Chapter 573 Chapter 573: It’s Not Your Fault
“What? Me?” Vincent hesitated, thinking this might be a chance for Estelle and Cristofer to reconcile since she was already by his side. He didn’t want to get involved but couldn’t ignore his boss’s request, so he acted like he didn’t understand Cristofer.
Cristofer, frustrated, muttered, “Is there another Vincent around here?”
Vincent regretted not leaving the room earlier and reluctantly grabbed a trash can and used a tissue as a shield while picking up the broken cup pieces and cleaning the spilled coffee.
Cristofer seethed with anger at Vincent’s actions, thinking, ‘Vincent, you’re really pushing it today.’ He sighed and said patiently, “I didn’t ask you to clean the floor; I needed help with the scald.”
Estelle, assuming Cristofer didn’t want her help, put down her hands and started cleaning the desk with a tissue. She told Vincent, “Let me clean the desk. You can help him.”
Vincent quickly shook his head and raised his hands. “No, Mrs. Hans. I doubt Mr. Hans would want me touching his legs. He’s a bit of a neat freak, and my hands are dirty now.” He felt the cold atmosphere around Cristofer and wisely decided to remain quiet.
Estelle had finished cleaning the desk by this point. After tossing the tissue in the trash can, she firmly instructed Vincent, “Please tell Luke to find a new pair of pants for him and some burn ointment. Leave the rest to me.”
Vincent hurriedly left the room, almost colliding with the stair guardrails in his haste. Finally, the room fell silent after Vincent’s departure.
In embarrassment, Estelle and Cristofer exchanged uncertain glances, unsure of what to say next.
Cristofer asked in a hoarse voice a while later, finally breaking the ice, “How are you doing recently?”
“I’m doing great,” Estelle answered. Then she said, “But you don’t look good.” After saying that, she took a deep breath and reached her hands to Cristofer’s belt. She wanted to loosen his belt first to see how the scald was. But before she touched the belt, Cristofer grabbed her hands. He said awkwardly, “I can do this. Give me my walking stick.”
“Cristofer, can you stop worrying about these trivial things? You know better than me how hot the coffee was. Your legs haven’t recovered yet. If you don’t let me help you treat your wound now, your legs might not be able to fully recover. Do you want to sit in the wheelchair and use the walking stick forever?”
Though irritated by her, Cristofer didn’t know how to retort her. He then repeated, “I can do it by myself.”
Sensing his stubbornness, Estelle looked down but still couldn’t help but say, “If you can really do it by yourself, why didn’t you dodge the coffee cup when you knocked it down?”
In her memories, Cristofer was one of the sharpest and most agile men she had known. Back when they were students, they often strolled hand in hand around the playground during lunch breaks. Sometimes, other students accidentally kicked a football in their direction, but Cristofer swiftly shielded her and kicked the ball back effortlessly. However, now he struggled even to avoid a coffee cup because his legs were still recovering, making him less agile.
As Estelle reminisced, Cristofer observed her carefully and noticed her eyes welling up. He whispered, “It’s not your fault. You don’t have to blame yourself for this.”
He lowered his hands and turned away, adding, “I felt a bit embarrassed because I didn’t wear long-john pants today.”
Estelle was taken aback by Cristofer’s words, her face and neck turning crimson. She wished she could disappear at that moment. To her surprise, Cristofer turned back and made eye contact with her. She wasn’t sure whether to change the subject or simply act as if she hadn’t heard him.
The tension in the air grew clear, and eventually, Cristofer broke the silence by saying, “Let’s just pretend you didn’t hear that.”
However, due to his injury, Cristofer couldn’t move smoothly, and Estelle couldn’t bear to watch him struggle any longer. She reached out and placed her hands on his belt.
Cristofer exclaimed in surprise, “Estelle, you…” but Estelle remained silent, unsure of what to say, and concentrated on caring for Cristofer. Fortunately, she moved smoothly, and this wasn’t the first time she had loosened Cristofer’s belt.
When they first started dating, they were passionate, and Cristofer sometimes guided her hand to his belt. Initially, he held her hand and taught her how to unbuckle it, but as Estelle became more skilled, he only needed to close his eyes and enjoy her touch.
Thinking of the past, Estelle gritted her teeth and swiftly unbuckled his belt. With a click, she tossed the belt onto a chair and pulled up the hem of his shirt.
To break the awkward silence, Cristofer mentioned, “Vincent told me you participated in the kindergarten family activity with the children.”
“Yes, it was yesterday,” Estelle replied. Aware that Cristofer might feel discomfort due to his legs, she tried to be gentle and asked, “Does it hurt? Please let me know if I pull too hard.”
Cristofer didn’t want her to feel guilty, so he quickly reassured her, “No, it doesn’t hurt at all.” He appeared tense, feeling guilty for what had happened and wanting to avoid upsetting Estelle.
Unfazed at this point, Estelle proceeded to pull down Cristofer’s pants, wanting to demonstrate her determination. However, she halted abruptly when she noticed the red skin on his lap.
The weather had been warm lately, and Cristofer tended to sweat easily due to his limited mobility. Therefore, he wore lightweight clothing. The hot coffee had quickly soaked through the pants and burned his skin.
Estelle carefully retrieved a tissue and began wiping away the coffee from his skin. When her fingers brushed over the scar from his car accident surgery, she moved with utmost gentleness, murmuring, “Are you sure it doesn’t hurt? You can tell me if it does.”
“It... really doesn’t hurt,” Cristofer assured her.
When Cristofer stuttered, Estelle smiled, but her smile quickly faded as she couldn’t find joy in the situation anymore, seeing his injury. “Stay here for a moment. I’ll go find another pair of pants for you.” She hurriedly made her way to the door.
Outside the room, Vincent had the burn ointment and had been listening to their conversation. He quickly retreated, relieved that Estelle hadn’t noticed him, as she was only focused on her concern for Cristofer. Knowing that Cristofer must be feeling embarrassed and uneasy without pants in the study room, Estelle rushed to their bedroom, looking for a pair of shorts Cristofer usually wore, and returned swiftly.