“Enough.” Eric cut in with a frown, glancing at Phillips. “Don’t take it out on him. They’re doing what they can with what they have.”

He then urged the doctor, “Hurry up and wrap up my wound.” He wanted to go see Hadley. Tamara had assured him she was alright, but he wouldn’t believe it until he saw her himself.

“You heard him. Can you move a little faster?” Phillips glared at the young doctor.

“Yes, of course.”

The doctor’s hands trembled slightly as he cleaned and dressed the wound. He worked carefully, winding a long strip of bandage around Eric’s back.

Meanwhile, Hadley’s thoughts were spiraling. Eric had always been intense and extreme in everything he did. That much hadn’t changed. When he disliked someone, he wouldn’t even look their way, just like how he used to treat her when they were younger. But when he loved someone, he would go to any length—even put his own life on the line.

Now Hadley finally understood this. For her, there was no limit to what he was willing to give up, not even his own safety. At that moment when he shielded her from the falling debris, what had gone through his mind? And when he was hit and coughing up blood, what was he thinking? Wasn’t he scared?

“Eric, your back is done,” the doctor said, gesturing toward his hand. “Now let’s take care of that.”

Earlier, before the rescue team arrived, he had clawed through rubble with his bare hands. Every one of his ten fingers was torn and bloodied. The doctor examined Eric’s hands with a deep frown, muttering under his breath, “What did you do with them? Your fingers are a mess.”

He reached for a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and gave a warning. “Mr. Scott, this is going to sting.”

“It’s okay,” Eric nodded nonchalantly. “It’s just some scratches. Go ahead.”

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“Alright.” The doctor began to pour the liquid over his hands. Suddenly, Eric let out a low growl and shot to his feet.

“Mr. Scott?” The doctor was startled. Hadn’t he just said they were mere scratches? He hadn’t even started the actual cleaning yet.

“No!”

Eric knew the doctor had mistaken the reason for his reaction. He stared down at his wrist, blankly. His bracelet was gone. He had taken it off earlier… but what had happened to it?

“Maybe it’s in my pocket,” Eric murmured, quickly patting down every pocket he had. But there was nothing. They were empty.

His hands paused. “No way…” Color drained from his face as he whispered the words.

“Mr. Scott?” Phillips asked, confused by his sudden panic. “Are you searching for something?”

“Yes.” Eric answered sharply, his left hand clutching his right wrist. “My bracelet is gone.”

The moment he said it, Phillips remembered as well. “Could you have dropped it back there when you went down?”

Before Phillips could finish, Eric bolted out of the tent without a second thought.

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