That day, she would prepare several grand gifts for Hamish, gifts that he would remember for the rest of his life. Elisa pinched her earlobe, where a light scar lay. It seemed as if Mimi sensed her emotions. Holding a ball of yarn, Mimi dropped it next to Elisa, hoping she would play along. When Elisa didn’t respond, Mimi rubbed against her fingertips and licked them with its small tongue. Elisa’s expression softened, and she gently patted its head. Perhaps the only sincere company she had now was this little creature.
At noon, Mrs. Rugger received a frantic call from her daughter and hurriedly sought leave from the butler for a few days. The butler’s expression was complicated. Christmas was approaching, and he too was preparing to leave. Yet, with Mrs. Rugger leaving, who would take care of Elisa? When Hamish returned, Mr. Clegg discussed the situation with him. If Hamish agreed, they could all take a relaxed leave. If not, then he would have to stay.
After some thought, Hamish realized that Elisa couldn’t go anywhere with her broken leg. Whether there was one more person looking after her or one less, it made no difference. “Mrs. Protich can take care of her,” he said.
Mr. Clegg sighed in relief. “I’ll be back soon.”
With a simple “Hmm,” Hamish went to Elisa’s room. She sat in her wheelchair, draped in a shawl with a blanket over her legs. Despite being wrapped up tightly, she couldn’t seem to get warm, her hands feeling like ice. Hamish’s hands were warm, and he crouched in front of her, gently rubbing her soft hands in an attempt to bring her some warmth.
“Mrs. Rugger and Mr. Clegg are planning to take a break and go home for a while. Mrs. Protich will take care of you. If anything happens, call me,” Hamish said.
“If I call you, will you answer?” For the first time in many days, Elisa spoke to him.
Hamish was momentarily surprised but quickly responded, a faint smile appearing on his lips. “Of course, I will answer…”
Elisa lowered her head, stroking the cat in her arms, and in a subdued voice asked, “But aren’t you getting engaged the day after tomorrow? If I call you, will you be able to come from the engagement?”
Furrowing his brow, his eyes softened, his expression grim as he asked, “How do you know? Who told you?” He had explicitly warned the people in the villa not to gossip.
Emotionless, Elisa replied, “I saw the news on TV today about you and Lila getting engaged the day after tomorrow. Congratulations, you finally get to be with your beloved.”
Gripping Elisa’s hand tightly, Hamish said, “I’m only engaged to her, not married. Elisa, do you remember what I told you a few days ago? Don’t believe anything that happens. My engagement with Lila has a reason. I don’t love her; the only person I love is you.” He didn’t want Elisa to misunderstand.
However, Elisa remained indifferent. What did it matter to her whom he loved? It was just that the situation felt all too familiar; she and Lila had switched places, and Hamish was still standing in the same spot, torn between two worlds, with the red flag flying at home and the colorful flag fluttering outside.
The more distant Elisa became, the more anxious Hamish felt. He placed the cat aside and massaged her legs as usual.
Her legs were already useless, and without the massage, the muscles would atrophy, looking unsightly.
Elisa looked indifferently at the top of his head and suddenly asked, “Hamish, what would you do if I were gone?”
Hamish paused, not dwelling on it, assuming that this was just Elisa thinking about leaving him.
“I won’t let you go, especially since you can’t go now.”
As if she hadn’t heard his “malicious” words, Elisa murmured, “I mean, if I suddenly disappeared, what would you do?”
She rarely delved into such unrealistic questions, but Hamish felt a sudden emptiness in his heart. It was just a supposition, but his heart felt strangely hollow, urgently needing something to fill it.
Trembling, he held Elisa’s knee and said, “I would probably go mad… I dare not think about the days without you. So… Elisa, without my permission, you are not allowed to leave, and I will not let you leave.” As he finished, he looked up to see Elisa smiling at him.
Her dark eyes seemed like deep, unfathomable black holes, as if theycould inadvertently draw a person in.
“Hamish, do you love me?” Elisa asked softly.
“I do.” It was more than just a simple “love.” His feelings for Elisa were like a poison that had seeped into his bloodstream, into his very bones. There was no antidote. “If going insane without you is love, then I have long been afflicted.”
Under his intense gaze, Elisa couldn’t help but smile. She had won the bet. Two years ago, she had told Micah that she would seek revenge on Hamish. She had bet that Hamish would fall in love with her, that he would regret it bitterly after her death, unable to sleep at night, tormented and driven mad. Soon, she would collect her winnings.
When Elisa smiled, her sinister gaze softened. She reached up to touch Hamish’s face. “Don’t worry, I won’t leave. I will stay here just as you said. My legs can’t carry me anymore, so I will rely on you in the future.”
Hearing her words, Hamish breathed a sigh of relief. He firmly grasped Elisa’s hand and placed a solemn kiss on her cold fingertips. “Elisa, I love you,” he said earnestly.
Elisa’s eyes grew even deeper.
The next morning, Mrs. Rugger bid Elisa farewell. “Elisa, my daughter has run into some trouble, and I need to go back for two days. I’ll be back soon to keep you company.” She couldn’t bear to leave Elisa alone, but her daughter’s urgent call demanded her return.
As if expecting it, Elisa asked in a gentle tone, “Mrs. Rugger, may I hug you?”
Mrs. Rugger quickly set down her luggage and leaned over to embrace Elisa’s frail body. Elisa held onto her tightly, feeling the warmth of a mother’s love, if only for a brief moment.
“Take care.”
There was a large floor-to-ceiling window in the room, allowing Elisa to see outside. She sat there and watched Mrs. Rugger leave with her luggage, gradually fading into a tiny dot and then disappearing altogether.
Tomorrow was the day of Hamish and Lila’s engagement, and Hamish would be going to the hotel tonight to prepare and familiarize himself with the proceedings. The atmosphere was unusually tense.
Anxious, Hamish repeatedly instructed Elisa not to watch TV or go online. He would return soon, and his engagement with Lila was merely a farce for mutual benefit.
As they departed that evening, Hamish embraced Elisa as usual, whispering “I love you” in her ear repeatedly, as if trying to alleviate his guilt.
From an angle hidden from his view, Elisa’s lips curved into a mocking smile as she reached up to adjust Hamish’s tie. “I’ll be waiting for you at home.”
Elisa’s attitude shifted back to amnesia, which not only didn’t ease Hamish but made him increasingly uneasy.
Just before leaving, he had a constant feeling that once he left, he wouldn’t see Elisa again. There was a voice inside him constantly telling him to turn back. Every three steps, Hamish turned to find Elisa still sitting in her wheelchair, watching him.
Hamish could only console himself: Elisa’s legs were now paralyzed; she couldn’t leave, and as long as he turned, he could see her behind him.
…
Mrs. Protich’s care was not as attentive as Mrs. Rugger’s, but fortunately, Elisa didn’t like to trouble people and avoided seeking help whenever possible.
In the morning, after helping Elisa get dressed and serving her breakfast, while halfway through the meal, the phone rang. She immediately put down the bowl to answer the call. She chatted on the phone, even as the porridge she had left cooled down.
After finishing the call, Mrs. Protich thought of continuing to feed Elisa the cold porridge. Elisa furrowed her brow involuntarily, “I’m already full.”
Mrs. Protich put down the bowl, tidied up, and took the used dishes to the kitchen to wash. After a while, someone called her again. With the phone in one hand and a broom in the other, she said, “I’m busy today, I can’t make it. Let’s make it another day.”
After hanging up, she seemed a bit upset. Elisa noticed and asked, “Mrs. Protich, if you have something to do, you can go. I can stay home alone.”
Mrs. Protich felt a moment of joy, but catching sight of Elisa’s disabled legs, she felt as if she had been doused with cold water, “Your legs… can’t move.”
“It’s okay, it’s good that they can’t move. This way, I won’t run around. Just come back before two o’clock, call me if you need to, whether I eat lunch or not, it doesn’t matter. I won’t starve,” Elisa said.
Her words were somewhat touching. She had been afraid that Hamish would find out, but considering that Hamish was currently at the engagement party, he wouldn’t have time to inquire about this.
He always only saw the new bride smile, never hearing the old one cry.
Mrs. Protich tentatively asked, “So if I go out for a bit, I promise to be back before two o’clock.”
“Okay.”
Mrs. Protich was happy. She brought the phone from the living room and placed it within Elisa’s reach.
Although Elisa said she didn’t need to eat lunch, she still took out a pastry from the fridge and placed it within Elisa’s reach, in case she got hungry.
Before leaving, she took Elisa to the bathroom and then cheerfully left with her bag.
Elisa knew that each person leaving was orchestrated by Finn, to make it convenient for her to die in an accident.
Elisa took the remote control and turned on the TV, tuning it to a news channel, staring at the prominent headline below.
-Hamish and Lila’s engagement scene.
Their engagement was held in a church, surrounded by flowers and balloons, beautiful and solemn. It reminded her of her wedding with Hamish, in a small hotel, where they had also invited an officiant to go through the necessary procedures.
-“Hamish, do you agree to spend your lifetime loving Elisa? Cherishing and protecting her, in sickness and in health, in wealth and in poverty, until death do you part?”
-“I do.”
Suddenly, Elisa couldn’t contain herself; she leaned over her wheelchair, crying and laughing uncontrollably, like a madwoman.