Chapter 471 Chapter 471: I’d Never Leave You
Cristofer was surprised by this, even in his dazed state. He managed a slight smile and half-opened his eyes, saying, “Estelle, I dreamt that you promised to be with me for the rest of your life when I was in bed.”
Estelle lifted her head and gazed at the familiar face, asking gently, “What did you say in the dream?”
Cristofer replied, “I said I’d never leave you as long as you want me.”
Estelle was shocked. She thought, ‘Mr. Mysterious used those same words with me countless times. So, Mr. Mysterious is really Cristofer...’
Tears welled up in her eyes suddenly, blurring her vision.
“Estelle, you promised never to leave me,” Cristofer reminded her.
Estelle couldn’t find her words as she looked at him.
Cristofer’s sadness returned, and he said, “But you also said you’d love me as long as I’m not Cristofer.”
“Estelle, I don’t want to be Cristofer anymore. I’m ready to give up everything for you. I just want to leave with you and the children and start a peaceful life abroad. I don’t want to be Cristofer. I just want to be your... your…”
Cristofer couldn’t finish his words; he was too exhausted to speak. He leaned heavily on Estelle, making it difficult for her to support him.
Thankfully, the male doctors from the emergency room quickly came to help. The nurse prepared a bed, and together with the doctor, they carefully moved Cristofer onto it.
Cristofer had his eyes closed, struggling to breathe, but he held tightly onto Estelle’s hand.
One of the doctors told Estelle, “Mrs. Hans, please comfort him. We need to put him on a respirator.”
Estelle nodded and stood by the bedside, leaning against the wall to avoid getting in the doctors’ way.
Cristofer, with a furrowed brow and labored breath, clung to her hand, afraid she’d leave if he let go.
The doctor explained, “He’s suffering from pulmonary hemorrhage, and a broken rib has punctured his lung. He needs surgery urgently.”
Estelle asked quickly, “What should I do now?”
The doctor instructed, “Put on sterile clothes and stay here with him.” The nurse handed Estelle the sterile clothes she’d prepared.
Cristofer held Estelle’s hand so tightly that she couldn’t free herself. She had to coax him for a while before he reluctantly let go. Once she donned the sterile clothes, Cristofer reached out again, unable to open his eyes due to weakness, his hand grasping the air.
Estelle quickly zipped up the sterile clothes and held Cristofer’s hand, calming him down and bringing a smile of satisfaction to his face.
The surgery took nearly ten hours, leaving the doctors exhausted and with a sheen of sweat on their foreheads.
“Mrs. Hans, Mr. Hans will need to remain in bed for at least three months. He’ll require daily care during this time. Are you prepared for this?” one of the doctors informed her.
“Three months?” Estelle asked, surprised.
“Yes, at least three months. Given his condition, with multiple fractures and significant blood loss, it’s remarkable he even had the strength to make it here in the first place,” the doctor explained.
Estelle apologized with a grateful smile, saying, “I’m truly sorry, Doctor...”
The doctor reassured her, “It’s alright. Thankfully, Mr. Hans is now out of danger. We’ll transfer him to the ward shortly, and the nurse will provide you with postoperative care instructions.”
“Okay. Thank you so much.”
Cristofer was moved to the ward a few minutes later, sleeping peacefully.
“Mrs. Hans, here are Mr. Hans’ clothes and personal belongings,” the nurse said, handing them to Estelle.
“Thank you,” Estelle replied, accepting them from the nurse.
A night had passed, and Cristofer’s clothes were still soaked and dripping with water.
Estelle wondered, ‘How long was Cristofer out in the rain?’ She brought the clothes closer to her nose and detected the scent of blood and tobacco. ‘He’s been smoking again,’ Estelle thought.
Suddenly, her phone rang, displaying an unknown number. She answered, “Hello?”
“Mrs. Hans, I’m Mr. Hans’ assistant, Vincent. I’ve tried reaching Mr. Hans all night but couldn’t get through. Is he with you?” Vincent asked.
“Yes, he’s in the hospital now. He had an accident,” Estelle replied.
“Who hurt him? Was it Mr. Lopez?” Vincent questioned.
“I’m not sure. When I found him, he was covered in injuries. But don’t worry, the doctors operated on him, and he’s out of danger,” Estelle reassured.
Vincent audibly sighed in relief and then expressed his frustration, “It’s got to be Mr. Lopez. He just won’t let Mr. Hans go!”
“Do you think Mr. Lopez is responsible for Cristofer’s injuries last night?”
“It’s just my guess, but it’s highly likely. He’s done something like this before. When he realized he couldn’t completely control Mr. Hans, he tried to harm him...”
“What? Are you saying Mr. Lopez hurt Cristofer before?” Estelle asked, surprised.
Realizing he had shared sensitive information, Vincent felt remorseful and explained the relationship between Nelson and Cristofer, saying, “Mr. Lopez is a determined and suspicious man. He owned a large business but had no children, so he was looking for a capable and trustworthy heir. When he met Mr. Hans, he was impressed by his abilities and wisdom, so he went to great lengths to groom Mr. Hans as his successor.”
Upon hearing this, Estelle pieced things together and asked, “So Mr. Lopez had someone run over into Cristofer three years ago, right? Did Cristofer have the accident on the way to the airport?” She recalled a conversation between Cristofer and Nelson a few days ago at Nelson’s place.
Vincent was unsure how to respond. He hesitated, saying, “He...”
“Cristofer is Mr. Mysterious, isn’t he?” Estelle asked, her lower lip tightly bitten as she awaited his confirmation.
“Mrs. Hans, he...” Vincent hesitated again.
“Alright, just answer one question. Does Cristofer have a driver named Ron?” Estelle pressed.
“...Yes,” Vincent confirmed.
“Where is he now?” Estelle asked immediately.
With a sigh, Vincent said in a somber tone, “Mrs. Hans, now that you’ve figured it out, I won’t hide anything from you. Mr. Hans asked me not to reveal the truth to you. But I can’t bear to see him suffer any longer. You’re correct. Mr. Hans is Mr. Mysterious. He didn’t dare to tell you
because he knew you’d be disappointed and might not accept this fact. He didn’t want to shatter the ideal image of Mr. Mysterious you hold in your heart.”
“So, he approached me as Mr. Mysterious because...” Estelle trailed off, wanting to know more.
“At that time, he didn’t even realize he was Mr. Mysterious. He struggled with mental issues before. By the way, he has a psychiatrist named Dr. Cruise. I didn’t have much information about Mr. Hans’ condition, but Dr. Cruise did. You can contact him if you want to know more, and he’ll provide the answers.”