It was a 70-minute long video, with the name “Elisa” mentioned in the video description.
Aoife couldn’t understand.
A subconscious voice tried to stop her from shutting down the computer, to refrain from watching it, as it was Finn’s privacy. But once the seed of curiosity was planted in her mind, it was impossible to erase.
In the end, Aoife, driven by curiosity, clicked on the video.
The woman in the video was very beautiful, even though she was in tattered clothes chained to a wall. Her beauty couldn’t be concealed, with her being extremely thin, to the point of being described as delicate.
Why was she chained to the wall? Was it part of a movie?
As the video played, Aoife’s face gradually lost its color.
From the conversation, Aoife learned that the woman in the video was named Elisa, and the man wearing a ghost mask was unmistakably Finn. Finn had a not very noticeable red mole on his neck, which would turn vibrant red when he was emotional.
Aoife couldn’t bear to watch the entire seventy-minute video second by second. She scrolled through and saw the scene of her fingers being pierced by needles, causing her to drop the mouse in shock.
For a moment, Aoife didn’t know what she was doing or where she was. She just stared blankly at the screen, tears streaming down her face unknowingly.
As the wind blew in, her tears would wet her face and dry up repeatedly, until she knelt down, unplugged the computer’s power cord, and curled up on the floor, wiping away her tears.
Aoife cried silently, covering her mouth, her body shaking with pain, feeling like the blood in her veins had frozen.
Was there anything she didn’t understand?
She felt sorry for the woman Elisa in the video.
She also felt sorry for herself. Turns out, she was just a stand-in.
There was no denying that she resembled Elisa, both in appearance and now even in name.
What “Knowing you completely, loving you like the first time,” what new life, starting over? She was just a substitute with a mistaken identity.
Besides this… there was also a deep, unfathomable fear. She had always thought Finn was a “good person,” but she never imagined he had so many cruel ways to torture people.
For the first time, Aoife felt the urge to leave Finn, but where could she escape to? She had no home anymore, thinking that this place was her sanctuary, only to realize it was a lightning rod in a storm.
After crying her heart out, Aoife walked dazedly into the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror, feeling lost and unsure. She couldn’t distinguish between Elisa and Aoife anymore.
If Elisa existed in the world, then what about Aoife? Who was Aoife? She had easily discarded the name that represented her, so who else would care about who Aoife was?
Images of Elisa being abused flashed through her mind, causing a heart-wrenching pain.
The scar on her back, which had healed, started to ache again.
Aoife returned to her room, locked the door, and curled up on the sofa, shivering despite it being summer, feeling cold all over, unable to stop trembling.
…
Finn said he would take Aoife to the hospital today for scar removal surgery. After returning home and calling out twice, as he usually did, Aoife, who would usually rush to his side like a dog upon hearing his voice, was nowhere to be found today.
He glanced at his watch, it was four in the afternoon, was she taking a nap at this hour, or was she sick again?
Finn clicked his tongue, lacking the behavior of a princess but full of princess syndrome, too delicate. Just a few burns on her, and she would fall ill continuously, looking at the previous Elisa, who suffered under Hamish, even with stomach cancer, she didn’t look as miserable, yet she lived for quite a long time, truly fortunate.
But… being fortunate didn’t mean having good luck. Sometimes, living in pain was the greatest suffering. Fortunately, Elisa was finally liberated, breaking free from Hamish’s control.
Thinking about these things, Finn slowly made his way upstairs. Aoife’s room was at the end of the hallway, but he had to pass by his room first.
Glancing casually into the room, he noticed it had been tampered with. He usually closed the windows, but today they were wide open, probably forgotten after Aoife cleaned the room.
The weather forecast reminded him that it would rain at five in the afternoon, and the windows needed to be closed, or else the rain would wet the curtains.
Finn stepped into the room, intending to close the window when he suddenly noticed the computer power cord unplugged.
The mouse was not in its original place, and the computer had been moved a few centimeters. Furrowing his brows, Finn realized what had happened. He plugged in the power cord, turned on the computer to check the records, and indeed found that the video of Elisa being tortured had been tampered with.
There was only Aoife in the room. Who else could it be?
Discovering and watching this video, even a fool would understand his intentions. Moreover, Aoife was no fool.
Silently, Finn walked towards Aoife’s room, stood at the door, and knocked twice.
“Aoife, open the door.”
Finn’s voice echoed in Aoife’s ears, making her scalp tingle.
Once, she thought Finn was perfect in every way, not only in appearance but also in his gentle and soothing voice. But now, looking back, she realized beneath the refined exterior was a demon adept at deception.
Aoife felt an inexplicable panic, as if a rabbit had fallen into the wolf’s den. She didn’t want to open the door, for the first time wanting to defy this man’s words.
Covering her head with the blanket, as long as she didn’t hear anything… maybe everything would be fine after a nap…
She wanted to escape, but reality always caught up with her faster. Avoidance was the most cowardly and useless approach, better to talk to Finn and leave him for good.
This, Aoife knew, but her inner fear far exceeded reason. She didn’t know how to speak to Finn or whether his torturous methods would spare her.
“Aoife, open the door, I’m back.” Locked from inside, Finn grew impatient at being unable to open the door. He didn’t mind getting the spare keys, but found it too troublesome and simply kicked the door.
“Bang, bang, bang-,” the sound of the door being kicked resounded in the room. Aoife shivered on the sofa, trembling.
After a few unsuccessful attempts, unable to open the door, Finn’s expression turned ferocious. “Come out!”
He wanted to resolve the matter in a gentle way, having seen the video, what difference would knowing the truth make? As long as Aoife obeyed and remained unchanged, as before, he could pretend that nothing had happened.