What is Elisa to Louis? Perhaps she is the only sun in the sky, the rainbow that is rarely seen after a storm, the ocean that whales need, and the flame that moths are willing to ignore everything for.
Louis is equally obsessed with Elisa, wanting to possess her, wanting her to stay by his side forever.
But if Elisa wants to leave, she can’t even bring herself to reach out and stop her due to her own insecurity.
If there is only one rose left in the world and that rose only lasts for a month, Hamish would preserve its most beautiful moment when it blooms. Meanwhile, Louis would watch that rose bloom and wither, accompanying it until it decays. This is the difference in their approaches to love.
Louis acts this way suddenly because he is caught between fear of losing and fear of obtaining, and without a sense of security. His brain was already wounded, and now it seems to have become like Autumn.
Elisa doesn’t want him to become a fool again, but she doesn’t know what to do. Should she use hypnotism to make Louis forget her again?
Elisa couldn’t hear what Mrs. White said afterwards as she sat on the sofa, unaware that her hands had become cold.
The weather was getting colder, and it was already dark before six o’clock.
Elisa stood up and said, “Mom, I’m going back.”
“Why? Stay for dinner, I’ll call for Louis to come over.”
“No, he’s waiting for me at home.”
Elisa stood up, about to leave, when Louis called her. “Are you at your parents’ place?”
“Yes, I’m about to go back.” Elisa heard his voice and for some reason, her body suddenly felt warm, and her heavy heart relaxed. She tilted her head, pressing her ear to the phone as if she could hear his voice more clearly this way.
“It’s raining outside, I’ll come pick you up.”
Elisa looked outside, it wasn’t raining on her side. “It’s not raining here, should I take a taxi back?”
“I’m already on the road. By the way, do you want bubble tea? I can get it for you on my way.”
“Yes, sure.”
After hanging up the phone, Elisa saw Mrs. White listening to her.
“Was that Louis calling?”
Elisa truthfully replied, “Yes, he said he’s coming to pick me up.”
Mrs. White said, “Then why not stay and have dinner here? I’ll ask the chef to cook.”
“Let’s wait until he arrives.”
Elisa thought that Louis would take a long time to arrive, but she didn’t expect that after waiting for only seven or eight minutes, they could hear the sound of a car parking outside.
Louis came in, covered in dust. He didn’t bring an umbrella, so his coat was wet, and his hair was a mess. He handed Elisa a cup of hot bubble tea, saying, “Here.”
Elisa took it, and the warmth from the cup spread from her palm to her heart. It was raining heavily outside and Louis had gotten wet, but there was not a drop of rainwater on the cup of bubble tea.
Louis not only bought bubble tea but also brought a scarf. He knew that Elisa didn’t have the habit of carrying a scarf with her all the time. She was obviously afraid of the cold, but didn’t know how to keep warm.
Elisa held the bubble tea with one hand and threw herself into his arms. When they touched, the uneasiness in their hearts instantly disappeared.
Louis lowered his head, his brows and eyes gentle. In his deep brown pupils, there was a faint smile, as if he could melt the ice and snow.
Louis instinctively hugged her tightly and caressed her soft long hair. “Let’s go home.”
“Aren’t we staying for dinner?” Mrs. White asked persistently.
Louis said, “It will be too late if we stay for dinner. It’s winter now, too cold.”
“Isn’t there a room for you to sleep in?”
“I know the bed.”
Actually, it was Elisa who knew the bed. Mrs. White knew everything, but couldn’t argue with him. She waved her hand and dismissed them. “Alright, take Elisa home and don’t catch a cold.” Then, she turned to Elisa and said, “Elisa, come and visit when you have time. Stay for a few more days.”
“Okay,” Elisa replied.
Louis held Elisa’s hand and wrapped the scarf around her at the doorway. There were no gaps, ensuring that no cold wind would get in, before he led her outside.
Mrs. White stood inside, watching them leave under the dim lights. Unknowingly, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.
It was not easy, how much they had experienced, just to gain this peace in their later years.
Mr. White sat in a wheelchair and called her in, “Don’t stand at the door, aren’t you cold? Come in quickly.”
Mrs. White turned around and walked to Mr. White, squatting on the ground and leaning against his knees. Her eyes were still a little red.
Mr. White knew that she was thinking of something sad again, such as his own legs. It was difficult for him to stand up again, even if he could, he would never be as agile as before.
“If it wasn’t for me asking you to help Hamish gain control of the Burns family, maybe you wouldn’t have ended up in the hospital or sitting in a wheelchair.”
“I wasn’t helping him. Finn hurt Louis and deceived us. I naturally wouldn’t let him get away with it. Hamish’s ability to obtain ownership of the Chiwood Burns Group’s properties was all his doing.”
The Burns family knew how to teach people to be successful but didn’t know how to teach them to be good people or to love others.
When she saw her loved one shed tears, Mr. White hurriedly wiped them away, clumsily comforting her, “Don’t cry. Actually, it’s good for me to sit in a wheelchair. I don’t have to kneel and scrub the washboard as a punishment anymore.”
Outside, Elisa fastened her seatbelt as she sat in the front passenger seat.
Louis inserted the car key and asked, “Why did you suddenly come here today?”
Louis didn’t know that he was “sick” – he only knew that he had been having nightmares frequently lately, feeling mentally unstable, losing his appetite. However, he didn’t know that he was mentally disordered and would even unconsciously sleepwalk, sitting on the edge of the bed in a daze, and forgetting everything when he woke up.
Elisa didn’t consider telling Louis about his “illness.” She said, “It’s to discuss the wedding. My parents have chosen a few dates, which one do you prefer?”