“Please don’t worry about me…” Elissa managed a fragile smile that spoke volumes about her inner resolve. “Fear holds no power over me now. This outcome represents everything I’ve been hoping to achieve. You understand my meaning perfectly.”

Those words struck Hadley like a dagger to her emotional core, leaving her momentarily speechless.

She possessed complete awareness of Elissa’s true intentions behind the day’s events.

On the surface, observers might perceive Elissa as nothing more than a ruthless home-wrecker deliberately provoking Linda while demanding the return of Ernest’s affections.

But reality painted a far more complex picture—Elissa understood with crystal clarity that Linda would never willingly surrender her claim. Beyond mere refusal, Linda’s nature would never permit tolerance of her rival’s existence. Elissa had orchestrated this confrontation specifically to weaponize Linda’s jealous rage as her means of escape from Ernest’s controlling grip.

“But still…” Hadley’s heart ached for the sacrifice her friend had chosen to make. “You didn’t need to deliberately inflame her fury, position yourself within striking distance, or provide her with such an opportunity to inflict harm!”

“I must confess that part played no role in my original plan…” Elissa’s voice had grown frighteningly faint. “But when the moment presented itself, some instinct guided my actions. The opportunity simply felt too perfect to ignore.”

Tears began their slow descent down her pale cheeks as her trembling hand came to rest upon her abdomen. “My deepest regret belongs to this innocent baby… I carry such overwhelming sorrow for what I’ve done.”

Elissa was rushed to the hospital.

Sharp abdominal pain wracked her body, though thankfully no bleeding had occurred.

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While her overall condition remained relatively stable, the baby required constant monitoring. The attending physician had outlined several crucial precautions to safeguard the pregnancy.

“We’ll begin a series of fetal protection injections over the next few days before reassessing your condition. During this critical period, you must maintain absolute bed rest. Under no circumstances are you to leave your bed.” Once all the necessary paperwork had been processed, medical staff wheeled Elissa to her private room.

Ernest strode ahead, trailing closely behind the medical team as they entered the room.

“Hadley.” Eric’s hand found her arm, gently drawing Hadley backward as he shook his head. “We should wait outside.”

“But…” Uncertainty clouded Hadley’s features. “I have serious doubts that Elissa wants to face Ernest alone right now.”

Eric struggled to find appropriate words for such a delicate situation.

Instead, he offered quietly, “Considering how far things have spiraled, don’t you think they need to hash this out between themselves? Perhaps we should give them the space they need.”

Hadley’s silence stretched as she grudgingly acknowledged the wisdom in Eric’s reasoning.

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