Elisa was breathless from the kiss, panting, patting Hamish’s shoulder repeatedly. Her small face flushed red, mouth slightly agape, and glistening tears hung on her eyelashes.
“Elisa, tell me you love me and will never leave me,” Hamish cradled her face, his gaze intense and urgent, his deep voice filled with enticement.
“What’s wrong with you…” Elisa was bewildered by his actions.
Hamish was acutely aware that he couldn’t bear to be without Elisa. He feared her departure, afraid she would become as indifferent as she had been months ago, staring at him with cold eyes.
Passing his hands between her legs, he lifted her and placed her on the sofa. Kneeling, he rested his head on her lap, against her abdomen, much like an injured wolf.
“Elisa, I’m afraid you’ll leave me. Can you promise me you won’t leave me for the rest of our lives, even if you remember the past?”
What could have happened in the past to make Hamish so concerned, even fearful? Yet, since they hadn’t “divorced,” it should mean their marriage hadn’t reached an irreparable point, right?
Elisa ran her hand through his soft hair and said, “I promise, as long as you treat me well in the future, I won’t leave you.”
“I will treat you well, I promise,” Hamish assured.
Hamish’s behavior was too unusual. Elisa wanted to ask more but was silenced by Hamish once again.
Elisa’s words were merely a placebo for Hamish, a temporary solution. He didn’t want Elisa to remember. Even he, the abuser, couldn’t accept that past, let alone Elisa.
That night, he called a hypnotist from Bankshire, making him his private hypnotist.
Elisa usually took one pill at night, but now she was given two.
The next day, the hypnotist arrived. He introduced himself to Elisa as her psychologist, ensuring she remained unaware of the “hypnosis.”
The villa had many rooms. Hamish instructed the butler to prepare a room for the hypnotist upon his arrival.
Elisa remained unaware until she saw Mrs. Rugger tidying the guest bedroom on the ground floor. “Mrs. Rugger, is someone coming over?” she inquired.
“It’s the family doctor. Didn’t Mr. Burns tell you?”
Elisa was stunned. Hamish happened to walk over, hugging her fondly. “What’s wrong?”
“Mrs. Rugger mentioned you’ve invited the family doctor. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I just informed you this morning. I forgot,” Hamish explained.
“Why did you suddenly invite the family doctor?” Elisa turned to ask him. Hamish had been acting strangely since yesterday. He hadn’t even had breakfast this morning but had Mrs. Rugger prepare a room for the family doctor.
Hamish explained, “Let me clarify. The family doctor has always been available, it’s not a sudden invitation. I noticed your medication is running low. I didn’t want to go to the hospital for a recheck, so I thought it best to have the doctor come to the villa. This way, it’s also more convenient for your health management, to see if we can reduce the dosage.”
Hamish’s explanation was reasonable. Even if Elisa noticed something was amiss, she couldn’t argue or dwell on it. Besides, she had been wanting to reduce her medication. Ultimately, she decided to eliminate the pill she took at night.
The hypnotist, named Caleb, was Hamish’s former schoolmate. Their fields of expertise were unrelated, and their acquaintance was purely accidental. Having a familiar face to conduct the hypnosis on Elisa was much more convenient. Hamish trusted that Caleb wouldn’t be intrusive or gossipy.
At 11:40 AM, Caleb arrived by taxi. Anticipating a longer stay, he had packed a suitcase, but Hamish had already arranged toiletries and clothing for him.
Caleb arrived just in time for lunch. There was no discussion of business at the dining table. After lunch, he accompanied Hamish to the study.
“Would you like something to drink?” Hamish asked.
Caleb had been on the move and hadn’t rested, and even the lunch seemed unsatisfactory. It was transitioning into a new season, and his throat felt raspy. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Do you have chrysanthemum and wolfberry?”
“Yes.”
“Then make some chrysanthemum and wolfberry tea, with extra honey.”
Hamish instructed the butler to prepare the tea.
Sitting face to face, Hamish had a steaming cup of fragrant coffee in front of him, while Caleb’s glass held chrysanthemum and wolfberry tea with two spoonfuls of honey.
“Are you taking care of your health?” Caleb asked after taking a sip. He had a sweet tooth, and the tea, with its added honey, suited his taste perfectly.
“After all, I’m approaching thirty. Men need to take care of themselves to avoid looking old, especially since I’m a doctor,” Caleb joked casually before turning serious, addressing the matter at hand. “You urgently summoned me last night. What happened? How did your wife suddenly have a brief recollection? Did you do something to trigger her?”
Caleb immediately posed three questions. Hamish felt uncomfortable disclosing the incident with the remote control, so he briefly explained what had happened the previous afternoon.
“She unintentionally remembered a fragment, and she can’t even distinguish if those images lingering in her mind are real.”
“That’s normal,” Caleb responded.
As Hamish discussed these matters with him, his mood was heavy, as if he were carrying a weight, and his heart ached.
“Will she experience this kind of situation again in the future and remember everything?” he asked.
“It’s not impossible,” Caleb replied. “I’ve previously warned you at the hospital. Hypnosis isn’t a permanent solution; temporary amnesia will eventually lead to recollection. It’s just a matter of time.”
Seeing Hamish’s agitation, Caleb tried to reassure him. “But don’t worry too much. Now that I’m here, the situation will surely improve…”
Hamish found little comfort in Caleb’s reassurances and asked, “Can the dosage of her evening medication be increased?”
“No! Absolutely not! She should only take a maximum of one pill a day. Under no circumstances should the dosage be increased!” Caleb asserted firmly. “You know her condition when she was injected with those five doses. It severely damaged her brain. Now, with her taking these medications, and you wanting to increase the dosage, do you want to turn her into a vegetable? If you hadn’t insisted on erasing her memory, I wouldn’t have prescribed these medications.”
Hamish panicked. Would increasing the dosage turn her into a vegetable? Would there be consequences from giving her two pills the previous day? Hamish didn’t dare ask further.
Seeing the furrow on Hamish’s brow, Caleb realized his urgency and understood why he had summoned him in such haste. However, urgency wasn’t the solution.
“Actually, I’m curious. Why did you insist on causing your wife to have amnesia?”
Initially, when Hamish asked him to conduct hypnosis on Elisa, Caleb understood. After all, at that time, Elisa’s mental state at the hospital was severely affected, and hypnosis was the most effective method for her.
However, Elisa’s emotions had clearly begun to stabilize gradually, and her mental state was starting to improve. Why then force her to take mind-suppressing medication? Why force her to forget?
Hamish hesitated to divulge the details of his and Elisa’s situation, but it was essential for the doctor to understand the patient’s condition.
“She will definitely seek a divorce if she remembers.”
“Are you absolutely certain?” Caleb grew increasingly curious about what had happened to Elisa. Previously, he could find information about Elisa online, including details of her family’s tragedy and the video of her divorcing Hamish. However, afterward, her name was banned from the internet, and all the gossip was wiped clean. Such a thorough erasure could only have been done by Hamish.
Hamish sighed wryly, “You know about the injuries on her body.”
Caleb nodded. When he conducted hypnosis on Elisa, her attending physician had briefed him briefly, but even those few words had left him stunned.
Covered in over a hundred wounds, just the sight of the ten fingers alone was enough to shock, not to mention the areas hidden by clothing.
“It’s my fault, I am the culprit. So, do you think she will forgive me when she wakes up? Besides, we were going to court for a divorce before her accident.”
Caleb’s previously calm face froze instantly upon hearing the latter part of Hamish’s sentence.
“You’re already divorced?” His astonishment nearly rendered him speechless. His pupils dilated, emitting a bright gleam, and a sense of delight at sniffing out a secret gossip.
“Yeah, she initiated it.”
“No wonder…” After all, the divorce proceedings at that time were so sensational, even trending. Hamish had put in so much effort to ensure Elisa’s defeat, how could he then voluntarily ask for a divorce?
Hamish shot him a cold glance, his expression laden with a warning brimming with murderous intent, as if to say, “If you dare to speak of this, I will kill you.”
“Don’t worry, I absolutely won’t say anything. My lips are sealed.”
To be honest, these actions were despicable in every way. Keeping his ex-wife locked up at home, feeding her memory-erasing drugs all day, according to the law, this would at least warrant a life sentence.
Hamish glanced at his wristwatch. It had been a good half-hour. The coffee in front of him had turned from scalding to lukewarm, devoid of any steam. He lifted the cup and took a sip. The black coffee, without a grain of sugar, remained bitter until the back of his tongue, followed by a faint, aromatic aftertaste.
“In any case, think of a way to treat her. We can’t let Elisa regain her memory.”
“I will do my best.”
Hamish had complete faith in Caleb’s integrity. He knew Caleb wouldn’t say more than necessary; money could make things happen. Hamish slid the prepared check over to him.
Caleb glanced at the figure written on the check, raised an eyebrow in surprise, then pocketed it.
…
Knowing they were discussing business matters, Elisa didn’t interrupt. She sat quietly in the living room, stroking the cat. The little kitten nestled in her arms, its tiny paws kneading her thigh.
“Mimi, you’re such a big baby, aren’t you?” Elisa felt as though the kitten’s paws were treading not on her leg, but on her heart. She felt her heart melting.
How could there be such an adorable creature in this world?
When Hamish and Caleb emerged, they overheard Elisa saying, “Mommy’s little baby.” They both turned to look at her.
Feeling a bit embarrassed from the attention, Elisa sheepishly placed the kitten on the sofa and asked, “What were you discussing in there? Why did it take so long?”
“We were discussing your condition,” Hamish replied.
Upon hearing that her illness was being discussed, Elisa’s expression immediately turned more serious. “What’s wrong with my condition? Is it getting worse again?”
Caleb chimed in, “No, your health is fine. I’m going to provide you with some counseling over the next few days.”
“I’m fine with the counseling, but can I skip the medication, Dr. Ji?”
“No, you can’t. You must continue with the medication,” Caleb refused with a smile.
Elisa frowned.
At four o’clock in the afternoon, usually the time when Elisa would be sleeping, her mental state had always been poor. She would either be sleeping or feeling so tired that she could barely function in the afternoons, making it the best time for hypnotherapy.
She couldn’t help but think that Caleb was using hypnotherapy to help her relax, but she ended up falling asleep from being too relaxed. When she woke up, her memory was blank, but her mind felt remarkably at ease, so she didn’t dwell on it.
After several sessions with Caleb, using the same medication as before, logically, undergoing treatment and taking medication should make her mind clearer. However, she found her memory becoming increasingly fuzzy. Events that had occurred just a month ago would occasionally come to mind, but they felt unreal, as if she hadn’t experienced them herself.
She mentioned this to Caleb, but he assured her that this was normal.
Since the doctor said it was normal, she didn’t want to ask further.