Her silence wasn’t cold—it was cautious. And yet, she hadn’t closed the door on him. That alone gave him hope.

To Eric, that was enough—for now. As long as she was still within reach, still beside him, he could wait. He would prove to her that the love in his heart wasn’t torn between two worlds—but rooted in both, with her on either end.

Once Hadley had removed her makeup and changed, they quietly left the studio.

By the time they returned to Olisvale Bay, straightened up, and settled into bed, the clock had slipped past two in the morning.

Like always, Eric slipped under the covers beside her, unbothered by the late hour or her silence. He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Good night,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her hair. “Sweet dreams.”

“You too,” Hadley murmured, eyes closed, her back turned to him. Her voice was barely a breath.

She didn’t pull away. That small detail was enough to make Eric exhale quietly, a fragile kind of relief settling into his chest. “Everything will be okay, we’ll find our way back slowly… it’ll get better,” he muttered under his breath.

But just as his breathing evened out and sleep began to pull at him, Hadley opened her eyes.

Sleep was impossible—not like this. Not with his arm around her. Not tonight. Restlessness stirred in her chest, her thoughts refusing to be still.

After a long, silent war with herself, she carefully lifted his arm and slipped out of bed. Her movements were quiet, almost reverent.

She stepped out onto the balcony, the open window allowing the cool night air to drift gently into the room. The breeze brushed past her like a sigh.

Hadley sank into the lounge chair, arms wrapped tightly around herself. Her eyes searched the stars above, distant and steady—so unlike the storm inside her.

Slowly, the chaos within her began to settle. Her breathing evened out. Still hugging herself, she laid her cheek on her arms and let her eyes close.

I@?e$t ￠н@я$ ?η и?vε.c?m

But she wasn’t alone. At the doorway, where she couldn’t see, half-hidden in shadow, Eric stood watching.

He hadn’t been asleep—not truly. He’d stirred the moment she left his side, something in him alert to her every movement. He’d opened his eyes as she slipped away and watched silently as she disappeared.

Now, seeing her curled up under the sky, so small against the vastness, his chest tightened with a pain sharp and sudden.

Eric couldn’t take it any longer. He shut his eyes and turned away, as if shielding himself from the ache in his chest.

How he longed to rewind time—to go back five years, to a younger version of himself who hadn’t yet understood what it meant to lose something precious.

He wanted to reach through the years, grab that man by the shoulders, and tell him this: “Cherish Hadley. Hold her close. Because one day, she’ll become the very rhythm of your soul.”

But it was nothing more than a helpless wish whispered into the void. The man he’d been back then couldn’t have known that his choices would one day leave scars deep enough to haunt him forever.

And now? Now, regret was a silent ghost trailing his every step. Newest update provided by Find★Novel.net

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