Hansel ordered a bottle of vodka and poured himself one drink after another.
Seeing this, Calvin hurriedly tried to stop him. “Hans, this alcohol is really strong. You should slow down!” He was worried that Hansel might end up in the hospital again.
However, Hansel ignored his advice. He held the glass in his hand as he spoke, “Where’s your phone? Give it to me.”
“What do you need my phone for?” Calvin asked in confusion. He pulled out his phone and handed it to Hansel.
Before he even fully extended his hand, Hansel had already snatched the phone from him eagerly. Then, he dialed Miranda’s number.
Soon, a familiar woman’s voice came from the other end. Like a man who finally found water after being thirsty for days in the desert, Hansel spoke with urgency when Miranda picked up the call, “Mimi, I miss you so much…”
Miranda was taken aback.
Calvin was shocked as well. Oh no… Would Miranda ever answer his calls again after this?
Hansel pleaded, “Mimi, please come back to me, okay? I know I was wrong. We promised to grow old together. Are you going to leave me behind after just such a short time?
“Let’s leave the past in the past. No matter what you choose, I’ll support you unconditionally whether you wish to continue your postgraduate studies or work.
“Remember the promise we made last year? We planned to go to Turquay to watch the sunset and count the stars together. Have you forgotten?”
Hansel’s voice was hoarse as he rambled on. His posture and attitude were humbled, reduced to dust.
However, the other end remained silent and didn’t respond.
He continued, “It’s all my fault. Only now do I understand how much you have sacrificed for me. Mimi, I love you. I can’t live without you…”
Miranda answered, “Are you done?” She finally responded to him. “I heard you’re going to be a father. Congratulations.”
With that, she hung up.
Miranda only spoke briefly, but it was enough to land a crushing blow that completely shattered him. Hansel’s gaze turned vacant and his grip on the phone slackened as his arm fell limply to his side.
She congratulated him.
How could she congratulate him?
She already knew! She knew everything!
Hansel forced a smile and waved it off. “Forget it, let’s drink! We’re not leaving until we’re completely drunk!”
With that, he picked up the bottle and began to take huge swigs of alcohol.
Calvin was alarmed by his reckless drinking and tried to stop him. “You can’t chug the alcohol like that. This is vodka!”
Suddenly, Hansel froze. “Cal, do you think Miranda would come see me one last time if I drank myself to death?”
Calvin’s heart clenched with fear. “Hans, it’s not that serious. Listen to me, you don’t have to resort to that.”
By the time Calvin helped Hansel out of the bar, there was only a slight flush on Hansel’s face. At first glance, he still seemed composed.
“Hans, let me give you a ride home…” Calvin said.
“There’s no need.” Hansel waved dismissively and took his coat from Calvin. “I’ll get back on my own.”
Calvin noticed that Hansel seemed quite clear-headed, so he relented. “Alright, just send me a message when you get home.”
The moon cast a pale glow against the dark night sky.
When Hansel opened the door, he found the mansion dead silent, like a haunted house. He went straight upstairs to his study. He opened his laptop and turned on the surveillance system.
Back then, the security team had suggested setting up cameras while designing the anti-theft system for the mansion. Hansel had them concealed and installed around the mansion.
Since the cameras had been installed, he had never felt the need to check the surveillance footage until now. He wanted to see who had moved the files. He was also curious how Ingrid and his mother had been interacting with each other on a daily basis.
Hansel opened the memory disk and found that there was surveillance footage stored inside from the past year. The footage was saved separately by month into 12 folders.
Hansel’s curiosity was piqued as he opened the oldest folder. It was from a year ago.
Back then, he and Miranda hadn’t yet broken up.