Mr. Burns Is Killing His Wife

Chapter 13 Hamish, I Can Live Without You

Elisa was locked in her bedroom for three days. She couldn't get out and her phone was left outside, so she had no way to contact anyone for help.

The first day was bearable, but as time went on, her body felt worse and worse. The tap water was unfiltered, and she was so thirsty she had to drink some. When hungry, she chewed up tissues and swallowed them. When in pain, she took antacids and painkillers.

To maintain her strength, Elisa lay in bed the whole time. Her cold sweat came and went, soaking her and then drying over and over again. Her face, already pale, now looked nearly the same color as the wall behind her. In the light she almost looked transparent.

Three days felt endless. Elisa had never felt time pass so slowly, especially at night. Sitting in the dark, it was as if time had stopped.

Numbly, she closed her eyes. Her whole mind was muddled. As a cancer patient, her body was very weak, and a slight mistake could cause a fever. She felt her forehead - no thermometer, so she could only use her hand. Her temperature had indeed gone up.

Her eyes were dry and painful, aching whether open or closed. As time passed, Elisa's mind grew number and number, like a rusted machine.

The only thing supporting her now were Hamish's words - as long as she stayed locked up for three days, she could leave.

But when would that be?

She nuzzled the blanket covering her, curling up tightly into a ball, hugging herself. Strangely, though wrapped in a blanket, her body still felt icy cold. Every pore oozed chill. Her toes curled from the cold. Her stomach hurt terribly. Even the organs next to it seemed to cramp in pain, as if infected by the cancer cells and rotting with her stomach. Elisa gritted her teeth, making them creak.

At this time, Elisa was using all her strength to battle the pain and sickness. What she didn't know was that outside, the situation had flipped upside down.

The Powell Group was facing its biggest crisis as shares plummeted. Elisa's disappearance left the whole company uneasy.

Koby had also taken a fall recently. A property development project he had invested in had turned into a coal mine disaster, with the mountain collapsing and burying 32 miners alive. 10 were lightly injured, 15 seriously injured, and 7 died.

Illegal mining plus loss of life meant Koby was either getting sentenced to death or life in prison. Even if he put up the whole Powell Group as collateral, he couldn't save himself. Locked away for three days, Elisa went from princess of the Powell family to the criminal's daughter overnight, cursed everyone online.

In just one day, the incident had fermented until everyone knew about it. Seeing things were just about ready, Hamish decided to go pick up Elisa and watch this good show.

The court's sentencing for Koby was scheduled for 10am. He wanted to take Elisa to watch her father's death sentence with her own eyes. He thought her expression then would definitely be quite interesting. He had said to lock Elisa up for three days, but in the end only went to get her on the fourth day at 7am.

Hamish was in a good mood, driving with a faint pleased smile at the corners of his mouth.

Hamish went straight to the bedroom when he got back to the villa. The whole villa was silent, giving the feeling that no one else was here.

The keys jangled as he looked through them one by one, finally finding the bedroom key at the end.

He turned it counterclockwise twice, hearing it click open. Pushing the door slowly inward, the room was very dark, with curtains blocking all the windows and firmly shutting out the light. Hamish looked around, finally spotting Elisa curled up in a ball in one corner of the bed.

He turned on the light. That faint sound made the woman on the bed shudder slightly. Hamish knitted his brows.

What was Elisa doing? He had come in already, why was there no reaction?

"Elisa." Hamish walked over and jerked the blanket off. Locked up for nearly four days, Elisa's face was pale and haggard, her lips cyanotic. Her whole being was like a fragile artifact that could shatter from the slightest touch. Hamish had never seen her so weak. His heart inexplicably twisted. Quite painful.

"Get up, stop pretending to be dead!" His fingers touched her arm. Only then did he realize her body was cold as ice.

Hamish panicked. Bending down, he picked up the skinny, emaciated Elisa. She weighed even less than three days ago. So this was how much weight she could lose from not eating for three days. Holding her felt like holding a child. Only bones left on her body, even a bit jabbing.

The light outside was a bit glaring. Elisa's lashes fluttered weakly open. Those beautiful eyes were blurred, unable to focus on anything. Lifeless and hollow.

She had made it through after all.

Elisa tilted her head slightly to look at Hamish's chin, his thin lips, nose, eyes, gaze sweeping over him bit by bit.

The tears she had endured for three days now fell. Hamish noticed and lowered his head. Elisa looked at him tearfully and intently.

Elisa often gazed at him this way, with endless depths of feeling. Hamish had always found it quite disgusting. But now Elisa's eyes were like they had lost their light. Inside there was only pitch black darkness. No matter how Hamish searched, he could not find that hint of feeling.

Hamish's heart thudded. Like being struck heavily. Dull painful.

Elisa was severely dehydrated, and the torment of her illness had taken its toll. Her whole being was like a withered flower, too weak to even speak. She rasped out two words, "Go... where?" Hamish was already carrying her to the parking garage. "To the hospital."

"I don't want... hospital." Since young, she disliked going to hospitals. To her, hospitals were where tragedies began. Her mother had died in one. With her illness, going to the hospital would reveal everything to Hamish with one checkup.

Hamish glanced at her coldly. "You don't want hospital, you want to die?"

I'm going to die soon anyway, Elisa thought. She coughed a few times, aggravating her stomach. She pressed on it firmly, eyes wet as she trembled out, "Let's... go to registrar... divorce..."

"You still want divorce?"

At this time, Hamish's face was icy cold as winter. His gaze on Elisa's face was sinister, like countless knives.

Elisa had no choice but to face it. She swallowed and moistened her throat, then hoarsely went on steadily, "What else? I don't need you to live. I can live without you, Hamish. Look, you locked me for four days, but I'm fine, aren't I?"

Hamish pressed his lips in a line. He had been standing by the back door, but hearing Elisa, he strode over to the front passenger side in one step. With one arm holding Elisa, his other hand pulled open the car door to put her in.

"Since you're fine, then come with me somewhere else." He had intended to take her to the hospital, but it seemed unnecessary now. She was very spirited!

His actions were rough, disregarding Elisa's feelings. More like throwing than placing her in. Elisa's head knocked directly on the steering wheel, ringing loudly. Hamish went around to the driver's seat. The car door slammed shut thunderously, even making the car shake slightly.

Curled up on the seat, Elisa seemed to be in pain somewhere, face very pale and expression twisted.

Hamish leaned over her. Not bothering if she was seated properly, he simply pulled the seatbelt over and belted her in, then stepped on the accelerator and took off.

Elisa didn't know where Hamish was taking her. The car moved fast, scenery flashing by outside. Having grown up in Bankshire, she was very familiar with the city's roads. Looking at the signs by the roadside. Hamish, was he taking her to the criminal court?

Where was he taking her and why? Could it be for divorce proceedings? But divorce cases didn't go straight to court either, how did it involve criminal court?

Elisa's mind was muddled. She pondered one thing and then another, until her head hurt without figuring anything out.

She turned to look out the misty window at the heavy clouds pressing down on the rooftops, as if they could collapse at any moment.

To let Elisa have the strength to watch what would happen next, Hamish stopped the car at a breakfast place. Without even locking the car, he got out.

Elisa smiled bitterly.

With her current physical state, even if she tried to run, she wouldn't get far. Hamish seemed very confident about handling her.

Seeing Hamish come back with a cup of porridge, Elisa's gaze went distant until he said "Eat." and she reacted.

Elisa reached out to take the porridge. The warmth from the paper cup steadily transmitted into her hand. She lowered her head stiffly to sip a small mouthful through the straw. She had to admit, this was the most delicious porridge she had tasted in her life. So warm and sweet.

Tears circled in her eyes. Elisa

sniffed and scolded herself inwardly: Elisa, is this all you're worth? Have you forgotten how Hamish insulted you? Locked you in the bedroom without a care for four days? How can you be moved?

But that was Hamish, the Hamish she had liked for sixteen years. She was worth that little - one crepe could buy her true heart, or she wouldn't have pined for him all these years.

Her stomach, stuffed full of chewed

up tissues, was bloated to begin

with. Now with some porridge, it churned violently inside, as if a stick was twisting around. Elisa suddenly bit the straw hard and retched.

Hamish, driving, glanced at her. "What, not to Miss Powell's tastes?"

His tone was fully mocking. Elisa bit her lip and covered her mouth, forcing the vomit that had rushed up her throat back down. Her whole mouth now exuded sourness. She didn't even dare open her lips, afraid the slightest lip movement would make her throw up.

It hurt so much.

Elisa had no choice but to slowly lean back against the seat, eyes closed, lips pressed together.

The porridge in her hands grew colder and colder. Someone who truly cared for you, when you were nauseous, would ask about your health, not the porridge.

Elisa held the porridge to her heart. But the now cold porridge could no longer warm her.

At the court, Hamish parked in the underground parking lot.

Elisa pushed at the car door, pushing for a while without managing to open it, until Hamish finally came over, opened it, and pulled her hand to get her out.

"Useless!"

Elisa pressed her lips together and said nothing.

At least she had learned better this time. Hamish took the porridge cup she was clutching and casually tossed it in a trash can.

Elisa's gaze followed it, then she lowered her head again seemingly unaffected, her long hair hiding her expression.

She didn't know what case was being tried today either, but the court entrance was packed with crowds there to watch the spectacle. Over ten police cars were parked out front in an imposing manner. Apart from police cars, Elisa also saw media vans. Her unease grew stronger.

Elisa's legs had little strength. Hamish held her waist, seemingly intimate but actually impatient with her slow walking, dragging her forward.

Some sharper-eyed people recognized Elisa and immediately started pointing and gossiping maliciously.

Elisa was too far to hear clearly, only catching one sentence.

"Her own dad's about to get sentenced to death yet she's still flirting with a man, shameless!"

The last bit of strength left Elisa's body. She practically slumped limply against Hamish, calves cramping and trembling uncontrollably.

Stiffly, she raised her head to look at Hamish. The corners of his mouth curved up in a cold mocking smile, his gaze as distant and disdainful as always, indecipherable to her.

"Why did you bring me here?" Elisa gritted out. Deep down she already vaguely guessed at an outcome, but the very thought made her blood run cold.

"You'll know once we're inside, why panic?"

"I don't want to go in! Hamish, put me down, I don't want to go in, I want to go home!"

Just a moment ago she had seemed at death's door, but now she struggled desperately, eyes wild with fear. Like a madwoman.

"Elisa, you've guessed already." Hamish firmly circled her waist, walking faster. The smile at the corner of his mouth grew more and more sarcastic. "If you can't take it now, what will you do later?"