In her fury, she shook Linda’s shoulders.
“I’ve had enough of this. Why are you still clinging to me like a parasite? What did I ever do to deserve your obsession?”
“Ahh…” Linda gasped, her body trembling uncontrollably.
“Oh dear!” the caregiver exclaimed, rushing toward them. “Mr. Scott, please! Do something—Miss Harris is going to have a breakdown!”
“Help me…” Linda whimpered, barely able to cry. Her voice was small, terrified—almost pitiful.
Eric’s jaw clenched as he took it all in. He closed his eyes briefly, then stepped forward and grabbed Hadley’s arm, pulling her back. “Hadley, stop. Please. Look at her—she’s not well!”
“Don’t touch me!”
Hadley yanked her arm free, her entire body tense, vibrating with barely controlled rage.
Hadley thrust a finger toward Linda, eyes blazing, and barked, “It was her! That night—she took Ayla’s letter. I know it!”
She let out a bitter laugh, venom curling on her lips. “That’s why Ayla came at me with a knife today. It’s all because of her. She wants me dead, Eric.”
Then her gaze shifted—icy and sharp—locking onto him.
“And still, you’re trying to protect her?” she asked, voice low and dangerous. “Or is it that you don’t believe me at all?”
“I’m not protecting her,” Eric said quickly, shaking his head. “And I believe you, Hadley. I do.”
He took a step closer, desperate to steady the spiraling moment. “Justice will be served. Ayla tried to hurt you—she’ll face the consequences. I promise.”
Then his eyes drifted toward Linda, curled in on herself like a wounded animal.
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“But look at her,” he added softly. “She’s… she’s not mentally stable. She’s already broken. Hadley, whatever she’s done—she’s not all there anymore.”
“Mental instability?” Hadley echoed, incredulous. “That’s your excuse?” She shook her head, laughing louder this time. “That’s the biggest joke I’ve heard all year. Completely absurd.”
“She has lost her mind?” Hadley asked, pointing at Linda, who was lying on the bed.
Letting out a dry, brittle laugh, she continued, “How can someone so malicious really lose it?”
Her upper lip curled, her words laced with venom. “Mental illness isn’t something that just happens. People who struggle with it are usually empathetic and deeply emotional. She doesn’t even have emotions, so how could she be mentally ill?”
“Hadley…” Eric began, wanting to say something.
“Are you seriously going to argue with me?” Hadley asked, shaking her head in dismay. “Do you really not get it, or are you just covering for her and pretending you don’t see the truth?”
She drew in a breath and continued, “Back then, Nyla made her choose between you and Ernest. She chose Ernest. Why? Because she knew you weren’t truly a Flynn. Ernest was the legitimate successor. Marrying him was her only path to truly becoming part of the Flynn family.”
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