Hamish looked at Elisa, who remained silent, her expression showing difficulty. He bitterly smiled, then covered Elisa’s hand. After a while, he said, “Elisa, as long as you don’t leave me, I’ll respect whatever you want. I won’t touch you and I’ll give you time until the day you truly accept me.”
Elisa hesitated for a moment and softly uttered, “Mmm,” realizing she wasn’t so resistant to Hamish anymore.
“Tobias said we’ve been married for five years. Do we have children?”
The word “children” caused a twinge in Hamish’s heart. Elisa was suffering from stomach cancer, and having children would only worsen her condition. He couldn’t let her take the risk of getting pregnant. Nor could he tell her about her illness, fearing she might recollect something.
After much thought, he attributed the issue of children to himself and, with a hoarse voice, he said, “No, it’s because of me. If you want children, we can consider adoption in the future.”
When Elisa heard the first part, she thought Hamish didn’t want children, which was why they didn’t have any. But after hearing the latter part, she instantly understood. She said hesitantly, “It’s… it’s fine. We’re still young. We can talk about children later.”
“What about my family?”
Hamish said, “You’re an orphan, without any family or friends.”
Elisa opened her mouth, her throat felt tight and painful. She murmured to herself, “I have no family? No friends?”
Elisa’s once clear eyes were now misty, like fogged glass.
Hamish felt a pang in his chest and held her close. “I am your family.”
“How did we end up together?” She was perplexed. An orphan with no ties, how did she meet Hamish when she was barely a teenager?
Hamish was the top-ranked billionaire, one in the sky, the other on the ground. They were worlds apart. How could Hamish have married her? And weren’t aristocratic families particular about social status? A Cinderella story flashed through Elisa’s mind involuntarily.
“Tobias told you, didn’t he? We met at a banquet.”
“A school banquet?” Elisa persisted.
“Sort of.”
“Could you take me there to see? I want to remember as soon as possible.” Elisa looked up at him.
Hamish remained silent, gazing at Elisa intently. Even though the person before him had clear eyes, for a moment he saw the stubborn and indifferent Elisa.
The more he spoke, the more mistakes he made, and he feared he wouldn’t be able to make things right.
“If you can’t remember, let it be. We’ll start anew, and I’ll introduce you to new things.”
“But I…”
Elisa wanted to say more but was interrupted by Hamish patting her head. “You’ve just woken up, don’t overthink. It’s not good for your brain.”
Elisa had no choice but to stop. “Where are we?”
“We’re at Bankshire’s hospital. Our home is in Chiwood. We’ll go back once you’re discharged.” He couldn’t bear leaving Elisa at Bankshire. This place held too many familiar things for her.
Elisa nodded without thinking too much.
…
Hamish ordered some easily digestible congee paired with a few appetizing dishes for Elisa. She wasn’t very hungry, having just woken up, but she knew she had to eat to avoid facing the man.
Even though Hamish was very caring and spoke cautiously, she always felt a sense of pressure, making her anxious.
Originally, Elisa wanted to find an excuse to send Hamish back to work, but he refused to leave. He stayed there for all three meals, even accompanying her to the bathroom, making her feel very uncomfortable.
“Are you cold?” It was March, and Bankshire’s weather was always damp and cold, almost like winter, and Elisa was always sensitive to the cold.
“I’m not cold. The air conditioning is on.”
Hamish set up a small table on the bed and began to unpack the food containers. The plain-looking dishes emitted a tantalizing aroma when opened.
“This takeout is good. I’ve been eating from this place for the past few months,” said Hamish as he prepared to feed Elisa himself.
Elisa looked at the fork placed aside and reached out to take it, saying, “I’d like to eat some dishes first. You don’t have to feed me; I can manage.”
After all, she had amnesia, not a disability. She was about to pick up a dish in front of her when suddenly, the fork fell with a “clatter.”
Elisa was stunned. She looked at the fallen fork and then at her trembling hand. Her entire body seemed to freeze. Her hand was strong, so why couldn’t she move the fork to pick up the food?
Hamish wanted to intervene, but it was too late. The doctor had informed him long ago that Elisa’s hand would never fully recover, that she would be disabled for life.
He had anticipated it would be serious, but he hadn’t expected the visual impact of this moment to be so intense. The image of Elisa’s trembling hand felt like a knife to his heart, causing him a pain that lingered for a long while.
Hamish picked up the fork, which was now stained with food, and wiped it with a tissue. “What dish would you like to eat?”
He tried to keep his voice steady, but it quivered, and his eyes reddened.
Elisa stared at her hand, a fleeting image flashed in her mind, almost too quick to grasp. She shrugged and asked, “Did my hand become like this because of a car accident?” After a pause, she asked in a hoarse voice, “Am I disabled?”
As soon as she uttered the last sentence, Hamish’s eyes reddened again, his breath hitched, and he grasped Elisa’s hand, tears welling up uncontrollably. “It’s because I didn’t protect you.”
He knew how proud and strong Elisa was, but now she was disabled, unable even to hold a fork.