Heavy footsteps thundered from somewhere upstairs, growing louder with each passing second.

Behind Hadley, Megan’s voice rose to a shout that echoed through the house. “You heard yourself! Once you walk out that door, don’t you dare return! And not just to this house—if you ever cross paths with Eric again, you’d better turn and run the other way!”

“Megan?! What the hell are you doing down here?” Eric’s voice cut through the chaos as his footsteps reached the bottom of the stairs. He had been resting in his room when Megan’s furious shouting had shattered his peace and drawn him downstairs.

The scene that greeted him made his blood run cold—Megan stood there screaming at Hadley with unbridled rage. His eyes immediately found Hadley’s figure retreating toward the doorway, her shoulders rigid with hurt.

“Hadley!” Panic seized Eric as he lunged forward, desperate to reach her before she disappeared.

“You’re not taking another step!” Megan’s fingers dug into his arm like claws, holding him prisoner.

“Release me!” Eric’s glare could have melted steel, his brows drawn together in fierce anger. “I said, let go of me! Damn it…”

“Never!” Megan’s grip tightened as she took in his pale complexion and obvious weakness, her protective instincts overriding everything else.

Meanwhile, Hadley’s hand found the door handle, and she pulled it open, poised on the threshold of departure.

Megan thrust her finger toward Hadley’s retreating form. “Even if you somehow reach her, what then? Do you honestly believe she’ll stay and patch things up with you?”

The words hit Eric like a physical blow, leaving him stunned and wordless. Her razor-sharp tongue had always been a weapon he despised, and now it cut deeper than ever.

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“You’re the one who destroyed everything!” Eric’s face drained of all color as his knuckles whitened around the stair railing. “What poison did you spill into her ears?”

Megan’s shoulders lifted in a careless shrug. “Nothing dramatic… I informed her that you belong to me now! I told her to stop her pathetic clinging and to stay away from you permanently!”

The revelation struck Eric like lightning, leaving him reeling. “Megan! How could you do something so unforgivable!”

“Why are you raising your voice at me?” Megan lifted her chin in defiant challenge, refusing to back down from his fury. “Everything I did was for your benefit! She’s—”

“She has already moved forward with her life, so why does she persist in this charade of caring? You’re fighting this illness, and her constant mixed signals send your emotions spiraling out of control. Her presence in your life alone will destroy you completely!”

“I don’t give a damn!” Eric’s roar shook the walls, his rage reaching a crescendo that consumed everything else. “You understand absolutely nothing!”

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