MY UNKNOWN HUSBAND - Season 3 Episode 14

There were a total of ninety-nine love stories. Some of them also had to face hardships because of a huge age differences, but they overcame it with true love. They all ended up spending their lives with the one they loved.

It took Albert three months to prepare this birthday gift for Kristina, and when he presented it to her, she burst into tears.

It was not so much about the poignancy of the compiled stories. Rather, her tears were because of the fact that there was someone right here willing to walk thousands of miles just to dispel the apprehensions in her heart.

“Kristina, you are only six years older than me. Still, you may be older, but you still need someone to protect you. I want to be that person. You did the same for me once before, and I now I want to protect you for the rest of your life.”

Albert hugged Kristina from behind, as though to convey in actions the promise he had just said. He wanted to hold her in his arms and keep her from harm just like this, always.

Kristina twisted in his arms and gave him a bright smile before throwing her own arms around his neck. Then she rose to her toes and kissed him.

“Albert, I also hope you can protect me for the rest of my life, just as you said.” It was at this point that Albert stopped telling the story.

He turned to stare out of the window and into the night, silent. His eyes had dimmed, as though the light in his life was slowly burning out.

He seemed to have returned to the endless abyss.

“Albert, are you okay?” Nina’s voice abruptly pulled him back to reality.

“Nothing.” Albert shook his head and smiled. “This is their story, their journey from acquaintance to love.”

It was the first time Nina learned of Kristina having such a relationship. Despite there being an age gap that would raise a lot of eyebrows, it was still a remarkably unforgettable story.

And she had heard a fair share of romantic narratives, but none of them was as touching as this one.

Perhaps it was because it was a true story, or perhaps it was because of the struggle that came with the age difference between the two people involved.

After all, there existed an age difference, too, of ten years between John and herself.

“Albert, are you familiar with the relationship between George and Kristina? Did anything unpleasant happen between them?” Nina didn’t forget her real business here. She came to investigate the cause of Kristina’s death, not to sigh wistfully over love stories.

“A person’s life and relationships can’t always be smooth sailing. Eventually, there will be some friction along the way.” Albert’s tone was cautious as he spoke. He had promised Kristina reveal their relationship to anyone.

“You’re right,” Nina agreed.

Something from the story snagged at her mind, and she pounced on it in the blink of an eye. “Albert, George knew that Kristina once worshiped John, didn’t he?”

“Worship Mr. Shi?” Albert had little reaction to her words, except perhaps for a small hint of anger at the mention of John. Casually, he said, “Maybe.”

Nina mistakenly thought his hostility to be because of the one billion dollars. She worked on an assumption she harbored in her mind, and asked her questions accordingly.

George had loved Kristina so much, how could he have possibly found it in himself to murder her? Maybe he was provoked by something, and he might have killed her by accident.

Maybe it was the bracelet that had provoked him.

Considering how easy it was for Tom to discover that the owner of the bracelet was John, it wouldn’t have taken much for George to learn of the fact.

Kristina had once said that she worshiped John. No man wanted the woman he loved to think of another man all the time.

If a piece of jewelry that had been purchased under John’s name was found in Kristina’s house, then that piece would most likely be the cause for conflict between George and Kristina.

If that was the case, then everything could be explained.

But this theory remained a presumption of Nina’s.

She needed to meet with George and ask him some questions face to face. She could then make judgments by his words and behavior.

Having made up her mind on what to do next, Nina shifted her target. “Albert, can you tell me who George is?”

Albert frowned instantly and refused with firm decisiveness. “No.”

Nina had already anticipated his answer, so she didn’t press any more.

There would be other ways anyway.

As long as she was careful and sharp with her observations, she could always find some clues and then search the Internet. Sometimes a single detail was all it took for the hunt to begin. That single detail would become her starting point, and she would find her prey in no time.

“Albert, I’m going upstairs to get some clothes for Kristina.” Nina found an excuse to go upstairs.

Albert didn’t stop her, and only watched her ascend the steps.

There was no light on the second floor. Except for the landing where a bit of the light from the living room reached, everywhere else was dark.

To Albert who was watching, it was like Nina was slowly swallowed by pitch darkness.

His expression was warm as he looked on, but if one looked closer, they would see a cold and malicious glint in his eyes.

Suddenly, Albert stood. His lips curved into a cruel smile. Then he took out a towel, and folded it into a palm-sized square. Next, he pulled a bottle of transparent liquid out of the medicine cabinet.

A pungent smell permeated the space around him as he opened the bottle.

He took a deep breath before pouring a generous amount of the liquid into the towel. Then he covered his mouth with one hand and began to breathe through it.

With the towel on his other hand, he walked slowly and silently towards the second floor.

Nina was occupied with looking for possible clues, unaware in any way that danger was approaching her.

She checked the first room along the corridor and found products for daily self-care habits, some of which were items she had seen on Kristina’s list from before.

There was nothing else worth noting there.

So she moved on to the next one, which happened to be the master bedroom. It was spacious and tidy, and the interior decor leaned towards the ethnic side of things. It gave off a warm and comfortable vibe.

The wardrobe held a variety of clothes, as well as accessories ranging from jewelry to sunglasses. To one side, all sorts of shoes were lined up, and a small drawer contained socks. Everything seemed to have been arranged in meticulous order.

There were also men’s clothes inside, which were mostly casual in style, and geared more towards the young fashion nowadays. The men’s shoes were all from luxury brands.

Nina felt something familiar about the men’s clothes, but couldn’t put her finger on it at the moment.

She continued to look for clues.

After coming out of the walk-in closet, her attention was drawn to a slightly open cabinet on the other side of the room. It looked to be a storage for dolls.
“Nina.” Albert suddenly appeared at the doorway and narrowed his eyes dangerously. She was walking toward the cabinet that Kristina had specially used to store Pink Panther dolls.

He put his left hand, the one that held the towel, behind his back and went to Nina’s side. “Haven’t you found her clothes yet? Her closet is over there. There are no clothes in that cabinet.”

Nina’s mind went blank for a second.

Her heart pounded as though an alarm bell was ringing furiously, signaling for her to flee.

How could have Albert known where Kristina’s closet was?

Nina’s probing eyes made Albert realize that he had just given himself away. He quickly dropped his facade.

Before she could do anything, Albert pressed the towel against her nose and mouth. That liquid from earlier was diethyl ether.

“Hmm…” A pungent smell rushed into her nose and clouded her senses. Eyes wide open, Nina fought back against her attacker, but soon lost her strength under the chemical’s influence.

In her desperate struggling, Nina accidentally kicked the cabinet in front of her. The force sent its door flinging open, and a few Pink Panther dolls fell out to the floor.

Nina finally understood.

Albert was George.

She touched her wrist subconsciously and then remembered that John had taken away her watch.

She could feel her face drain of color, and she cursed inwardly. ‘Damn it!’

And then she fainted.

“Nina, I have reminded you time and again that too much information will only bring you trouble.” Albert’s voice was as soft as the wind of March, but the words were as cold as the ice of February.

Diethyl ether had an anesthetic effect. If one inhaled it a little bit, they would fall into a coma. If one inhaled too much, their life would be in danger.

After Nina fell unconscious, Albert quickly disposed of the towel.

He just wanted to knock her out, not kill her.

Kristina liked her, and if he looked from a certain angle, Nina’s profile resembled Kristina’s.

Albert bent down to pick Nina’s limp body from the floor and put her in his car. He then drove to the factory in the northern suburbs.