Without warning, Megan reached out and gripped Hadley’s arm. “You’re the only one left who might reach him. He cares about you—he always has. If you ask him, if you tell him to have the surgery, he’ll listen!”

And there it was—the real reason Megan had come. Not to confess. Not to make peace. But to ask for help.

She lowered her gaze, her voice barely above a whisper. “I tried to push you away before… made you think things that weren’t true. I wanted you gone. That was selfish. I’m sorry.”

“No… you’re wrong.” Hadley gently shook her head. “Eric and I ended things a long time ago. You weren’t the reason. And you’re not wrong fighting for him.”

“You ended things?” For a moment, Megan looked lost—speechless. But she quickly gathered herself. “I don’t know why you broke up, and it doesn’t matter. What matters is that he still means something to you, right? You can’t just stand by and watch him slip away. You know him better than anyone. I’m begging you, Hadley. Please—just talk to him. If you do this, I swear… I’ll step back. I’ll leave him alone. Please just save him.”

“I’ve made myself clear. Please go talk to him, will you?” Megan added.

Hadley stayed quiet.

Eric was stubborn; she could see that much. And she doubted anything she said would change his mind.

“Are you refusing?” Megan’s eyes sharpened at her silence. “Tell me! What are you thinking? What could possibly be more important than his life?”

She let out a short, bitter laugh. “Of course. I forgot—you’ve given up on him. You’re afraid he’ll latch onto you again, aren’t you?”

Megan scoffed. “So that’s it. You’d let him die rather than face him. You’re heartless.”

She shook her head. “Forget I was ever here. Forget everything I said.” With one last glare, she turned and stormed off.

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“Megan—” Hadley called out, but too late. There was nothing more to explain.

And as for Eric… Would anything she said even matter now?

Hadley turned away and climbed the stairs. In her room, she sat down at her dressing table and opened a drawer. Inside was a small box. She lifted the lid. The bracelet lay inside—the one with the peach pit whistle. The one she had given Eric.

She’d found it in Tidebourne but never gave it back. After bringing it back, she placed it carefully in a box.

She stared at it for a few seconds before picking it up again.

Her fingers closed around it—tight, tense.

Megan was right.

Worrying about whether she could convince Eric was one thing. But another thought kept surfacing. If she showed up now…

What would become of their relationship after this?

“Mom!”

A knock at the door cut through her thoughts. It was Joy.

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