Hamish had no understanding of matters concerning food and nutrition, so Dr. West thought for a moment before replying, “I’ll prepare a recipe and send it to your email.”
“Mm.”
Hamish called Mrs. Gordon over and handed her a prescription for traditional Chinese medicine. “You’ll go to the hospital tomorrow and get Elisa’s medicine according to this prescription. Keep an eye on her.”
Elisa was extremely averse to bitterness and feared that she might accidentally throw away the medicine without noticing.
Dr. West glanced at the time. “Well, then I’ll head back to Mr. Burns.”
Hamish nodded and instructed Mrs. Gordon, “Mrs. Gordon, please see Dr. West off.”
In a short while, everyone in the bedroom had left. Hamish went out to comfort Lila for a while and then returned to Elisa’s room.
Once a person falls ill, even the strongest among them will show some vulnerability. Just like Elisa now, the room was too quiet, with only a bedside lamp providing dim lighting.
Originally, she could endure the results of her past actions, but after being tossed around by Hamish, vomiting and seeing doctors, and not receiving a single word of concern, she suddenly felt a sense of grievance. She buried her face in the pillow and trembled with suppressed sobs.
As soon as Hamish returned, he saw Elisa with her entire head buried in the blanket, unable to breathe properly. He reached out and grabbed her neck, pulling her out from underneath.
Elisa’s fair skin reddened with even the slightest pressure on her neck. She shrank back and fluttered her eyelids, stammering, “I don’t feel well.”
“I know, but burying your face in the blanket will only make you feel worse.” Hamish reached out and adjusted the corner of the blanket for her.
Looking at her delicate face, he couldn’t help but reach out and caress it. When Elisa fell ill, she became much more obedient. For a moment, he thought he had returned to the past.
He thought, if Elisa could only be this obedient when she’s ill, then it’s better for her to stay sick.
He was so extreme, wanting to control every aspect of Elisa’s life, wanting her for the rest of her days, both physically and mentally. He even wanted to dictate whether she was comfortable or not according to his own rhythm.
So much had happened tonight, but when he checked the time, it wasn’t late, just past ten o’clock.
Hamish usually went to bed before eleven. He took a shower, and just as he finished, he received a phone call and went to his study to handle some work.
Not long after Hamish left, Elisa’s phone started ringing. In a daze, she reached out and fumbled in the drawer until she found her phone.
Elisa opened her eyes and focused her attention on the caller ID on the screen. Surprisingly, it was her former assistant.
“Hello?”
“Ms. Powell, are you resting?” The address used to refer to her felt like it had been ages since she last heard it.
“I was just about to rest. What’s the matter, Evangeline?”
Evangeline Khan said, “Ms. Powell, the director of the Goodlife Orphanage that you sponsored before has contacted me again. She asked if you have time to attend the banquet at the orphanage on May 21st.”
Elisa had been sponsoring the orphanage for four years, and every year on May 21st, the director would invite her to attend the banquet.
May 21st was a special day. It was her birthday and also the day she paid tribute to her mother.
She had never celebrated her birthday, nor had she mentioned it to anyone on her own initiative. In the four years of her marriage to Hamish, on that day, she would go to the cemetery in the morning andcome home in the afternoon to send a message to Hamish, waiting for him to return.
Did Hamish come back?
He did, two years ago. In order to make him come back and accompany her for a night, she had someone take Lila away. That night, Hamish was like a demon, nearly strangling her to death on the bed.
“Ms. Powell, do you want to go? If you do, I’ll get back to her,” Evangeline said.
Elisa came back to her senses. “Yes, please let her know. Also, send me the director’s phone number as a text message. This might be her last birthday, and she doesn’t want to spend it alone.”
“Alright.”
After hanging up, Elisa soon received a text message with the director’s phone number and a location attached. She clicked on the location, and it would take about an hour to drive from North Bankshire.
Elisa had been providing direct funding to the orphanage and had never visited before. She hadn’t thought about what kind of gifts to buy for the children inside.
After searching online, Elisa decided to order a carload of dolls and have them sent over. She quickly placed the order, filled in the address, and made the payment.
May 21st was a Wednesday, still two days away. The package should arrive in time.
When Hamish finished his work and returned home, he found Elisa still awake. He raised an eyebrow and his gaze became obscure. “What are you doing? Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“Nothing.”
Elisa put away her phone, but Hamish saw it as a guilty gesture.
“Who were you texting?” he asked casually.
“No one.”
Hamish’s mouth curved downwards, his eyes filled with obvious dissatisfaction with her response.
“You’re on your period. Just rest at home for a week and don’t go out.”
Staying at home for a week was out of the question; she had to go to the orphanage in a few days.
“No.”
Hamish looked down at her condescendingly, his gaze focused on her, emitting an invisible danger.
Elisa felt a chill down her spine. She cleared her throat and tried various ways to change the subject, but none of them worked.
Hamish directly reached out and snatched her phone. “What’s the password?”
“Hamish, this is my phone.”
“Give me the password, and don’t make me repeat myself.”
Elisa turned her face away without looking at him. “0510.”
Hamish didn’t remember, and this number seemed to have no significance to him at all.
Hamish unlocked the phone and checked the browsing history. When he saw the text message, he asked, “You’re going to Goodlife Orphanage on Wednesday?”
“Yes.”
“Just to attend a meaningless banquet?” Hamish sneered. “What could be so good about a banquet organized by an orphanage? Can someone like Elisa, who is used to being a young lady, bear sitting and eating with a group of orphans?”
Elisa lowered her eyes, her long lashes concealing the desolation in her eyes. To Hamish, it was just a banquet, but to Elisa, it was her first birthday celebrated with someone’s company.