“Okay, that’s fine. There’s no rush now, and our friend is fine. What’s one more word in a relationship? Just get to know each other more. My son is outstanding!” Elisa listened, feeling a bit confused, not quite understanding, but she agreed with the last sentence.
Louis was indeed exceptional. She had always heard about those wealthy and noble young gentlemen. It was only after meeting Louis that she understood what a true noble young man was like. Like a flame buried under an iceberg, he appeared aloof and cold on the surface, yet inside, his blood boiled. He was like the sun, continuously shining upon everyone, becoming the faith of many.
“Do you have any plans after this?” Louis asked.
Elisa shook her head. “No.”
In a while, she would ask Asher for time off. She had delegated all the matters at the company, including the termination letter that needed to be sent out that evening, to her subordinates.
“Louis will wake up soon. How about you stay here and wait for him to open his eyes? He will be very happy to see you as the first person when he wakes up. My husband and I have other matters to attend to. Since Louis is fine, we’ll… leave first, okay?”
As the door opened, the tears on her face had not yet dried. Now, upon seeing Elisa, Mrs. White, in order not to disturb her son and his potential suitor, didn’t give Elisa a chance to respond. She promptly “dragged” Mr. White, who was “squatting” in the toilet, out with her.
Her wife’s reaction was completely different from what he had expected. Mr. White said, “If you care so much about our son, aren’t you afraid that woman will lure him away?”
“Louis is not foolish. How could he be easily lured away? Besides, I… I trust her.”
“I may trust her, but I don’t trust you. Louis poured his heart out to her on Twitter, and she didn’t respond at all. Not rejecting, yet not accepting, she’s good at playing coy. Do you know what kind of woman she is? She’s a schemer. I’ve seen many like her. My dear, you really need to be more wary.”
“I’ve seen many?” Mrs. White gave him a sidelong glance, her tone light and airy.
Mr. White had not yet realized the impending disaster and continued, “Of course, my eyes are sharp.”
Without hesitation, Mrs. White fired off one question after another, “Oh really? Then tell me where you’ve seen them, how many you’ve seen, what their names are, what they look like, and what happened between you?”
Mr. White was taken aback, a hint of fear spreading from the depths of his eyes. It was only then that he felt the ice-cold gaze of his wife, which fell upon his back like a knife.
“My… my dear, I… I only saw them… in short videos online.”
Mrs. White said, with a strange tone, “It seems like you’ve seen a lot of beautiful women in these videos.”
“No, I really haven’t watched any inappropriate videos. If you don’t believe me, you can check my phone.”
Their voices grew fainter as they moved away, and Mr. White’s attempts to change the subject were futile. In the end, Mrs. White spoke.
“Have you ever thought that perhaps she doesn’t understand love, or more precisely, she’s afraid of love and unwilling to accept it?”
She had never met Elisa before, but when she saw her today, she noticed some clues. A woman’s sixth sense was always keen, and Mrs. White felt that she had not misjudged her. Elisa had a calm disposition, though she was very young, her eyes did not match the vitality of her age but were overly steady.
It was most difficult to get close to someone like this, as you wouldn’t even know how to treat them well.
Louis not only had a concussion, but his arm also had minor bone damage, or else he wouldn’t have been sent to the orthopedic department.
Elisa gazed at the man on the hospital bed, reaching out and lightly touching the back of his hand.
God knows how afraid she was for Louis, afraid of a serious car accident, of him never waking up with his eyes closed forever, just like Mimi.
“Why are you so careless? I always tell you to focus on driving and pay attention to the road. What were you thinking while driving?” Elisa spoke, her breathing becoming heavier, filled with tremors and unstoppable sobs, tears blurring her vision. “Louis, I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
A million accusations couldn’t compare to one sentence: I don’t want anything to happen to you.
But at this moment, Louis was trapped in a nightmare from which he couldn’t escape. He dreamt that Elisa had left him and was with someone who looked like him, Autumn.
The two of them were sitting in a wisteria forest at an orphanage. Autumn was grinning foolishly at Elisa and even lifted her off the ground.
He felt a sense of urgency and anger, wanting to rush over and separate the two of them. His heart felt sour, almost bursting, wishing he could knock down that foolish Autumn.
He rushed over to grab Elisa’s shoulder, and as she turned, her face began to transform into the image of the “Elisa” in the photograph, the one who had died in a fire three years ago.
“Who are you?”
“I am Elisa, the one you know.”
“No, you’re not.” He turned to run, and the scene shifted.
“Elisa” lay on the ground, covered in blood, her fingers and flesh staining the floor red.
He didn’t understand why he dreamt of such a terrifying scene. His heart was in pain, and he wanted to move, but his legs felt as if they were nailed to the ground.
A voice whispered in his ear, “Carry her home… she’s been waiting for you to take her home…”
Who was waiting for him? Who did he need to carry home?
Was it this “Elisa” in front of him? No, she wasn’t the Elisa he knew. Then who was she?
“Elisa!” Louis suddenly opened his eyes.