Elisa stood at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau, a smile in her eyes as she looked at Hamish.
“I’m finally free,” Elisa’s words drifted into his ears on the wind. “Hamish, I never owed you anything.”
Indeed, Elisa never owed him anything. Even if she did, she had long since paid off that debt. Instead, it was he who shamelessly took advantage of her love for him.
For a moment, Hamish seemed to see the confident and vibrant Elisa from six years ago. The only difference was that back then, Elisa was radiant and full of healthy vitality.
But now… she was covered in wounds.
At this moment, Hamish suddenly felt a great distance between them. It felt as if he would never be able to reach Elisa’s place even if he spent a lifetime trying.
The weather forecast sent a message, reminding them to bring an umbrella because it was going to rain. But they had both forgotten to bring one.
Walking together into the rain, Hamish tightly held the divorce certificate in his hand as he looked at Elisa, who stood just a meter away from him. He raised his hand and made a futile gesture in the air, as the wind and rain passed through his palm. He couldn’t hold onto the wind and rain, and similarly, he couldn’t hold onto Elisa.
Elisa, the kite that he had always held in the palm of his hand, had finally broken free from his grasp and drifted away with the wind.
She must hate him, right? Because he had personally destroyed her hopes and buried all her warmth.
“If I don’t come back, Hamish, I hope you won’t trouble the Bakers. I will donate all the alimony you gave me,” Elisa said lightly, as if she were leaving a last will and testament.
Hamish didn’t respond to her words.
She actually had many things she couldn’t let go of. If she died, she didn’t know if it would hinder Micah’s research progress. And that foolish Autumn might cry her eyes out, while Ivan would probably celebrate if he found out she was gone.
And then there was Hattie. Although they hadn’t known each other for long, she had helped Elisa a lot. Yet, she didn’t even say goodbye.
…
At 5 p. m., Hamish received a delivery notification on his phone, and the servant brought the package in.
Hamish opened it and found a collar inside, resembling a dog leash. He carefully examined it and realized it was a small communication device. It should be able to contact the other party.
Before Hamish had a chance to find someone to study it, the kidnapper called and instructed Elisa to put on the collar and take the money to exchange for Lila.
Elisa was to go alone to a certain location, and the collar would provide instructions. Once she arrived at a specific place, they would naturally inform Hamish where Lila was.
Hamish couldn’t afford to be careless, but he also couldn’t negotiate with the other party. Since the moment they captured Lila, they had exploited his vulnerability, and he couldn’t take any risks. He had to follow the other party’s rhythm and have his men investigate and conduct a thorough search.
Elisa looked at the two large boxes filled with US dollars. This was one billion dollars, and now she had 16 boxes of money this size under her name.
Who doesn’t love money? But it’s just that she won’t be able to spend it if she’s dead.
The two boxes were thrown into the trunk, and just as they were about to get in the car, Hamish suddenly stopped her.
“Elisa, believe me, I will save you,” Hamish spoke with such certainty because of the phone call he had received last night. Based on what the person said on the phone, it was absolutely not Lukas who intended to kidnap Elisa.
Elisa paused for a moment, then without looking back, she got into the car. “Hamish, goodbye forever.”
There was no sadness, nor anger. She had finally put an end to this doomed fate.
The driver started the car, and Elisa watched Hamish’s blurry figure in the rearview mirror. They had been married for almost five years, and these years with him were like licking medicine on the edge of a knife. As long as he was a little gentle with her, she could find the strength to keep going. But now, the medicine was gone, and there was only a knife endlessly stabbing at her.
She didn’t know if one day in the future, Hamish would regret today’s decision. But that was no longer something she could consider.
Elisa touched the collar on her neck, feeling the icy sensation. It gave her a sense of illusion, as if the collar was tightening around her neck, as if it wanted to strangle her.
Hamish stood at the door, watching the car drive away. The vehicle gradually disappeared into the drizzling rain, until its shadow was no longer visible. He remained standing in the same spot.
“Mr. Burns, Mrs. has already left. Go back and don’t catch a cold,” the butler advised, holding an umbrella.
No one knew what had happened between them, but as Elisa walked away and glanced back at Hamish’s lonely figure, it felt like a farewell of life and death.
Hamish felt a cool sensation on his face and reached out to touch it. Were those tears? No, it was just rainwater.
….
The car drove for half an hour according to the destination. A voice from the collar instructed her to get off, and she obediently got off with the money box, then hailed another car to the next destination as directed.
The other party seemed concerned about being followed and acted with extreme caution. Elisa carried two ordinary boxes and darted around like a rabbit.
Finally, she arrived at a secluded place. Elisa was a native of Bankshire, but she had never seen this place before, and she got lost immediately.
She found a stone to sit on. The rain continued unabated, and her slender figure seemed to slowly melt in the rain curtain.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot up her neck. Her whole body suddenly felt weak, and her head felt like it was about to explode. Her vision became increasingly hazy, and she slowly closed her eyes. With that closing, she completely collapsed onto the cold ground, unconscious.
The winter night fell quickly, and the silent, pitch-black sky had no stars, resembling a vast black hole.
The winter in Bankshire was cold outside and inside. The air was filled with a chilling sadness.
So cold… the whole world felt drowsy and heavy. Elisa felt her body exhausted to the extreme, unable to muster any strength, even opening her eyes was incredibly difficult.
The piercing coldness invaded every inch of her skin, as if her body was exposed to the air, trembling unconsciously. She shivered and breathed in the icy air, feeling as though it would freeze her internal organs.
Elisa weakly opened her eyes. Everything was pitch black; she couldn’t see her own hand in front of her face. Darkness could bring out a person’s hidden fear, let alone Elisa, who also had autism.
She feared the darkness, looked around helplessly, and dared not move. As she made a slight movement, the sound of chains came from all around.
She was not unfamiliar with this sound; after all, Hamish had helped her with chains for two weeks. But now, she felt heavy all over. Due to the heightened sense of fear, she could feel that her neck, hands, and ankles were all bound by iron chains, and she herself was spread out in a “spread eagle” position, tied to a rigid wooden board.
“You’re finally awake.”
A man’s sinister laughter echoed in the dark night. Elisa started to struggle desperately, and every cell in her body screamed madly out of fear.
“Let… let me go…” Her voice trembled with panic, and the end of her words even carried a sob.
“After going through all the trouble to exchange you, how could I possibly let you go?”
With a click, the room’s light suddenly illuminated, and the glaring white light made Elisa squint. After adjusting to the light, she quickly surveyed her surroundings.
It was only ten square meters of space, resembling a basement with nothing except a door. Various instruments of torture hung on the walls, some of which she had never even seen before.
Not far from her, there was a small surgical table with various syringes and a variety of colorful liquids placed together, sending a shiver down one’s spine.
Elisa had originally planned to bring a knife to commit suicide, but she had been caught off guard and fainted after being pricked on her neck.
When she woke up, she found herself tightly bound here. Elisa looked at a device on the wall; the sound from earlier should have come from there.
The unknown was the most frightening because you didn’t know whether you would be facing a mountain of knives or a sea of fire, or perhaps both.
The door suddenly opened, accompanied by a creaking sound. The steady footsteps grew closer, and Elisa braced herself, locking eyes with the approaching figure…