“Alright.”
Once the call ended, Eric stayed there, gripping his phone as though it was something precious.
For a long while, he remained motionless in his car, his eyes fixed on the villa’s gates as Hadley’s car slowly rolled out.
Eric sat a little taller, his posture stiff and alert.
All he could do was watch Hadley go, a silent ache filling his eyes.
Eric caught only a fleeting glimpse of the vehicle’s disappearing taillight—no trace of Hadley or Joy since the windows were closed.
A wan, bitter smile ghosted across his lips while his handsome features remained as calm as undisturbed water. He whispered almost inaudibly, “Hadley, Joy… has it truly become this impossible just to glimpse you both?”
At the very least, he could still find excuses to call Hadley, simply to absorb the sound of her voice. But Joy… it felt like an eternity since he had last heard her sweet, childish chatter.
During their final parting, Joy had radiated anger toward him. Did his precious princess still harbor that resentment? Perhaps forgiveness would forever elude him.
“Drive me to the hospital,” Eric commanded the driver after a long silence.
He couldn’t appear publicly, yet attendance remained necessary. He needed to know the results of Joy’s follow-up examination.
At the hospital, Joy nestled securely in Hadley’s embrace while swiftly completing her examination with the nurses’ assistance. However, the results required additional processing time.
Since Joy had awakened at dawn for blood collection that morning, she now slumbered peacefully in Hadley’s protective arms.
Gazing down at her sleeping daughter, Hadley’s lips curved into a tender smile as she whispered, “Such a precious little sleepyhead.”
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The waiting area teemed with restless patients, filling the space with chaotic noise, yet Joy remained fast asleep.
“Allow me to hold her,” Melba suggested, extending her arms. “The test results will come out shortly, and you’ll need to discuss them with the physician.” This content belongs to fin?novel.net
“Very well.”
The two women carefully transferred Joy between their arms, successfully preserving her undisturbed rest.
Hadley indicated the direction of the examination room. “I’ll position myself over there.”
“Alright.”
This floor accommodated numerous examination facilities. The gynecological procedure room was located at the far end of the corridor.
A vivid memory surged through Hadley’s mind—the pivotal year when she had first arrived in Blathe.
Isolated and desperate, she had once contemplated ending her pregnancy. She had even come to this very hospital and stood before the gynecological procedure room’s entrance. Yet terror had overwhelmed her. The thought of having her own flesh and blood forcibly taken from her body was unbearable.
Watching women emerge from that room, Hadley had succumbed to paralyzing fear. In the end, she turned and fled…
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