“Hmm?” Hadley snapped out of it and held the bag a little higher, her fingers wrapped tight around the handles. A small smile tugged at her lips, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Elissa had this sudden craving for vanilla ice cream just a few minutes ago. I went to get some for her. However…” A quiet breath escaped her. “She didn’t get the chance to eat any.”

“You can relax,” Eric said, his voice steady and calm. “Ernest will take care of it. If Elissa wants something, she’s going to get it.”

“Yeah. I know.” Hadley gave a slow nod, though her face stayed solemn. Ernest could show up with ten tubs of it, but whether Elissa would touch even a spoonful—that was something else entirely.

Without another word, they left the bustling lobby and stepped into the brightness outside the outpatient building.

Right by the door, Eric came to a stop. “Want me to drive you home?”

“That won’t be necessary.” With a gentle shake of her head and an easy smile, Hadley turned him down just as he thought she would. “Tamara’s coming with me,” she said casually.

Without saying more, she reached into the bag and pulled out a box of ice cream, handing it over to him. “Go on. Take one.”

She planned to share the remaining ones with Tamara and her bodyguards. There was no point letting it melt and go to waste when she’d already bought it.

Even though ice cream wasn’t something Eric usually ate, he accepted it anyway. “Appreciate it.”

“Of course.” Hadley smiled again, gave him a short wave, and turned to leave. “I’ll get going now…”

Just as she started to walk away, Eric called out to her. “Hadley!”

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“Is there something else?”

“Yes.” Eric gave a slight nod, his face tightening as he seemed to weigh his words. For a second, his lips moved, but no sound followed.

After gathering his thoughts, he finally asked, “Back when you were carrying Joy… did you ever crave anything specific?”

That caught Hadley off guard; the question landed with more weight than she expected. He should’ve brought it up a long time ago—back when staying close to her still meant something. Those years had slipped by in silence, too many to count now.

A shadow crossed Eric’s face. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice uneven, thick with remorse. There was no undoing the distance he had allowed. What right did he have to ask anything now, after turning away from both her and their daughter? “You really don’t have to say anything if you—”

“Custard tarts,” Hadley said, lifting her head slightly with a quiet smile. Tucking her hair behind one ear, she added in a light tone, “But only the custard part.”

That made Eric pause. The detail caught him off guard; it wasn’t the kind of answer he expected.

A quiet laugh escaped Hadley as she caught the look on his face. “Kind of weird, right? You wouldn’t know this, but when Joy first started having custard tarts, she’d dig out the custard filling and leave the crust untouched. I could’ve finished it for her, but I didn’t want to encourage the habit. It took quite a while to teach her not to waste food. Eventually, she stopped.”

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