For her, even a short silence felt endless. For him, it barely registered. Linda forced a smile, tugging faintly at the corners of her lips. Without saying anything else, she started to wheel herself away. ? ?s? ?s

Her purse dropped to the floor with a thud—whether by accident or design, he couldn’t tell.

She glanced at him. “Could you pick that up for me?”

It wasn’t an unreasonable request.

“Sure.” Eric bent down, picked up the purse, and held it out to her. “Here.” But Linda didn’t take it.

Instead, she raised a hand and gently rested it on his head, her gaze clouding as she looked at him.

“Eric, how have you been?” she whispered.

Eric stilled, catching on quickly. “Did Ernest tell you?”

“Yes.” She nodded. “He said you’re sick. Something this serious—why didn’t you tell me?”

He gave a faint smile. “Why would I? You’re not a doctor.”

Linda’s smile faltered. Her hand slowly lowered.

“How’s the treatment going? Any improvement?”

“It’s alright,” he said vaguely.

When she still didn’t take the purse, he set it on her lap.

“Alright? What does that mean?” Her brows furrowed. “Can’t you give me a real answer? I’m worried about you.”

Eric’s brow twitched.

He shook his head slowly. “There’s no need. Someone else already worries about me. Someone who actually matters.”

? .

Linda froze, the words hitting her square in the chest. “You mean Hadley?”

Linda’s lips curled into a bitter smile. “You really meant it… You don’t treat me like you used to.”

Eric said nothing. He looked at her for a few seconds and simply murmured, “I have things to take care of.”

With that, he stepped past her and walked away.

Linda sat in silence, watching his figure retreat. A hollow, bitter laugh slipped past her lips as her eyes misted.

“If you don’t want my concern…” she whispered, “then we’ve got nothing left to hold back.”

When she first heard about his illness, she had hesitated.

Even on the way here, she was torn—unsure of how to feel or what to do.

But now, that hesitation had vanished.

“Humph.” Her expression hardened. “Let’s see how long you and Hadley last once things start falling apart.”

At the film set, Chelsey was tidying up in the dressing room when a few assistants from another actress’ team strolled in, chatting.

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