Who else could have cut off Ivan’s hand but Hamish? He was willing to harm innocent people to warn her.
Elisa clenched her fists, trembling, and bit down on the back of her hand.
Hattie looked at her soulless appearance and felt a pang in her heart. “Elisa!”
Her hand was already bleeding from the bites, but Elisa didn’t seem to feel any pain. Her teeth continued to sink into her flesh, the veins on her hand bulging, and she trembled violently with her head buried.
“Elisa! Hattie became anxious, holding her shoulders and trying to bring her back to consciousness. She reached out to push her hair aside, patting her face. “Elisa, wake up. Don’t hurt yourself anymore. Ivan’s hand won’t come back like this.”
Elisa’s eyes flickered, her face devoid of any expression. This was the first time Hattie saw her like this, like a soulless doll.
Elisa’s hands, out of control, covered her face. The burning sensation in her eyes was agonizing. “My brother lost his hand because of me. If I hadn’t divorced Hamish, his hand would be fine. It’s my fault he became disabled…”
“No, it’s not true!” Hattie couldn’t let Elisa continue speaking. “Ivan’s hand has nothing to do with you. If anyone is to blame, it’s Hamish. Besides, he deserved it. When he deceived you and handed you over to Lukas in the underground gambling den, he didn’t care about you at all. He nearly caused your death. Cutting off his hand is his punishment, so that he’ll learn his lesson and never gamble again.”
Hattie was a very rational person. She spoke her mind. Ivan brought this upon himself.
Elisa’s mind became chaotic again. The image of her father’s suicide by jumping off a building kept replaying in her mind. She tightly covered her eyes with her hands, as if trying to dig out her burning eyes.
Hattie stomped her foot and forcefully grabbed Elisa’s wrist, leading her to the office. She took out a file bag from the drawer, which contained all of Elisa’s medical reports.
She emptied the contents onto the table, grabbing Elisa’s hand and pointing at the reports on the desk.
“Elisa, look at these. These are your medical examination reports. The cancer cells in your body have been controlled. You can’t give up at this crucial moment.”
Hattie handed the reports to Elisa, urgently saying, “Look, your stomach cancer has been controlled. You still have plenty of time to do many things. Are you going to give up divorcing Hamish because of someone like Ivan? Are you going to give up your own life?”
Elisa, with blurry eyes, reached out and took the examination reports from Hattie’s hands, flipping through them one by one.
She pressed the reports against her chest and felt the heartbeat in her chest. Only then did she feel that she was still alive.
Compared to Hattie, she was still too sensitive and not strong enough. She had been forced by Hamish and always thought that her life was worth trading for Ivan’s. But now she wanted to live for herself.
Elisa squatted down, tears falling onto the examination reports in her hands, staining them with a large mark.
In this painful year, the most beautiful words she had heard might be what Hattie said to her today.
Elisa, you can live.
But she still felt the intense pain, thinking about her father’s tragic death and Ivan losing his hand, all because of Hamish.
She cried silently, tears continuously rolling down her cheeks. She felt wronged, heartbroken, and regretful, suffocating with pain.
Hattie stood in front of her, paused for a moment, and then also squatted down, gently patting her head. She believed that Elisa had heard her words.
She didn’t need selfish and self-seeking relatives like Ivan.
Once the richest heiress and a strong woman, she now lived cautiously, fearing that she would drag others down. She always thought that no one had ever considered her.
Hattie changed the topic. “Continue taking the anti-cancer drug that Micah is researching. It has only stabilized the cancer cells for now, but if you’re not careful, it will still relapse.”
Elisa shook her head, her voice hoarse. “Compared to before, I’m much better now. I rarely cough up blood, and my stomach isn’t as painful as before.”
“That’s good. Micah also told me to tell you that once you start taking the medication, you can’t stop. If you stop for too long, the cancer cells will spread faster, and then there will be no hope.”
This was not an exaggeration. Although the drugcould suppress the cancer cells, it also came with risks.