“So what if I did?” Megan shot back, unapologetic. “She is bad luck! If Eric wakes up and sees her, he’ll only collapse again!”

“You…” Phillips exhaled, frustration etching his features. “Miss Aston, you’re not foolish. You know the truth, so why are you being so stubborn?”

“Stubborn?” Megan’s lip trembled, but she held her ground. “How am I stubborn?”

“Are you not?” Phillips shook his head, exasperated. “You care for Mr. Scott, but his heart isn’t yours. He has been clear about that from the start.”

He paused, softening his tone. “Love can’t be forced. You’ve had suitors before—good men, talented men—but they just didn’t spark anything in you, did they?” Megan fell silent, unable to argue.

Then, defiance flared again. “Eric didn’t always care for Hadley either. Everyone knew he loved Linda! Hadley clung to him for years, worming her way into his heart and pushing Linda out. If she could do it, why can’t I?”

“You’re mistaken,” Phillips said firmly, shaking his head. “No one could ever take Hadley’s place in his heart.”

“Phillips, are you seriously defending Hadley now?” Megan’s voice dripped with disbelief. “You’ve known Eric since you were kids, and Hadley’s been your friend forever. Of course you’d take her side!”

“I’m not taking sides,” Phillips said firmly, shaking his head slowly this time. “The only person I stand by is Mr. Scott.”

He kept his tone measured—Megan was a girl, after all, and he wasn’t the type to lash out. But the truth didn’t need dressing up.

“You think it’s all Hadley chasing after him, but it’s not that simple,” he said, his voice low but steady. “That relationship… it wasn’t one-sided, not the way everyone assumes.”

The whispers and gossip from the outside world were just noise. Phillips had seen it all, up close and unfiltered.

Yes, Hadley had once carried a torch for Eric. But it was Nyla who approved their relationship and set them up. That mattered. Eric and Hadley were married back then, and that gave Hadley every right to call Eric hers. And then came the weight she bore through the years.

Updates always at galnoνes.com

“The things Hadley went through,” Phillips said, his eyes narrowing just slightly. “You probably wouldn’t last a day in her shoes. Honestly, I doubt you’ve even come close.” He didn’t say it to be cruel—only to wake her up. “So stop imagining yourself as her replacement,” he added.

There was only one Eric—and Phillips felt a deep, aching sympathy for him. Time wasn’t on Eric’s side anymore. The years had worn him down, and love—real love—wasn’t something he had the strength or will to chase again. “Fate doesn’t follow a script. And it certainly can’t be duplicated.”

Phillips had barely spoken the words when the emergency room doors burst open.

“Doctor!” He moved instantly, crossing the floor to meet the physician without hesitation.

Inside the hospital room, Megan remained by Eric’s side, while Phillips spoke quietly with the doctor just outside the door.

“When will Mr. Scott be ready for surgery?” the doctor asked, concern etched into his face.

Phillips hesitated. “He’ll need some more time,” he replied, his voice tight.

.

.

.