Tobias never expected Hamish, who was always either working or doing overtime, to spend his leisure time knitting a scarf. Moreover, why did the scarf in his hands look so familiar?
Hamish was quick to learn everything, but he was clumsy when it came to knitting. Despite watching the tutorial repeatedly, he couldn’t get it right, dropping stitches occasionally, resulting in a scarf full of pits and twists.
Hearing a commotion at the door, Hamish frowned and glanced over, not setting down the needles but calmly observing Tobias standing outside. Tobias felt a chill run through his body from the way Hamish looked at him and hesitantly said, “Mr. Burns.”
Hamish grunted in response and finally set down his needle and thread. The entire scene felt awkward to Tobias; if he didn’t have something to discuss with Hamish, he would have left earlier.
Entering with a folder in hand, Tobias said, “Mr. Burns, here are the company’s monthly reports for you to review.”
Taking a sip of cold water, Hamish replied, “Just put it on the table.”
After placing the folder on the table, Tobias hesitated, then asked, “Is there anything else?”
“Mr. Burns, Autumn has disappeared.”
Hamish’s expression froze. “Disappeared?”
“Yes,” Tobias continued, “The director of the orphanage reported her missing over a month ago. They haven’t been able to find her, and given his mental state, the situation isn’t looking good. The authorities have decided to treat it as a death case.”
After confirming Autumn’s identity, Tobias hadn’t paid much attention to her. Coupled with recent events, with Elisa now in a vegetative state, Hamish had been tirelessly by her bedside, leaving most of the accumulated work for Tobias to handle. When one is busy, it’s inevitable to overlook some things, and Autumn had been overlooked in this manner.
Autumn had saved Hamish’s life years ago, and upon hearing about her disappearance, Tobias had rushed to the hospital.
Hamish didn’t have much of an impression of Autumn beyond being a Deacon, and aside from surprise, he felt a sense of crisis.
Hamish was worried that if Elisa had too much contact with Autumn, she would discover that he was the one who had saved her sixteen years ago.
“Mr. Burns, should we arrange for people to search for her?”
“Yes, arrange for someone to investigate the situation. Also, make a donation to Goodlife Orphanage,” Hamish said, looking at Elisa’s face, “in Elisa’s name.”
After leaving the hospital, Hamish stretched his neck. There were many ginkgo trees outside the hospital, and their leaves had all fallen off in winter, giving the trees year-round aesthetic value. In spring, summer, and autumn, people admired the ginkgo leaves, and in winter, they admired the branches covered with a thin layer of snow.
Hamish admitted to himself that he was a selfish person. After hearing about Autumn’s disappearance, he was not only surprised but had no extra emotions, not even a shred of worry. He even thought that her disappearance might be for the best, as it would prevent Elisa from discovering anything. She would continue to regard him as the person who had saved her seventeen years ago.
With this sense of relief, if it was confirmed that Autumn was dead, he would find a good burial place for her and burn more offerings, wishing her a better next life.
A month later, the people Hamish had sent to investigate Autumn’s disappearance received news. They had found traces of Autumn by the sea. It was confirmed that she had been murdered and her body disposed of in the sea. Although her body hadn’t been found, the cliff was fatal. Being thrown from such a height into the sea, with the possibility of sharks, survival was impossible.
Flipping through the photo album he held, which he had obtained from the orphanage, Hamish found group and individual photos. Among the many, Autumn’s exceptional appearance stood out. There were over three hundred photos from her childhood to adulthood.
As he flipped through the last few pages, Hamish suddenly froze.
There was a photo of Autumn and Elisa together. Judging from the setting in the photo, it seemed to be Elisa’s birthday. She wore a plastic crown, sitting in front of a large cake, her smile as clear as water, reaching into the heart. Autumn, in the photo, was equally charming, devoid of her usual foolishness. His handsome face bore a gentle and warm smile.
It was surprising to see both of them harmoniously pictured together. Hamish removed the photo and covered Autumn’s face with his hand, realizing that he and Elisa had never taken a proper photo together. Their wedding photo was a casual shot taken by a reporter on their wedding day, and the photo on their marriage certificate had been edited. His heart felt uneasy.
It wasn’t justthe photo; it was also because he hadn’t been there for Elisa on her 24th birthday.
“What was I doing that day? I brought Lila back to North Bankshire and treated Elisa like a servant.”
“It’s my fault,” Hamish murmured as he gently stroked Elisa’s soft hair, his eyes welling up with tears.
He realized how fragile life was and how loneliness seemed to permeate everywhere. The hospital room was filled with sadness, and he was overwhelmed with sorrow.
When he had sent Elisa away that day, he knew she was likely to get hurt, but he never imagined she would have an accident and become vegetative. He had always thought that even if she got hurt and they divorced, he could make it right when he brought her back.
His thoughts were so simple, but he had forgotten that not everything in this world goes according to his wishes.
Just like Autumn, her sudden disappearance and death were unpredictable events.
Hamish placed the photo back in the album, deciding that when Tobias returned, he would have him return the album to the orphanage and ensure it never resurfaced.
Elisa remained in a deep slumber for 90 days, and Autumn had been declared dead by the authorities. Since she had no family due to growing up in the orphanage, there was no funeral.
However, Hamish had arranged for a burial plot, and on the day of the funeral, everyone from the orphanage went to the cemetery. The children held white daisies, and the director burnt offerings in front of the gravestone.
Hamish didn’t attend the ceremony but had someone bring a bouquet of flowers.
Even though the coldest month of winter had passed, he felt colder than ever.
Hamish placed the knitted scarf next to Elisa’s pillow. The bright red color of the scarf made Elisa’s skin look even paler.
“Elisa, Autumn is dead. Besides a tattered, blood-stained garment found at Cassia Bay, there’s nothing left of her. She fell into the deep sea, and her body was never found.”
Finding a corpse in the ocean was like finding a fish, except the fish was alive, and the body, if there was one, had likely been torn apart by the sea creatures.
“I don’t know why, but I feel like Autumn’s death is related to you. Do you care about that fool, Elisa?”
A tear trickled down the corner of Elisa’s eye as she lay in a deep slumber, and her fingertip moved ever so slightly.