Elisa curled up in the bed, her eyes stinging from the pungent smell of medicine. Hamish didn’t know what to say, so after taking the medicine, he got up and went to the bathroom to fetch his pajamas.
The sound of water came from inside as Elisa struggled to sit up and fetch the medicine from the drawer. Without bothering to get water, she put the medicine in her mouth and swallowed it dry.
Hamish finished washing quickly and came out after just ten minutes. He went straight to bed, pulling Elisa into his arms along with the blanket. Elisa felt uncomfortable being held so forcefully and moved slightly. Finally, with a tone of impatience, she said, “Can’t you sleep in another room?”
“Which room should I sleep in?”
Elisa looked weary. “With so many rooms in the house, can’t you find one to sleep in? Didn’t you sleep just fine in Lila’s room the night before yesterday?”
“When did I go to her room to sleep?”
Elisa’s body twitched imperceptibly. Hamish hadn’t slept with Lila? Then what did the injury on her neck that Lila revealed yesterday mean? And what did those words she said imply?
Elisa didn’t believe Hamish, but she also felt that he had no reason to lie to her. Even if they hadn’t slept together the night before yesterday, so what? They had known each other for so many years and had done everything they should and shouldn’t do. Fundamentally, there was no difference.
Elisa’s expression changed rapidly, and in the end, she chose to remain silent.
“I didn’t have the kind of relationship with Lila that you’re thinking.”
Elisa sneered, “What am I thinking?”
Her aggressive attitude didn’t anger Hamish; on the contrary, he found it quite amusing.
“Are you jealous?”
Silence was an affirmation. The more Elisa didn’t speak, the more Hamish confirmed his suspicions.
Hamish chuckled lightly, tightened his hold on Elisa’s hand, and leaned closer to her ear in an ambiguous manner. “I haven’t had a relationship with Lila, let alone slept in the same room with her. Are you satisfied now?”
How could that be? Hamish had been with Lila for so many years, and they could get intimate even in front of her. How could nothing have happened between them?
“It’s none of my business whether you had a relationship with her or not.” Elisa turned her face away, leaning forward to avoid the warm breath coming from behind her.
“Aren’t you even moved?”
Elisa suddenly laughed. With her beautiful brows and long lashes, she was already charming, but now when she smiled, she exuded a seductive allure. Her eyes seemed sinister in the darkness, as if they were filled with venomous needles.
“No, I’m not moved. I have a good memory. I can’t forget who caused all these injuries on my body without giving me any sweetness.”
Hamish’s usual trick was to slap and then offer a sweet treat. Sometimes, he couldn’t even be bothered to give the treat. His tenderness was a luxury item for Elisa, something she had yearned for but never received. And now, she no longer needed it.
Hamish hadn’t considered that he had lowered himself so much, yet Elisa remained so oblivious. He felt a sense of unfamiliarity toward the Elisa in his arms, as if he had never truly known her.
Was this the same Elisa who shamelessly chased after him in the past? Was she the same Elisa whose eyes would light up whenever she saw him? The Elisa who would compromise for him?
In Hamish’s mind, an image of a news report about Elisa from a few years ago surfaced. In the video, Elisa faced the reporters, skillfully handling their tricky and invasive questions with a cold and composed attitude, not giving them any loopholes to exploit.
In her actions, Elisa didn’t seem like a 23-year-old; she was calm and collected, sometimes resembling a cunning fox in social situations.
That was the initial Elisa. However, she had given all her tenderness to him alone, and he had never paid attention to when her attitude toward him had changed.
Hamish didn’t dare to think about it. Even if it was just speculation, it pained him like a needle pricking his heart.
Suddenly, Hamish reached out his hand toward her face, but before it could touch her, Elisa closed her eyes instinctively. Her eyelashes trembled, and her lips couldn’t stop trembling.
It was a subconscious reaction. Seeing Hamish reaching out toward her face, she thought he was going to hit her.
Hamish’s heart ached even more than before. He touched Elisa’s face and said, “You’re so timid, like a little rabbit, yet you deliberately saythings to provoke me. Tell me, are you looking for a fight? Even after sustaining injuries, you still haven’t learned your lesson.”
Memory may not be long, but everyone is afraid of pain. Elisa raised her eyes, the coldness still present, and this version of Elisa made Hamish feel powerless.
Elisa was like a hedgehog, refusing to yield to either softness or force. If he hurt her and made her cry, he couldn’t bear it, but now she didn’t care for the sweet treats he offered. She was the typical person who couldn’t be influenced.
The two of them remained at odds for a while, and in the end, Hamish covered her eyes. “Go to sleep.”
Hamish didn’t want to say anything more to her, fearing that she would rebel and agitate the freshly bandaged wounds, causing them to bleed again.
“Since we haven’t divorced, you’ll always be my wife.”