After seeing Mrs. White, Hamish returned home without delay, not even taking half an hour. Standing at the tea shop doorway, the bitter December air made it too cold, freezing his legs and making it hard to move. A gust of cold wind hit him, carrying a damp chill. He reached out and touched his fingertips, then stared at them blankly.
In his entire life, the tears he shed, apart from those for his parents, were all because of Elisa. He didn’t want to cry. Standing in the bustling street, a grown man shedding tears seemed undignified, but he couldn’t control himself. The wind was so strong that each gust made his eyes well up, and the tears wouldn’t stop flowing.
Suddenly, Hamish didn’t know where to go. Lowering his head, he crossed the pavement and entered a supermarket, buying the fruits that Elisa loved.
The supermarket was crowded. It was Hamish’s first time shopping there. In the past, anything he needed was prepared by the household staff, and he never had to think about it. Now, as he looked at the many people, for the first time he felt completely alone, out of place in the entire world. Perhaps it was time for him to prepare for the future.
Christmas was in twenty days. Hamish had ordered many things online to be sent to North Bankshire.
For the White family, Elisa couldn’t ignore the suffering they had experienced, nor could she bear to see Louis injured. One accident like the one on the bungee jumping machine was enough. After going through so much, she and Louis were already married, and the White family were naturally her family. Mr. and Mrs. White had treated her so well, just like a real daughter. Their care for her was no less than that for Louis and Brittany. They had been genuinely kind to her, so how could she stand by indifferently?
If it were merely about money, Elisa might not have cared so much. The crucial point was that Hamish had gone too far. He wanted to bring Louis to ruin, and he had complete control over his fate. People like Hamish might have restrained themselves in the past, avoiding uncertain matters and calculating everything carefully. But now that he was ill, doing something desperate that would lead to a tragic end was entirely expected.
At eleven o’clock in the afternoon, Hamish returned. He saw Elisa sitting on the living room couch watching TV and approached her. “Have you eaten?” he asked.
“No,” Elisa replied.
“I’ll make something,” he said.
Elisa continued to stare at the TV, barely acknowledging Hamish’s words, not even turning her head, let alone making eye contact.
She remained fixed on the TV, seemingly engrossed, but her mind was elsewhere. The TV was showing a horror movie, which Elisa particularly disliked. Today, however, she was obedient, eating well and not picking a fight with Hamish.
After cooking, Hamish called Elisa over to eat. He had prepared two meat dishes, one vegetarian dish, a soup, and Elisa’s favorite dessert. As she looked at the cake on her plate, she seemed puzzled.
“When I was at the supermarket, I saw people lining up to buy this. I remembered you like it,” Hamish said.
Elisa enjoyed sweet things, and this trendy cake fell within her preferences. She sat down and slowly ate a piece of cake.
This kind of cake was only available in Bankshire, and there was only a limited supply each day. Sometimes, people had to queue for a long time, and occasionally the cake would sell out before they got a chance to buy it. The fact that Hamish had gone to the supermarket, and to such a crowded place, to buy this kind of small cake was something Elisa had never dared to imagine before.
The cake still tasted the same as she remembered, not particularly valuable, but it carried the original sweet fragrance.
“Thank you.”
This time it was Hamish who was taken aback. This was the first time Elisa had spoken to him so softly since she had arrived, and it caught him off guard. He didn’t dare respond, afraid that he was only dreaming and that any sudden movement would shatter it.
They spent the rest of the meal in relative calm, but was this enough? No, the atmosphere was eerily silent, and Elisa’s “thank you” was nothing more than speaking to a familiar stranger.
Elisa paced slowly in the living room, silent, her slow footsteps echoing from loud to soft, from far to near, the empty air filling every corner with a sense of desolation.
“Let’s go out for a walk,” Hamish suggested.
Elisa paused her steps, then continued walking. “I don’t want to go out,” she replied.
“You must want to go out,” Hamish said.
“I do want to go out, but I won’t. You know birds raised in cages since childhood? Once they see the outside world, they can never go back to the cage. If they continue to be raised, they will die from depression.”
Hamish choked up, feeling a bitter taste in his throat. A bird always believed in its own wings. A bird without wings would die. Elisa knew this well. She was the bird held back by Hamish’s chain. Even if she flew away, she would still be shackled, imprisoned wherever she went.
“I’ve booked our tickets. Tomorrow, accompany me to Chiwood,” Hamish insisted.
“I don’t want to go,” Elisa refused.
Hamish’s tone hardened. “You have to go. Even if I have to force you, I’ll make you go.”
Elisa remained silent, and Hamish took her silence as agreement.
The issue with the Burns Group had been resolved. Hamish could freely go anywhere. He had an island in Chiwood, where Elisa’s ashes from her previous life were scattered.
In fact, with his methods, he could have just kidnapped Elisa, or forced her to bear his child as he had done in the past, coercing her to stay by his side. He could have plotted and schemed, his area of expertise, making the White family another Finn. He had plenty of ways to escape, but only if he had enough time.
Fate had already decided how this would end. He didn’t know where he had taken the wrong turn, but no matter which way he went, he couldn’t go back.
The next morning, Hamish took Elisa to the airport. They had no luggage, carrying only their IDs and phones.
After landing, Chiwood was even colder than Bankshire. Elisa, wrapped in a heavy down jacket, still couldn’t shake off the cold. Hamish wore a camel-colored overcoat over a gray wool sweater, simple attire that exuded an air of nobility. The coat fluttered in the wind, while his gaze remained straight ahead, his dark eyes deep and cold. Only when facing Elisa did a fleeting softness appear.
Many people stared at Hamish. His remarkable appearance and the pallor of his face drew attention.
Elisa wore a mask and a thick down jacket, with a scarf wrapped around half of her face and a hat on her head. Even in this attire, she would not be recognized in a crowd of fans.
Seeing Elisa dressed this way, Hamish smiled, a rare sight. She couldn’t fathom why Hamish had brought her to Chiwood, nor did she care to speculate about his intentions.
Elisa felt conflicted about being in Chiwood. It meant she was even farther from Louis. If he were looking for her and checked the flight records, he would find out where she was.
“Why did you bring me to Chiwood?” Elisa asked.
“To relax. You can trust that I won’t do anything to you,” Hamish said.
The reassurance in his words wasn’t comforting at all. Hamish often went back on his word, and Elisa had little trust in him.
After a tiring flight and doing nothing but sitting, Elisa felt exhausted. She followed Hamish onto the island and went straight to her room to sleep until nightfall, when she was called for dinner.
Upon waking up, she finally took a good look at the scenery outside. In the evening, it was hard to see much, and the sea breeze at night was especially strong, causing the trees on the island to sway.
“Rest early. I’ll take you out tomorrow,” Hamish said.
Elisa didn’t ask where Hamish planned to take her. She was in Chiwood because Hamish had decided, and she couldn’t do anything about it.
Luckily, the next day, the sun was out, and the temperature had risen. Under the vast sky and by the sea, the sunlight sprinkled over the azure ocean.
During their ten days in Chiwood, Hamish took Elisa to see the sea, to an amusement park, for a romantic meal, to watch a movie, and to visit famous tourist spots in Chiwood. He even took her to his true home, the place where he had spent his childhood.
Old Burns had passed away, but Atonal was still around. He was getting old, having spent most of his life in the Burns family. Even after retiring, he didn’t know where to go, so he stayed at the Burns family, continuing to manage the Royal Garden just as he always had.
Atonal heard the sound of a car outside and initially thought it was a problem with his ears. Since Old Burns had passed, hardly anyone had visited. The place was heavily guarded, and any visitors were always announced in advance. The fact that this time there was no announcement meant that the security department recognized the visitor.