In the past, Aoife had been punished by Finn before, but compared to now, it was like dealing with a child.
Being punished with no food, having to think about her actions in isolation, and at most being made to kneel down, this was the first time she was treated with such pain.
Because of the stabbing pain in her back, Aoife’s body trembled uncontrollably. Having learned her lesson, she dared not disobey Finn, afraid of facing an even more painful punishment.
Although Aoife had endured hardships all along, it did not mean she did not fear pain.
Tears streamed down her face, a choked sob in her throat, but before she could make a sound, Finn covered her mouth, warning, “No crying.”
When Aoife cried, she no longer resembled Elisa.
Swallowing back her painful sobs, she pursed her lips, a soft target for venting frustration.
There was truly no desire to conquer such a person.
Finn preferred someone like Elisa, not a weakling like Aoife.
It was a shame that Elisa died in the fire. If she hadn’t chosen death and stayed by his side, he would have taken good care of her.
He even envied Hamish for having such a woman by his side. Thinking of how Hamish had gone mad after Elisa’s death in recent years, he couldn’t help but laugh, his grip tightening as he stamped another cigarette burn on Aoife’s back.
Aoife’s tearful appearance was heart-wrenching to anyone who saw it, but the person in front of her was not human.
Finn had become increasingly violent lately, and Aoife had grown more and more afraid of him.
Her previous admiration had turned into fear.
But she dared not argue, fearing Finn would drive her away.
Do you know the abandoned cat effect? When a cat is abandoned, after enduring the elements outside, once taken back, it becomes especially obedient because it fears being abandoned again.
Aoife was like this, afraid of returning to where she started, being threatened by her parents, and being forced by her brother to marry.
Satisfied with the burns on her back, Finn looked at Aoife as if she were a cold plum blossom blooming in the snowy mountains.
Aoife’s naturally fair skin, coupled with being cared for by him for the past half a year, made her body even more delicate.
Especially her back, incredibly beautiful, with two charming dimples on either side of her waist, tracing from her spine to touch her scapula. Finn’s palm covered them and burned them with a cigarette.
Five burns in total, Aoife couldn’t bear it anymore. When he tortured Elisa back then, she had hundreds of wounds all over her body. What were a few cigarette burns in comparison? He had used dry ice, making her whole body emit white smoke.
Finn was not worried about causing burns on Aoife’s body, as these kinds of injuries could be removed with modern cosmetic medical methods.
Aoife shivered in pain, holding back her cries, her mind strained from the agony, which was undoubtedly torture.
The skin on her back, not visible, felt particularly sensitive, when suddenly, a voice came from behind.
“Elisa.” A low murmur, close enough for Aoife to hear clearly.
She froze, momentarily forgetting the pain on her body.
She turned to look at Finn.
Finn’s misty eyes gradually cleared upon seeing Aoife’s face.
He instantly lost interest and pushed Aoife away, seeing her still staring at him, her lips moving without speaking. Finn was annoyed.
“What are you looking at?”
Aoife said, “You just mentioned someone’s name…” After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke, “… Elisa.”
Who was she? Why did Finn mention that name?
Finn felt like laughing.
So what if he said it? He had brought her close in the first place because she looked like Elisa.
She was originally meant to be a stand-in, but she thought of herself as something special. Finn threw down the cigarette butt he had been holding, caressing the burns on her back, saying, “Elisa, it’s the new name I’ve come up with for you.”
“A new name?” Aoife’s eyelashes trembled, her gaze filled with confusion, as if waiting for something, yet also afraid of something.
Finn continued, “Your new name, Elisa, signifies a fresh start, a new life. Changing your name will save you a lot of trouble in the future. You don’t want to leave that family and then be found by them again, right?”
Aoife paused, then nodded.
Finn pinched her chin, leaning closer. “So, I’ll help you change your name, give you a different life. From now on, you’ll be called Elisa.”
With a few words, Finn brushed past the topic, not letting Aoife know about Elisa, simply wanting her to be a more obedient stand-in, a qualified one.
What did Elisa signify?
Finn’s answer was: Elisa, at the beginning, symbolizes a new start, knowing you inside out, loving you like the first time.
Of course, there was also the regret of hindsight, but Finn didn’t say such explanations to Aoife.
When Aoife first met Finn, she stammered out an explanation, head down, “M-Mr. Snearl, my name is Aoife… means pure, pure white…” It was when she mentioned purity that she looked up at Finn.
“Purity?” There was no one in this world entirely pure and innocent.
Finn had never really cared about her name, after all, it needed to be changed.
Aoife was brainwashed like this. At the time, she truly believed that Finn wanted to give her a new beginning, a fresh start. She believed him after hearing Finn’s explanation.
Knowing everything about you, loving you like the first time, warmed her heart. She had no temper of her own and was used to enduring pain. Give her a slap and a piece of candy, and she would forget the humiliation from that slap.
At this moment, she was still sitting on Finn’s lap, her back covered in menacing red burns, still painful, yet she had forgotten the pain.
Too easy to appease, he had never seen someone so easily satisfied. More loyal than a dog, Finn thought ironically.
He released Aoife, looking at her hair and softened his tone slightly. “Why is your hair wet?”
Only now did she realize, feeling a sudden emptiness in her heart. She explained, “I washed my hair but didn’t have time to blow dry.”
Even on such a day, even if she didn’t dry her hair, it would be dry within a couple of hours. Finn didn’t pay it any mind; such trivial matters weren’t worth his attention.
“I’m hungry. Go make dinner.”
Aoife nodded quickly, neglecting to apply medication to her still unhealed wounds on her back. She hurried downstairs to the kitchen, put on an apron, and started cooking.
Her back hurt, but she was used to feeling wronged. Crying wouldn’t get her any sympathy, and expressing pain wouldn’t make it stop.
Although that was the case, Aoife understood on her own; someone who truly liked you wouldn’t wait until you cried to give you candy, let alone let you suffer.
She knew all this, but it had been many years since anyone had been kind to her.
So even if Finn showed her the tiniest bit of kindness, she felt happy. At least… at least in her lonely life, she had once existed in someone else’s complete life.
Not as a prop, she could live for herself.
Finn wasn’t picky about food. He had also endured hardships growing up; his mother was a mistress who broke someone else’s relationship and gave birth to him. She was fixated on a man named Iris until her death, wanting him to go to the Burns family to find that man, supposedly his father.
Unfortunately, by the time he went, his supposed father had already passed away.
Illegitimate children were not uncommon in prestigious families, but they would be kept hidden in dark corners-only coming to light would lead to public condemnation.
For a long time in the Burns family, he had been abused by the household staff, resorting to eating from garbage bins.
After eating trash, would he be picky about his food?
Aoife was the first person to take an interest in Finn’s preferences, dislikes, patiently noting them down in a journal. Sometimes, she noticed Finn enjoying a particular dish and quickly jotted it down. The small notebook was now filled with such notes.
Finn had one and only dislike – cilantro, which caused an allergic reaction.
While cooking, Aoife braced herself against the kitchen counter, serving two dishes and a soup. She brought the food to the table and called Finn to eat.
Today’s spread was once again his favorite, and Finn paused, unable to resist thinking that if his mother were still alive, she probably wouldn’t know him as well as Aoife did.
Being pampered by Aoife, this weakling, for the past six months had spoiled his stomach. Eating out at restaurants never seemed to taste as good as her cooking.
Apart from at the Burns family and business meetings, Finn usually didn’t like to dine with others at the same table.
Aoife knew this, so when Finn ate, she stood inconspicuously in a corner, not leaning her back against the wall as it hurt her wounds.
This position was just right for Finn to see her, making it easier for him to call her over, serving water and food.
Finn pretended not to notice when he saw her, savouring each bite, chewing slowly and elegantly.
Finn had always treated Aoife like a dog to be commanded, so could such a dog sit at the table? Of course not.
Finn ate slowly, suffering from a severe stomach condition that required him to chew each mouthful several times. It took him over half an hour to finish eating, and Aoife stood by the wall for just as long.
Only after Finn put down his bowl and left did she go to finish the leftovers, having been hungry all day. She grabbed a clean bowl and chopsticks, quickly stuffing the rice into her mouth.
Luckily, the food was still warm.