Lightly tapping her chin, she spoke with a thoughtful lilt. “Let me guess… someone you’re hiding from me. Someone making you this nervous. Someone admitted to orthopedics… Could it possibly be…” Her voice rose as she mentioned the name. “Linda?”

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Who else could it be? There wasn’t a single other possibility in existence.

Eric’s pupils constricted, the flicker in his eyes betraying what his mouth hadn’t said.

“So it really is her,” Hadley murmured, a weight dropping in her chest as certainty settled in.

Her fury twisted into a bitter laugh. “Didn’t she go abroad for treatment? Ernest made sure of it himself. And now… she’s suddenly here?”

She fixed Eric with a dagger-sharp glare from her red eyes. “I’m asking you a question. Say something!”

“Yes,” he admitted, tension coiling across his brow. “Something happened…”

“What exactly?” Hadley wasn’t letting go. “She doesn’t have anyone in Srixby—no family, no friends except you and Ernest. So tell me, is she here because of you? Or because of Ernest?”

“Not me!” Eric said quickly, shaking his head with force. “It wasn’t me.”

So it was Ernest.

Hadley believed him—just not completely.

A tight, cold smile tugged at her lips. “If this is about her and Ernest, then why are you the one standing here? Eric…”

The disappointment in her voice now seeped into her expression. “Have you forgotten what you promised? You gave me your word—you said you’d stay out of her life for good.” Updates are released by FιndＮovel.net

And until now, he had.

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“I thought you two already ended things.”

Out of nothing more than gratitude, he’d made sure Linda had support.

“Humph!” Her eyes shimmered, rimmed red, her emotions threatening to spill. “Is this some kind of game to you? Arguing yesterday, cozying up today?”

“That’s not it…” Eric said unsteadily, reaching out to clasp her hand.

“I’m done!” Hadley’s voice cracked with fury as she tore herself free.

Her stare turned glacial. “Do you have any idea how much it took for me to give this another try? How much I despise her? How much I resent you!”

She shook her head hard, emotion breaking through in her voice. “You swore to me. You promised she’d be gone from my world forever. That was the only reason I agreed to try again. But now…”

Hadley drew in a sharp breath, her laugh dry and stinging.

“Cutting ties? What a lie! With you two, it never ends!”

“She fell off the stairs!” Eric shouted suddenly, her words hitting too close. “It’s serious…”

Hadley froze, momentarily stunned.

“And? You ran all the way here just to look after her? Can’t she pay someone to do that for her? Fine. Do whatever you want.”

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