When it came to Joy, Eric never said no.

Later that evening, Hadley stepped out of the bathroom. Eric was sitting up in bed, propped against the headboard, his phone pressed to his ear.

“Yes, let’s do it that way. Bye.”

“Why such a hurry to hang up? Was that because of me?” Hadley narrowed her eyes, playfully suspicious. “Who were you talking to? Ernest?”

Eric shook his head and handed her the phone. “No… It was Phillips. Business stuff.”

“Whatever you say.” Hadley glanced at him and simply shrugged.

With that, she pulled the blanket over herself and settled on her side.

Was Hadley still upset about the things he had kept from her?

“I made a mistake.” Eric rested a hand on her shoulder and quietly said, “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to upset you… like this.” But it had backfired.

Hadley frowned, brushed his hand off her shoulder, and stared daggers at him. “Is there anything else you’re keeping from me?”

“No more!” Eric raised his hand like he was taking an oath. “I swear, there’s nothing else.”

Hadley didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she reached out toward him.

“Give me your phone.”

Eric blinked. “What for?”

“Don’t want to hand it over?” Hadley withdrew her hand. “Forget it then.”

“No. Here!” Eric passed the phone to her, unsure of her intentions. Was she really about to go through it?

“The password is your birthday,” he added, trying to sound casual. Without a word, Hadley took the phone and paused. The lock screen displayed a picture of her and Joy.

She entered the password, then paused again.

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The home screen lit up with a solo photo of her. She was dancing, dressed in her old stage costume. Judging by the outfit, it was from her days as the lead dancer in the troupe.

When had he taken this?

Hadley blinked and shook her head, forcing herself to refocus. s ? ?s find[?]ovel.net

This was Eric’s personal phone. Very few people even knew it existed. His contacts were limited. It was mostly her, Ernest, and Phillips. One name stood out, though. Linda. It was the only entry in the call log. The call was from Ontmond.

Hadley looked up sharply and questioned him, “Didn’t you say the two of you weren’t in touch anymore?”

Before he could answer, she pressed on, “Just this one? What about the others? Deleted?”

He was stunned for a second, then shook his head with a bitter smile. “No. Just this one. That’s it.”

“What did she say when she called you?” Hadley demanded, scrutinizing him.

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