“Estelle, if you want to be with him for the rest of your life, then I... I will disappear from your life,” Cristofer said and waited for Estelle’s reply.
However, Estelle didn’t say anything. And there was a long silence in the car.
After a long silence, Estelle’s voice finally emerged from the back seat, resonating with a deep tone. “Good.”
****
“Fortunately, the incision is nearly healed, and the lung X-ray shows no other issues. Once you return home, make sure to get plenty of rest,” the doctor remarked while examining the X-ray. “Miss Hudson, you underwent lung surgery, correct?”
“Yes, I had lung cancer, and a portion of my lung was removed during the surgery,” Estelle confirmed.
“It has been a while since your surgery. It’s advisable to undergo a follow-up physical examination. Additionally, you should schedule regular checkups in the future. Here’s your prescription. You can proceed to the physical examination now,” the doctor stated, extending the prescription to Estelle.
However, Estelle hesitated and refrained from taking it. She didn’t dare to.
‘I can’t have the physical examination. If the examination result showed that my cancer cells have metastasized, my hard-won good life would come to an end,’ she thought.
Seeing her expression, the doctor knew what she was thinking about, so he comforted her in a gentle voice, “Miss Hudson, you need an examination to confirm whether you are in good condition. Don’t worry. You look good now.”
Estelle still didn’t move.
After a while, Cristofer reached out to take the prescription and helped her walk out of the doctor’s office.
“I don’t want to undergo the physical examination,” Estelle expressed. “I want to go home. The children are still waiting for me.”
Cristofer put the prescription in her hand and said gently, “Estelle, it’s up to you whether to have a checkup or not.”
Finally, Estelle decided not to have the physical examination.
She didn’t want to know her condition at all and would rather pretend that she was healthy all the time.
It was difficult for her to live a peaceful and happy life. Therefore, she didn’t want anything to ruin it.
After leaving the hospital, she didn’t let Cristofer drive her home. Instead, she took a taxi.
“Sir, please take me to Rose Garden,” she said to the driver after getting into the taxi.
“Okay.”
“Sir, may I borrow your phone? My handbag was robbed. I want to contact my family so that I can pay the fare when I arrive at the destination.”
What she said made the driver unable to refuse her at all.
The driver then had no choice but to hand his phone to Estelle reluctantly.
“Thank you.” Estelle took the phone and dialed Mr. Mysterious’ number.
However, to her surprise, she couldn’t get through.
‘Why didn’t he answer the phone? Generally speaking, whenever I call him or text him, he will answer the phone or reply to me at once.’
‘Is he busy at the moment? Or perhaps he didn’t answer the phone because he’s unfamiliar with the driver’s number?’ Estelle wondered.
“Miss, you will pay the fare, right?” the driver asked tentatively, looking at her from the rearview mirror.
Estelle explained in a hurry, “I’ll pay the fare. I’m sorry, Sir. My friend may be busy now. I’ll call him again.”
After saying that, she called Mr. Mysterious again. However, Mr. Mysterious still didn’t answer the phone.
Estelle couldn’t help becoming flustered.
“Your friend didn’t answer the phone?” the driver said with his face full of doubts, “You can try to call someone else and let them pay your fare.”
Estelle immediately thought of Rebecca and called her.
This time, the phone was quickly picked up.
“Hello?” A man’s lazy voice came from the other end of the line.
Hearing the voice, Estelle was stunned and then looked at the phone screen to see if she had dialed the wrong number.
After ensuring she didn’t call the wrong person, she confusedly asked, “Excuse me, may I talk to Rebecca?”
The man on the other end of the phone seemed to have just woken up and was still drowsy. And it was not until he heard Estelle’s voice that he was wide awake. “Miss Hudson?”
“Yes, this is Estelle. You are... Justin?”
Before Justin could say anything, Rebecca, who was woken by him, mumbled in a sleepy voice, “You are so noisy. Go out if you want to talk on the phone.”
Hearing her voice, Estelle looked out of the car window.
It was already dusk, but it was not dark yet.
“Ahem. Excuse me, Miss Hudson. Please wait a moment,” Justin said, feeling embarrassed.
“Okay,” Estelle said.
Soon, she heard the rustling sound of Justin putting on his clothes. After that, the sound of the door being opened and then closed came from the other end of the line.
“Miss Hudson, are you still there?”
“Yes.”
Justin’s voice sounded clearer than before. “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. Rebecca... didn’t sleep last night. I want her to sleep a little longer. Tell me if you need anything, and I will also help you.”
As a grown-up, Estelle certainly knew what Justin meant by “Rebecca didn’t sleep last night.”
“Mr. Roberts did you... did you reconcile with Rebecca?” she asked with curiosity.
Hearing this, Justin chuckled and replied, “You could say that. She won’t leave me until she gathers all the information you’re seeking about Mr. Mysterious. Miss Hudson, I owe you gratitude. Thanks to you, I have the opportunity to be with Rebecca once again.”
Estelle nodded. “But Rebecca doesn’t want to get married. Will your parents accept it if you two don’t get married?”
On this matter, Justin was quite open-minded.
“If she doesn’t want to get married, then we won’t get married. If she doesn’t want to have a child, then we won’t have a child. I’ll respect all her decisions. Besides, I’m not the only son of the Roberts family. My younger brother Tim will get married in the future and give birth to the successor to our family.”
“I see.”
“By the way, Miss Hudson, why are you calling Rebecca?” Justin inquired.
“Well, I had my handbag stolen, and I’m calling to ask if I can borrow some money to pay for the taxi fare,” Estelle admitted, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Justin immediately said, “How much money do you need? I’ll transfer it to you right now.”
“My phone was also robbed. It’s in my handbag.”
Justin paused momentarily and asked, “So, you can only pay in cash? Have you contacted Mr. Mysterious?”
“Yes. I called him, but I couldn’t get through. Maybe he didn’t want to answer the phone because he is unfamiliar with the driver’s number.”
“He didn’t answer the phone? How could it be? You are the only person who knows that number...” Justin, who suddenly realized that he almost spilled the beans, changed the topic at once and said, “Don’t worry, Miss Hudson. You live in Rose Garden now, right? I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.”
“Okay. Thank you, Justin,” Estelle sighed slightly and said.
“Don’t mention it. See you later.”
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