In Elisa’s memory, she highly valued family affection. Initially, for Ivan’s sake, she compromised and ended up being trapped by him, willing to do anything. Elisa detested those with violent tendencies. Louis, however, had chopped off her own brother’s hand. Did she truly not care if Ivan ended up disabled? Hamish finished speaking and sought some reaction from Elisa’s face. He observed her for quite some time. Elisa’s expression remained calm, even the frown that had been present moments ago relaxed. Her eyes resembled mirrors, reflecting his ugly appearance so clearly that even he couldn’t bear to look at it. Under Elisa’s continuous gaze, he involuntarily took two steps back.
Elisa glanced at him and lightly chuckled, taunting, “Why did his hands become stained with blood? Why does he hit people? Don’t you know better than anyone else? Raised in your home as a bodyguard, becoming your thug.”
“You say he’s bloody-handed, but he saved you. An eye for an eye, he acted a fool for fifteen years. He even saved me. Louis may seem fierce to outsiders, but he has never harmed me. On the contrary, you… compare for yourself, who is truly violent?”
In her heart, Louis remained the guy who would blush when looking at her, who would act cocky and shy, and fidget with his ears. He was the one who cautiously approached her, stood behind her to protect her, never leaving her even when she didn’t turn around. He was the one who calmed her not to cry and carried her home when she was upset. No matter how she changed, he would always like her at first sight. He was the one who, when injured, would immediately comfort her not to be sad.
With Louis being so good to her, how could she deny him because of a few words from Hamish? Elisa’s words left Hamish speechless. Indeed, Louis’s actions were due to the Burns family. His hands were stained with blood because they intended to groom him as the Burns family’s bodyguard from the start. If Louis hadn’t been taken in by mistake back then, he should have lived a happy life, not spent fifteen years in an orphanage, becoming a mindless fool. Yet, even as a fool, all he thought about was protecting Elisa. His love was not like Hamish’s, elusive and evasive. His affection for Elisa was so obviously fervent, a preference that everyone could see.
Refusing to admit it, Hamish hung his head. His thick eyelashes covered his eyes. After a while, he faintly smiled, “Did Louis drug you? Why do you side with him in everything?”
“Do you understand the concept of empathy? I know who treats me well and who treats me poorly. I can tell whether you deserve it or not.”
Was Hamish deserving of her kindness? After being a punching bag for so many years, facing his coldness after her warmness, she had had enough. Did he think she would treat him and Louis equally and still have face?
North Bankshire-this small villa wasn’t large, but it was her wedding house. She had meticulously followed the renovation progress here, investing time and energy no less than the work on a multi-billion-dollar project. Yet, what did she gain? Being pinned down on the sofa, locked in the bedroom for four whole days, surviving on tap water and chewing on tissue paper to stay alive? Or being handcuffed and forced to kneel on the balcony with broken glass, or even being thrown from the second floor, losing a child?
Some things were not about keeping score. She didn’t want to think about them, but Hamish’s presence always made her unable to help but recall the past. There was no place for even a shred of happiness. She had intended to let go of her hatred, but it was Hamish who made her pick it up again.
A person should not harbor hatred forever; it makes the heart weary. Elisa now felt utterly exhausted. She just wanted to find a quiet place to stay, without bothering anyone, and hoped that he would no longer harm the White family.
Hamish opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing. He knew Elisa didn’t want to see him. Yet, for him, the only meaning of being alive was to see her a little more.
“I will prove to you that everything I did was right,” Hamish said in his usual cold and expressionless manner. At this moment, his face was ashen, with no expression. It was unclear if it was due to the darkening sky or if he truly felt desolate and empty, just like the darkness in his eyes, not much brighter than the outside sky, embodying loneliness and emptiness.
Seeing that he was still obstinate, comparing himself with Louis, Elisa sneered, “Your so-called right is to use anymeans to drive families to ruin and cause rifts with relatives?”
The two were quite far apart, separated by a coffee table, a decorative cabinet, and some chairs. Their confrontation created an intense atmosphere that made their scalps tingle.
Hamish had heard such words many times. He had heard this phrase from different people, including Elisa a long time ago, from Tobias, from Finn, and even from Mrs. Rugger, who had worked at his house for less than a year. There were even more offensive words.
Cold-hearted and ruthless, unscrupulous, heartless, and treacherous-no matter how many unpleasant words he heard, he remained indifferent. He thought he had become accustomed to it over the years, after all, he had received his retribution and had become numb to the pain. However, for some reason, every time Elisa uttered these words, it made his already numb heart ache a little more.
“Then tell me, how should I act? Would you still see me in a positive light if I used fair and upright means?” Hamish asked with bloodshot eyes.
The answer was no. Elisa would not stay by his side through any means. Elisa’s mood strangely calmed down. Hamish was like a vampire; once he sank his teeth in, he would bite until he drew blood.
He wanted her to stay by his side until his dying breath, to make Louis retreat, and to force the White family to become like the Baker family from before.
Returning to her room, Elisa turned on the lights and tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Occasionally, she glanced at her phone. Even though she had blocked the signal, she couldn’t resist checking for messages.
She had been using this phone for over two years. The memory was large, and nothing had been deleted. Louis’s texts from two years ago were still saved in it. She opened them and looked at the emojis he had sent, the goodnight messages from every single day without exception. As she looked, tears welled up in her eyes, silently disappearing into her temples.
On the other side, Louis, who had been drugged by Elisa, felt drowsy all day, unable to concentrate, wanting to sleep. He wanted to drink coffee to help him focus, but after drinking a cup, the feeling of wanting to sleep but being unable to, as if a balloon was struggling to keep his mind afloat, gave him a splitting headache, as if it could burst at any moment.
Rubbing his forehead, he remembered the words Elisa had said to him that morning as she sent him off. “Take care of yourself, don’t tire yourself out, and sleep if you want to.” He had promised Elisa to take care of himself, not to tire himself, and to sleep if he wanted to. However, there were still many documents in front of him that needed to be dealt with and signed.
When his assistant came in and saw Louis’s pale face and sweaty forehead, she was startled. He had been fine just a moment ago, so why was he so pale now?
“Mr. White, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Should I take you to the hospital?” she hurriedly asked.
“No, I just need to rest for a while,” he said. Maybe after a nap, he would feel better.
The assistant didn’t insist on taking him to the hospital. There was a rest area with a partition in the office. He could stay there for a long time, even take a shower. However, the assistant was still worried. Seeing Louis stagger to his feet, take a few steps, and suddenly bend over, clutching his stomach, and vomit, she became even more concerned.
“Mr. White,” the assistant called out anxiously, rushing over to support Louis, preventing him from falling onto the vomit he had just expelled.
He hadn’t eaten properly today. He had had Elisa’s breakfast, and for lunch, the assistant had ordered for him, but he had only taken a few bites before putting down his fork. He had at most drunk a bowl of soup, then had been drinking coffee all afternoon. Unable to bear it, after vomiting, all that came out was water, tinged with the brown color of coffee.
After vomiting, his stomach felt a bit better, but his body felt weak. The assistant helped him to sit down on a chair. Seeing Louis panting with closed eyes, he looked like a fish out of water.
The assistant made a quick decision. “No, I have to take you to the hospital. If you don’t get checked, you will harm your body.”