she saw another woman leaning against his chest when she arrived at his office.
That woman was Gretchen Abrams.
It was said that Gretchen had accompanied him through his darkest time.
It was said that Cristofer regarded Gretchen as the light of his life and treasured her dearly.
It was said that, with Gretchen’s encouragement, he rose like a dark horse and elevated his business within merely two years to a level enough to compete with the Hudsons.
It was said that they were preparing for their wedding.
However, it was Estelle who had the marriage license with Cristofer. Legally, Cristofer was married, and Estelle was his wife. Therefore, Gretchen could not be a rightful bride.
During the four years of being Mrs. Hans, Cristofer had forced Estelle to sign the divorce settlement repeatedly. But she refused every time.
She always thought that since they had once been in love, she could wait for the truth to be uncovered and for him to return to her. However, four years later, what came back to her was not him but a notification of lung cancer.
Memories crowded her head and caused a sudden stabbing pain in her chest. Then, again, Estelle was overcome by a terrible fit of coughing.
This time, there was more blood. The crimson liquid spurted out of her mouth and stained the pure white sheet.
“What’s wrong with you?” Cristofer noticed her quivering.
Heart softened, she burst into tears, “Cristofer, I… I have something important to tell you. I’m sick.”
Cristofer interrupted her with a sneer, “Don’t tell me you’re going to die, or I would celebrate it. If you die, I don’t even need a divorce. A widower like me could marry Gretchen anytime.”
Estelle was too desperate to say a word, but she failed.
He asked, “What else do you want to say?”
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
At this moment, Cristofer seemed to notice something on the sheet.
Estelle scrambled to cover the red stain and pretended as if nothing had happened.
“What’s that?” He walked over, threw her to another side, and studied the redness.
“Is it blood?”
Estelle bit her lip and clenched her fists to bear the twinge.
Cristofer surveyed her with contempt, pointed at the blood, and asked sarcastically, “You even had your hymen repaired just for tonight?”
Estelle curled up her lips and smiled wryly.
By the moonlight, her shadow stretched long on the floor.
Tortured by the illness for days, she had become very skinny, and even the color of her shadow seemed to be lighter than before.
Cristofer asked, “Where were you during the day?”
She looked up. “You’re expressing your concern about me?”
“Of course not. I asked my lawyer, Mr. Jones, to talk to you about the divorce terms. He said you weren’t home.”
“I went to the hospital.”
“For what?”
“Having my hymen repaired. You already know that, don’t you?” She only validated his assumption, but it was purely a lie that she had to fabricate.
“Estelle Hudson, I’ve never really understood you. If you wanted our fortune, it would be all yours after we got married. So why bother murdering my parents? They were so nice to you and treated you like their daughter. I would give you all you wanted, and so would they because I was their only child. But why… why did you fool us all like that? You fooled me for such a long time just to obtain our possessions?”
“Cristofer, will you believe me if I say that I didn’t know anything about the ‘plot’?”
He shook his head. “Do you think I will believe you? My parents died, and I lost everything. When I was totally defeated, I drank day after day. And I nearly drank myself to death! What about your family? They took this excellent chance to possess all our properties. As for you, you disappeared, and I haven’t heard from you ever since. How could I believe you?”
“Cristofer…”
He continued, “If Gretchen hadn’t appeared in my life, encouraged me, and gone through those dark days with me, I might have become a penniless loser as you wished.”
“Fortunately, I made it through, and I won’t allow myself to make the same mistake again.”
Estelle wore a sad smile. Thoughts were screaming inside her head, but she silently choked them all.
So, I’m the “mistake,” aren’t I?
It seems that you will not trust me or love me anymore.
She licked her lips and asked, “Cristofer, what is Gretchen like?”
Hearing that, a trace of tenderness climbed on his face. “She is clever, kind, and gentle. She always gets me.”
“Does she love you?”
“Sure.”
Estelle nodded with slight satisfaction. “That’s good.”
If she loves you, then I’m relieved.
I’m glad to know that a good woman can replace me and accompany you after I leave.
Now that you will live a happy life, I can leave the world without any regret.
I will wait and die quietly out of your sight and will not cause you any trouble.