Eric raised his hands, exasperated. “Hadley, be reasonable! You can’t just pin this on me because of something those guys said—”
“Who else could it be but you?” Hadley snapped, shaking her head again and again.
“How should I know?” Eric’s frustration boiled over. His head was already pounding, and now it felt like it might split open. He began pacing the room restlessly. “Maybe Zane crossed the wrong person. Did you think of that?”
“Then why would they mention Mr. Scott?”
“Maybe… maybe Zane staged it himself. To win you over?”
“Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Zane isn’t that kind of person!”
Eric froze, thrown by her conviction. He stood there, lost in thought.
After a moment, Eric’s lips parted, and he spoke with disbelief, “Hadley… you trust him that much?”
“Yes!” Hadley answered without the slightest pause. Zane had helped her more than once. She trusted his character.
“I see…” Eric’s voice dropped to a whisper. His eyes dimmed, and his heart felt like it had been carved out and left hollow.
This feeling was worse than Hadley shouting at him. Worse than being blamed. Worse than not being trusted.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his head. It felt like a drill boring into his skull.
But he didn’t let it show. Instead, he forced a bitter smile and asked, “So no matter what I say, you’ll only believe him, not me?”
“How can I trust you?” Hadley stared straight at him. “You’ve done this before.” Back when she had been involved with Denver, Eric had gotten physical more than once.
Hadley’s voice turned cold. “Eric, I came here to warn you. Whatever this is, stop it now. Don’t let there be a next time. Or I won’t even want to see you again.”
Before Eric could respond, a sudden commotion rose at the entrance.
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“Miss Aston? How did you—”
“Is Hadley still inside? Move!”
Hadley turned her head just in time to see Megan storming towards her.
“Hadley, you didn’t keep your word!”
As Eric caught sight of Megan, his face transformed in an instant, shock etched across his features. “How on earth did you get out?”
He hadn’t anticipated her breaking free from the locked room’s confines. Megan tilted her head with a defiant smirk. “Did you honestly believe a locked door could hold me? I knotted the bedsheets into a makeshift rope and scaled down the window. Pretty clever, don’t you think?”
“Quiet!” Eric snapped, his head pounding fiercely, his vision swimming. “Just stop talking!”
Megan’s lips pursed into a pout, her eyes flashing with irritation as she glanced at Hadley. “What’s the matter? I only want her to see how perfect we are together and finally back off!”
Hadley observed the exchange, a faint, knowing smile tugging at her lips. “Eric, you and Megan seem to be getting along splendidly, don’t you?” she said coolly. “Please, leave my friends alone.” With that, she turned to walk away.
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