Eric teetered dangerously close to the edge of the bathtub, a single misstep away from disaster. One wrong move backward, and his head would meet the unforgiving porcelain.

Hadley’s heart skipped a beat. In a flash, she dropped to her knees, her hands darting out to cradle his head.

Her palms swiftly cupped the back of his skull, catching him just in the nick of time.

The weight of his head pressed heavily into her hands, but her quick reflexes softened the blow. Without her intervention, the impact would have been brutal.

Even so, a muted thud echoed, leaving her hands stinging from the impact.

Her pulse raced, a storm of anger and panic swirling within her.

“Eric!” she snapped, her voice sharp with worry.

After ensuring he was unharmed, Hadley released him, her jaw tight as she shot him a furious glare. “What on earth are you trying to pull?”

Her eyes locked onto his, her lips quivering with barely contained emotion. “If you’re set on throwing your life away, do it without dragging me into it! Why did you have Phillips call me? Can’t you just quit causing me trouble?”

Eric said nothing. His eyelids fluttered open, his gaze clouded, as if caught in a fog between reality and a dream.

He wasn’t faking it; his mind seemed adrift, unfocused, until his eyes settled on Hadley.

“Hadley…?” he murmured, his voice soft and uncertain.

“Hmph.” A sneer escaped her as she started to rise.

“Hadley!”

Eric’s hand shot out, seizing Hadley’s wrist.

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His eyes bore into hers, brimming with a desperate, almost ravenous yearning. “It’s really you… Hadley…” A shaky laugh followed.

“Am I dreaming? This has to be a dream.” His lashes trembled, tears glistening at their edges. When his eyes opened again, they were rimmed with red. “If this were real, you wouldn’t be here, so close… we broke up… you…”

As if struck by a sudden memory, he released her wrist abruptly. “You hate it when I touch you. I’m not supposed to touch you!”

Hadley froze, her eyes squeezing shut for a fleeting moment.

He actually remembered that? Even when he was drunk?

For a moment, she simply stared at him, the fire of her anger beginning to flicker out.

“Eric,” Hadley said softly, her gaze steady. “We’re over. Haven’t you come to terms with that?”

Eric remained silent, his unblinking eyes fixed on her.

Then, without warning, tears spilled over, tracing silent paths down his cheeks.

Hadley’s breath caught. Was he crying? She had never seen him like this—so raw, so unguarded.

“Yes,” Eric rasped, his voice rough but steady, no trace of a sob. Yet the grief in his eyes was overwhelming, like a river bursting through a crumbling dam. “Yes,” he whispered, a bitter laugh escaping as tears flowed freely, like a tap left running. “We’re over… I agreed to it myself.”

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