Even though Hamish was ill, his grip remained strong. He clenched Tobias’s collar so tightly that the veins on the back of his hand bulged, the force enough to strangle a person if applied to the neck.
Tobias found it difficult to breathe for a moment, paralyzed by fear.
“Why didn’t you take care of her properly? Letting someone take her away!” Hamish’s jaw clenched, his muscles taut, tears welling up in his eyes like those of a prisoner in a desperate struggle.
Tobias watched Hamish, who seemed like a madman, his hands shaking violently. He felt his legs giving way, but if it hadn’t been for Hamish clutching his collar, he might have collapsed to the ground.
“Where have they taken her? I need to find her.”
Tobias shook his head, took a deep breath, and said, “Mr. Burns, it’s no use. Elisa was taken by her brother.”
“Ivan?” Hamish asked.
Tobias laboriously replied, “Yes.”
“What kind of person is Ivan? He never cared for Elisa. He would scold and hit her. What right does he have to take her away?”
Even Tobias found Hamish’s words somewhat laughable.
“Mr. Burns, Ivan, as bad as he may be, is still Elisa’s only family. No one has more right to take her away than him. As for you, you are just her ex-husband; you are the least qualified to keep her.”
At that moment, Tobias feared nothing. Even if he were to be beaten, he had deceived Hamish for so many years by following him. He did not want to continue deceiving himself.
Hamish’s breath hitched, his tongue feeling as though it had been bitten. He reflexively held his breath, his once lively eyes now dulled, as if he had lost his soul.
The atmosphere grew heavy, and no one spoke. The dim, cold room felt like a silent, desolate grave.
“I only have her left. Why won’t she stay with me, why… where has she gone?” Hamish’s heavy sobs filled the air as he cradled his head, roughly tearing at his disheveled hair.
Tobias noticed several strands of white hair mixed in with Hamish’s, who was barely 30 years old. In the few days since Elisa’s passing, he had aged several years.
Tobias hoarsely said, “Mr. Burns, I dreamt of Mrs. Burns last night. She said she was cold…”
As Hamish raised his bloodshot eyes, Tobias continued in a muffled voice, “Think about it, she even refuses to enter your dreams. How much does she resent you… You knew she was always afraid of the cold, yet you kept her in this freezing cold room at minus 20 degrees. She resented you, and now she can no longer speak. Mr. Burns, forgive her, and forgive yourself.”
Hamish’s expression turned to stone, tears streaming down his bloodshot eyes.
Elisa was his life. How could he let her go?
“You always said you would compensate her, but you never knew what she wanted. Mr. Burns, all she wanted was to leave you.”
Finn and Tobias seemed to have conspired, taking turns to stab at Hamish, who felt as if he had fallen into an abyss with danger closing in from all sides, tearing him apart.
He could have nothing, but he couldn’t be without Elisa. Why couldn’t she stay?
Crouched against the cold wall, Hamish hugged his throbbing head, his throat emitting choked sobs.
An indescribable pain surged through his chest, suffocating his thoughts, the scene before him flickering vaguely.
Tobias watched as Hamish sat on the floor, hands covering his face, tears trickling through his fingers, moistening his sleeves.
Only Hamish’s heavy breathing filled the air for a moment, oppressive and stifling. Tobias watched in silence for a moment, then took out his phone and dialed the police station.
“Captain Zhang, I want to ask if Elisa’s body has been taken away. How was it arranged…”
Tobias turned on the speakerphone. As soon as Hamish heard, he suddenly raised his head, a faint hope glimmering in his bloodshot eyes. He stared intently at Tobias’s phone, like a child wanting to reclaim a beloved toy but not daring to snatch it, only able to sneak glances from a corner.
“At noon, her family had already taken her body away.”
Tobias inquired, “Where did they take her?”
“To the crematorium.”
Tobias was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Elisa’s body to be taken directly to the crematorium.
It was four o’clock now, and she was probably reduced toashes by now. Tobias looked at Hamish, whose complexion had not improved and had even worsened, as if his soul had been consumed, leaving him bereft of reason.
Hamish continued to stare at Tobias, who had the phone in his hand, until he heard him say “thank you,” ending the call and turning off the phone. It was only then that Hamish reacted quickly.
It was as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown over him in this frigid winter, and the tension within him drew tighter, as if it might snap at any moment.
“I need to find her, I have to find her…” He took two steps, but his head began to swim, and his legs soon gave way. He tried to stand, but couldn’t even manage to crawl forward.
He stared at his legs, realizing that the collapse of an adult happens in an instant. He clenched his fists and pounded his thighs, his voice hoarse with effort, “Come on! Useless! Hamish, you’re nothing but useless! You can’t even see her for the last time!”
He exerted all his strength, but his hands felt weak against his legs, as if his tendons had been severed. He bit his lower lip, and Tobias, alarmed by his actions, quickly reached out to stop him from hurting himself.
Hamish trembled violently, his throat parched and burning, as if his blood had dried and congealed, leaving him struggling to breathe.
“Mr. Burns, I will take you to find her.”
Tobias said something with his mouth moving, and at last, Hamish caught his final words.
Tobias crouched down, lifted Hamish, and rushed out, calling for the driver to bring the car to the door and head towards the crematorium.
The driver knew the urgency of the situation, and seeing Tobias shove Hamish into the car, he immediately stepped on the gas.
It would take at least an hour to get from here to the crematorium. The driver drove as fast as possible, running several red lights along the way, but it still took forty minutes to reach their destination.
Before the car had come to a stop, Hamish opened the door and staggered towards the direction of the crematory.
Tobias followed closely behind, watching Hamish’s stumbling figure and recalling a popular internet joke.
-“Chasing Wife at the Crematorium,” isn’t this the crematorium?
At that moment, Hamish still held a glimmer of hope. Elisa had not yet entered the incinerator; her body was still resting peacefully in the crystal casket.
However, when they inquired with the staff, they were too late. Elisa’s body had been cremated and the ashes taken away an hour before.
Hamish trembled as he asked, “Where have they taken her?”
“The person holding the urn asked which way to the sea…”