“But you…” Hadley paused, her eyes flicking to the single juice box left on the table.

Eric had given up coffee recently because of his medication. Should she offer it to him instead? But Zane had specifically requested juice.

“Thank you, then.” After a beat of hesitation, Hadley picked up the juice. “There’s still milk—you can take that.”

“Okay.” Eric gave a small nod after a brief pause.

Hadley returned a polite smile, took the juice, and turned on her heel. Eric’s brow furrowed, and he followed her silently.

“Zane.”

Hadley came back and sat beside Zane. “Here you go. Time to eat.”

While speaking, she unwrapped the sandwich, tore off a corner, and offered it to him. “Think you can hold it?”

“Yes, no problem.” Zane accepted it with one hand, the other still wrapped securely around Joy.

Only steps away, Eric saw it all with sharp clarity.

Moments earlier, Hadley had taken the juice, pushed in the straw, yet hadn’t taken a sip. Instead, she set it gently beside Zane.

“Zane, here’s your juice.”

“Thanks,” he said with a nod.

Eric’s scalp tightened, his eyes widening in realization.

So that juice Hadley had wanted… it was meant for Zane!

“By the way, Zane.” Remembering Colleen’s words, Hadley said gently, “Thank you for helping with the cemetery.”

“What?” Zane paused, then caught on. “Colleen told you?”

“Yes.” Hadley nodded. “Why didn’t you say anything? I never even got to thank you—that was rude of me.”

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“Not at all. You weren’t rude.” Zane smiled, shaking his head. “It was Colleen who asked me. If anyone owes thanks, it’s her.”

He added, “More than anything, I just wanted to fix the issue. We’re friends—no need for formalities.” He let out a quiet sigh.

“You know, Colleen’s been mentioning you for years. The first time was when she asked me to reach out to a classmate from Blathe.”

Hadley would never forget that. That lawyer who had helped her out—she later found out that he had been Zane’s classmate.

“Even though we hadn’t met back then, you helped me so much, Zane.”

Zane gave her a warm smile. “Feels like we’ve been friends a long time, doesn’t it?”

Hadley smiled and nodded. “Yes.”

“Then there’s no need to be so formal.” He lifted a hand, gesturing toward the juice. “Hadley, mind passing that?”

“Sure. Here.” Hadley picked it up and handed it to him.

Zane accepted it, thinking quietly to himself—they had shared an unspoken bond for longer than either of them had realized.

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Chapters first released on ?ovelFind.net