Elisa was gone; she had fled.
Hamish meticulously organized his thoughts. Elisa had intended to escape from the start. She had initially signed the surgical agreement to lower his guard, using his guilt to keep him away from her for a week. Then, taking advantage of his relaxation, she had fled.
Hamish had never imagined Elisa would leave like this. She was an amnesiac, her nerves still not recovered, and now she was pregnant and penniless. Besides him, who else did she know?
Hamish hung up the phone, left the conference room directly, leaving Tobias in charge.
…
Hamish grabbed his car keys and headed straight to the parking lot. His hands trembled as he opened the door. Sitting in the car, he dialed Elisa’s number.
“Sorry, the number you have dialed is switched off…”
At the sound of this, Hamish’s breath caught. A chill seemed to pierce his heart, as if the coldness in the voice had seeped through his pores into his bloodstream, reaching his heart.
He feared Elisa leaving him, but he feared even more for her safety. Where could she go, pregnant and unwell? Did she take her medication? Would she go to the hospital and discover she had stomach cancer, thus regaining her memory?
Various scenarios floated through his mind, each one frightening him.
The name “Elisa” kept circling in Hamish’s mind like a blunt knife stabbing, turning his thoughts into a mess.
Because of the rain the previous night, the car windows had condensed with mist, obscuring the view outside. Hamish opened the window, starting the wipers to clear the glass.
The air carried a heavy dampness. Hamish drove back to the villa. Everything seemed normal, just as it always was. Lunch was laid out on the table, Mr. Clegg, Mrs. Protich, Mrs. Rugger, and even the cat were present. Everything seemed ordinary, but…
Hamish rushed upstairs; the bedroom door stood wide open, and Elisa was no longer there.
When Elisa had left, none of the three in the villa had noticed her absence. Mrs. Rugger and Mrs. Protich had gone grocery shopping, while Mr. Clegg had been called by the property management for a while, also arranging for the surveillance cameras to be repaired. Elisa had left during this time.
The cameras had been fixed, but they were of no use. They hadn’t captured anything.
Hamish surveyed the bedroom. His memory was good, and he knew Elisa had taken a few pieces of clothing and two pieces of jewelry, leaving everything else behind.
Her departure had been so quiet that even now, Hamish hadn’t come to terms with it.
Hamish scrolled through his text messages and found a notification of a $200, 000 withdrawal, a small amount buried within the messages.
…
While instructing others to check various train stations and bus terminals for any information about Elisa, Hamish personally accessed the nearby surveillance footage. Knowing the approximate time, he quickly found Elisa’s figure. He watched as she, with disheveled hair and a mask, withdrew money from a nearby bank and then vanished into the crowd.
She disappeared into the throng of people. As others checked the station records, Hamish delved into the recent villa surveillance footage. Starting from the day he had left, he saw Elisa standing behind the curtains, mouthing words silently.
The video was quite clear. From her lip movements, he discerned that she was saying “goodbye.”
A bitter smile crossed Hamish’s lips. Hadn’t they agreed on saying goodbye? Why had she disappeared when he returned?
Hamish’s eyes reddened, his heart sinking like lead. He stared at the video, his hand gripping the mouse, trembling. He saw Elisa crouching on the floor, covering her face, crying bitterly. Her frail shoulders trembled uncontrollably.
He could keenly feel Elisa’s reluctance. Why would she leave when she was clearly so distressed? Was it because she dreamt of Autumn, or was it because she feared he would make her abort the child?
Perhaps it was both.
Since losing her memory, Elisa had become much more timid and averse to the outside world. Had he pushed her so tightly that she felt forced to leave?
The surveillance footage wasn’t comprehensive; considering privacy, the area around the bed and the bathroom had no visual coverage.
Once he finished watching this segment, Hamish shut down the computer and began inquiring about any information on Elisa’s whereabouts.
The thought of Elisa, pregnant and in an unfamiliar place, made a certain part of Hamish feel as though it had been shattered. The possibility of her suffering a stomach cancer attack, vomiting blood, collapsing, or encountering a series of misfortunes made his scalp tingle nervously, rendering himnervously breathless.
…
It wasn’t until 5 p. m. that Hamish received news that Elisa had gone to Tarsiers. It took eight hours by train from Chiwood to Tarsiers, and by now, Elisa was almost there. Hamish booked the earliest flight to Tarsiers.
However, upon arrival, there was no trace of Elisa.
Tarsiers was not like Chiwood, with weaker security and a more crowded and chaotic atmosphere. If someone wanted to intentionally disappear here, finding them would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
Tobias was responsible for finding information about Elisa. The professionals provided him with a segment of video from the train station. Amidst the sea of people, a familiar figure was spotted, and after a while, she looked up at the direction of the surveillance camera and uttered three words.
That night, Tobias forwarded the video to Hamish.
Hamish recognized the words Elisa spoke. She said, “I’m leaving.” Her expression was indifferent, without a hint of change, not even sadness.
In just two days, she seemed like a different person. From the initial painful “goodbye” to the calm statement “I’m leaving.”
She faced the surveillance camera, evidently anticipating that he would track her down, thereby proving her determination to break free from his control.
Reluctantly, Hamish had to acknowledge the fact that Elisa had escaped from him.
It seemed almost comical. Before her amnesia, he had pushed her so hard, yet she had never left him. After her memory loss, he had wholeheartedly loved her, but she still departed.
Where could Elisa possibly go once she arrived in Tarsiers?
…
Elisa was clever. Upon reaching Tarsiers, she traveled back and forth on various modes of transportation, buying a map and a pen by the roadside, marking lines to plan her route and destination.
After stopping in a remote small town, Elisa breathed a sigh of relief. A week of rough travel had nearly broken her bones. She had endured these days almost solely on willpower, her pregnant body constantly weak. The bus in the town reeked, and with so many people around, she didn’t dare close her eyes to rest, fearing pickpockets.