Chapter 522 Chapter 522: People Change
Cristofer noticed her gaze and hastily covered the tattoo with his shirt, sternly saying, “Leave!”
Despite his words, Estelle remained in place, her emotions swirling. She asked softly, “When did you get that tattoo?”
“I can’t recall,” Cristofer replied, trying to put on his shirt quickly but getting tangled up in it due to his anxiety.
Estelle stared at Cristofer silently, and suddenly, her eyes were filled with tears. In a hushed tone, she said, “I’ve never seen this tattoo before.”
Cristofer, overwhelmed by embarrassment and anger, quickly smoothed out his shirt and put it on. He pointed towards the bathroom door as his voice quivered, “Get out of here. I don’t want to see you right now. Leave!”
Since living with Estelle under one roof, Cristofer had consistently maintained a cold attitude and spoken harsh words to Estelle. However, even at his angriest moments, he couldn’t help softening his tone when he lost his temper, unable to be too cruel. Estelle had grown accustomed to his distant behavior and never considered leaving him.
With a stern expression, Cristofer glanced at her from the corner of his eye after uttering those words.
Estelle didn’t heed his command and moved closer to him, her eyes and nose rimmed with redness, resembling a gentle rabbit, as she asked, “When did you get the tattoo?”
Cristofer was dazed by her lovely look and forgot to speak for a moment. Wrenching his mind back to the present, he turned his face away and said, “It has nothing to do with you.”
“You’ve got my nickname tattooed on your chest, and now you’re saying it has nothing to do with me? Cristofer, do you really expect me to believe that? Can’t you just be honest?” Estelle asked, standing before him with her eyes red and teary. Her eyes were stunning, with dark pupils framed by remarkably long lashes. When she blinked, pearly tears rolled from her eyes.
Seeing her like this, Cristofer's heart softened, and his anger slowly subsided. However, the embarrassment and confusion of having his secret discovered lingered. He softened his voice and explained, “You’re overthinking this. Why would it have anything to do with you?”
Estelle remained silent, thinking that his excuse didn’t sound convincing at all.
Perhaps Cristofer also sensed the weakness of his explanation, so he composed himself and continued, “As you can see, I’m perfectly fine. You can leave now. I’ve made many mistakes in the past, and I got this tattoo to remind myself of those mistakes. It doesn’t carry any other meaning.”
“Fine? Then why haven’t you started your shower?” Estelle asked bluntly.
“If you hadn’t barged in, I would be in the shower by now,” Cristofer stubbornly replied, “I was just slow in taking off my clothes. I’m injured, and the doctor advised me to be cautious during showers.”
“Alright,” Estelle said with a nod. She tied her long hair in a ponytail and rolled up her sleeves. She had worried that insisting on helping Cristofer with his shower would irritate him, but now all her concerns had vanished because she was sure that Cristofer still cared for her. She understood that he had been rejecting her due to the past pain she had caused him six months ago.
‘It doesn’t matter if he can’t accept me right now. He used to chase and love me with all his heart. It’s my turn to take the initiative,’ Estelle thought. After taking a deep breath, she extended her hand and said, “Pass me the plastic wrap and take off your trousers. I’ll wrap your legs for you.”
Her words left Cristofer momentarily stunned, and he blushed crimson. Trying to appear composed, he responded, “I don’t need your help. I can handle it myself.”
Feeling embarrassed to remove his trousers with Estelle standing there, he urged her, “I’m going to take off my trousers. Why are you still here? Why don’t you leave? Give me some privacy. If I need help, I’ll call for you.”
Seeing that Cristofer wouldn’t be easily persuaded, Estelle demonstrated her determination through her actions. The next moment, she unbuttoned his damp shirt, removed it, and tossed it into the laundry basket. Cristofer realized he was now half-naked. As Estelle gazed at the tattoo on his chest, he sighed in resignation and asked, “You’ve already seen it, haven’t you? Do you really need to look at it again?”
“Yes,” Estelle replied calmly, her cheeks slightly flushed. “I want to examine it closely.” She delicately touched the tattoo with her fingertips as she spoke, treating it like a precious treasure.
‘Cristofer, you’ve lost a lot of weight, and your chest is less muscular than before,’ Estelle thought. She couldn’t fathom what Cristofer had endured during his days in prison.
Cristofer froze when he felt Estelle standing close to him and touching him. His heart skipped a beat. The next moment, Estelle’s hands moved to his waist.
Struggling to maintain his composure, Cristofer clenched his teeth and said, “Stop it. You’ve crossed a line. If you’ve forgotten what I said earlier, I don’t mind repeating it. Get out and stay away from me!”
However, his words were brushed aside because Estelle knew he was faking coldness. She was unaffected by his words and continued to unbuckle his belt.
“Can’t you cooperate a bit?” Estelle struggled to unbuckle Cristofer's belt for a while and eventually removed it from the belt loops.
Sitting steadily in the chair, Cristofer held onto the handrails on both sides, showing no intention of cooperating. “If you find it troublesome, you can leave. It’s easier for me to handle it myself.”
Hearing his response, Estelle observed him for a moment, and then an idea came to her. “Hold on, I’ve got an idea.” With that, she hurried out of the bathroom without explaining her plan to Cristofer.
Cristofer thought, ‘I should lock the door before she returns.’ However, just as he was about to stand up, Estelle rushed back into the bathroom unexpectedly, holding a pair of scissors. She spoke casually, “Since you don’t want to cooperate, I’ll cut your trousers. You have plenty of them, so it won’t be a big deal if one gets ruined.”
Cristofer was taken aback and asked, “Since when did you become like this?”
“As you said, people change.”
“What caused this change? Is it Victor?” Cristofer asked gloomily.
To clear up his misunderstanding about her relationship with Victor, Estelle said, “I have nothing to do with Victor.” After a pause, she added, “I had no choice but to lie to the police back then. Let me explain…”
“No need. I don’t want to listen to your explanation,” Cristofer interrupted her.