"Why?" Esther didn't know why as she had no memory about seven years ago.
"Dad was framed by Christ, who let dad get a room in the hotel with his classmates when they were drunk, and mom asked for a divorce when she found out that. Dad refused and explained that nothing happened. But mom refused to listen to his explanation. She wanted to take us away, but Dad wouldn't let go. The final agreement is that each one of them had a child, me with dad, and mom with you. After divorce, you and mom left California, Dad lead a befuddled life and died in a car accident! I think mom hated dad, so she changed your surname to Perry. She must think it was dad who betrayed her, but that was not the case. Dad didn't cheat on her!"
"Ah..." Esther felt a pain in her heart. “Dad must love mom, so he leads a befuddled life after mom left him. But how do you know he was framed by Christ?"
"Dad died in a car accident. I couldn't find you and mom, and I couldn’t call mom. I wandered in California, Los Angeles, New York alone. I have been looking for you for a long time, but there was no single news about you. After more than a year of tossing, I was adopted by a mysterious organization and promised to serve the organization for ten years. Now, I am only able to come back to you and mom later! When I found out the truth, I found that the accident was premeditated. Father was killed by Christ. It seemed that a traffic accident was a deliberate murder. I was confirmed by the driver of that year. He admitted that he killed his father for 100,00 dollars," said Philip, who didn't cover up his identity in a mysterious organization, but didn't say too much. He looked at Esther gently.
...
"I changed my surname Howden to Howlden. After I joined the organization, I studied hard, entered Harvard, and graduated smoothly. After ten years, I came back to look for you and Mother. But I searched all over the place, but there was no one! Not long ago, I found the cause of my father's car accident and the woman who said to have sex with my father. I finally knew that nothing had happened that day. It was just a misunderstanding! What a drunk man could do? What's more, that woman was Christ's lover! Mother was too impulsive to allow the father to explain, so she missed happiness and let the four of us separate like this! "
"Ah?" Esther was so shocked hearing his words. She was also so impulsive that she missed too much because of the distrust between lovers.
"That woman is Ethel's mother, Finlay Barker. Christ framed her and our father, resulting in the divorce of mother and father in anger!"
"Where's mom?" asked Esther.
"Mom killed herself! It was miserable!" Philip said sadly.
"Ah..."
"Mother killed herself by stabbing her heart with a dagger! There was a police autopsy report, I went to investigate to get the result. The autopsy report was not very true. I don't know the reason she committed suicide and left you! You were so small. How could she bear to leave you?"
"A dagger?" This sudden news startled Esther, and thunder rang in her mind. She looked at Philip with urgent eyes and said, "Did she shed a lot of blood, a lot of blood?"
"Baby?" Philip looked at her with a pale face in surprise. How could there be no blood when a dagger was dabbed into the heart?
Esther held her head suddenly, feeling headache. “I have a headache.”
"Baby, do you think of something?" Philip asked.
"I don't know, I don't know!" She shook her head abruptly. Her mind was in a mess.
"Don't think about it! I’m glad that I could find you! Mom and dad have gone, but we won't let Christ go!" Philip held her and patted her on the shoulder. “ I think mother's death has something to do with him. I have no evidence. Don't you remember what happened before? You should remember? He brought mom and you back! And he adopted you and you grew up with Hudson!"
"He didn't adopt me. It was Hudson who took me away from the orphanage." Esther looked up abruptly. “ Then, isn't Hudson the son of our father murderer?"
My God?
The news was so shocking that she turned pale for a moment.
"If Hudson hadn't been with you for ten years, or if he hadn't spoiled you for ten years, I don't think I would have let him go!" Philip said softly, “Baby, Hudson was also helpless. Because of Christ, he lost you! The so-called Hudson adoption is also Christ's instigation. Without his instigation, how can a minor child go to the orphanage and take you away?"
"I can’t believe all this.” Esther was shocked and looked at Philip with complicated eyes.
"Esther, my little sister, I’m so glad that you’re alive. For me, as long as you are alive, I would be thrilled. The day when I first met you, I received the news that you and your mother were dead. Mother died of suicide, and you died in the fire in the orphanage. Do you know how sad I was? But later, I got the news that you are still alive. Do you know how overjoyed I was to find out that you are not dead?" Philip suddenly hugged her tightly in his arms and murmured affectionately, "Baby, I'm sorry. Forgive me for taking it so long to find you."
"Philip..." Esther embraced Philip, her hands trembling. She entangled with countless emotions as she called. “ Brother..."
"Baby…” After so many years, he finally found her. There was joy in Philip's deep eyes. It was no longer a smile that didn't reach the bottom of his eyes. It was a real smile.
"Brother," Esther called and slightly took a step back. Looking at Philip, she raised her hand to touch his handsome face again. She said in a low voice, "My brother."
"Put on your clothes first. I will give you mine to wear." Philip smiled again and got up to take his clothes from the closet.
Putting his clothes on the bed, Philip got up and went out.
Esther changed her clothes, and it was funny that the clothes were too big for her. At the thought that she might be raped, she had mixed feelings and her eyes turned red.
Opening the door, Philip stood at the door.
Looking at Esther's sad face, he frowned again.
"Philip, have I been..." Esther asked as she was not sure. Although she had no feelings, her body was full of hickeys. She felt sick and uncomfortable.
"No! Nothing happened!" Philip lied. He didn’t want to bring a shadow on her and he did not know what happened.
Esther said, shaking her head, “I passed out. I don't know what happened. I'm so scared!"
"No! I’m here for you, and I will catch the man!" Philip said softly, stepped forward, and held her in his arms. "I'll let someone get you clothes!"
"Well!" Half an hour later, Joyce came back, "Young master, he ran away!" he said.
Esther trembled.
Philip gently embraced her shoulder to warm her. “Continue to track down. Search the airport and all exits of the city. I don't believe he can run out!"
"Philip, he is a prostitute in G Bar. I once knew him. He was not like this before. He used to have long hair, but how could he become Elijah? Elijah spent five million on him!"
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: A Moment in Destiny
the writing is quite childish, but maybe it's just the translations...