Five days after Elisa’s surgery, she no longer required care and could eat and move around by herself.
“I want to eat the wontons on the food street near the back door of Hirola University.”
Hirola University was the college Elisa attended. Not far from the back door, there was a food street, and Elisa’s favorite place was a wonton shop. It wasn’t because the taste was exceptional, but because the proprietress was kind, resembling her mother in looks, gentle in character, and would affectionately call her “little sister.”
The wontons made by the proprietress were large, and seeing that Elisa often visited her shop, she would secretly add two extra wontons for her and occasionally give her a preserved egg to eat more, lest she became too thin.
“You remember?” Hamish’s heart skipped a beat, his pupils slightly contracting. In an instant, his panic made his heart chaotic.
Elisa gazed outside, casually smiling, “I do wish I could remember. Can you tell me?”
Hamish remained silent, but he felt relieved that Elisa hadn’t regained her memory. He feared she would continue the topic, so he awkwardly diverted to the topic of wontons, “Do you want wontons? There’s a place downstairs where many people go to eat. I’ll have someone bring them for you.”
“Have someone?” Elisa turned to him with a wry smile, “It’s just the two of us here. Whom do you intend to send? A caregiver? Or the hospital’s doctors and nurses? Can’t you go yourself?”
After a moment’s pause, seeing Elisa’s irritation, Hamish shuddered. He wasn’t afraid of Elisa’s impatience but rather her refusal to engage with him.
It was just buying wontons, so close by. Elisa was still unwell and wouldn’t leave. Even if she could run, she wouldn’t get far, especially with a caregiver watching over her.
“Fine, I’ll go and buy them for you.” He knew Elisa’s preference; she liked the seafood-flavored wontons with Chinese cabbage and dried shrimp, with a delicious soup.
As Hamish left, he reminded the caregiver.
Once Hamish left, Elisa stared blankly at a corner of the ward. She had her own world, and Hamish was an intruder who had suddenly invaded her world, constructing a cage with thorns, watching her struggle inside. She would sometimes fall into a near-death state, only to be rescued by him, an endless cycle. Outwardly, she seemed alive, but in reality, her soul was like the nearly withered banyan tree outside, riddled with the marks of decay, utterly dilapidated.
Following Hamish’s instructions, the caregiver came in to look after her.
“My stomach hurts a little.”
The caregiver tensed at the mention of pain, “Wait, I’ll call the doctor immediately.”
“No need,” Elisa stopped her, “This is normal. I just have a low pain tolerance and need painkillers. I’ve run out. Could you please go to the nurse’s station and get me a few painkillers?”
The nurse’s station wasn’t far, and if Elisa went downstairs, she would have to pass by it. The caregiver nodded and replied, “Sure, I’ll go to the nurse’s station now and get you the medicine. Just lie in bed and don’t move around.”
“Okay.” Elisa finally revealed a long-lost smile, obediently nodding.
As the caregiver turned to leave, Elisa gazed at the quiet corridor and slowly propped herself up, moving the chair Hamish had sat on closer to the window.
Wobbling, she stood up, pulled the curtain, and opened the window. The misty sky outside didn’t affect the room, but upon opening the window, she felt the approaching end of autumn and the imminent arrival of winter.
The piercing cold wind tousled Elisa’s long hair, causing her loose hospital gown to billow. She squinted, deep in thought, her hands resting on the windowsill.
Her memories were fragmented. Over the past few days, some fragments had surfaced, and she knew she had grown up in Bankshire.
And…
Elisa placed her right hand on her abdomen. She had previously miscarried a child, presumably also at the hands of Hamish.
The rest of her memories were like bubbles, accumulating in her mind. However, whenever she tried to touch them, those memories shattered instantly.
The more difficult it was to remember, the more it indicated how terrifying and desperate her experiences were before she lost her memory. So desperate that she had to erase those memories.
Her marriage to Hamish was likely a sham, their love a lie, even her upbringing in an orphanage, and the encounters Hamish and Tobiashad spoken about were all likely fabricated.
All those beautiful “memories” were spun by Hamish to deceive her, specifically targeting her gullibility.
Elisa leaned over the windowsill, almost hanging out. Her body, suspended in mid-air, seemed like it could fall at any moment.
This was the eighth floor. If she fell, her fate would be certain death. She had heard that those who died by jumping from a building looked ghastly. If lucky, they might suffer multiple fractures, but if not, their skulls would shatter upon impact.
Was there anyone in this world who wished for her to live happily and healthy?
Peering down at the ground below, shrouded in darkness, Elisa wondered how terrified her baby would be alone. He was so small, unable to make a sound, unable to see; he had not yet experienced warmth in the world, and yet, he had perished within her.
Elisa looked up, squinting her eyes, holding back her tears. She gazed at the murky sky, feeling a mix of anger and sorrow, though not intensely. She felt her bodily functions beginning to fail, especially her heart, to the point where even breathing was difficult.
Perhaps due to the pain, Elisa began to hallucinate. She faintly saw her child, smiling at her.
“Mommy, don’t be sad for me. The baby is just going to see his brother.”
Elisa reached out into the empty space, attempting to grasp the phantom figure, but she couldn’t reach it. Lifting one foot, she placed it on the windowsill…
It was quiet all around, and there was no one below. If she fell, it would be silent, and no one would know… except the police who would have to come and remove her lifeless body.