“Eric! You cruel, unfeeling man! You deserted me! You will come to regret this betrayal!”
Eric stood dumbfounded. “Has she completely lost her sanity? What an absolute lunatic!”
Glancing downward, he discovered that Hadley had twisted around, her attention still tracking Ayla’s departure.
“Stop watching!” Eric’s worry manifested in deeply furrowed brows. “Hadley, don’t give credence to anything she claims!”
His finger tapped his temple emphatically. “She’s insane! Completely detached from reality!”
Hadley pulled her attention back, studying him with contemplative intensity. “Hadley?” Discomfort crept through him beneath her penetrating stare, causing him to swallow nervously. “What’s… the matter?”
Hadley hesitated, her brows knitting as she searched for the right words. “She honestly seems… unhinged.”
Eric blinked, caught off guard by her bluntness. For a moment, he just stared—and then let out a breath of pure relief.
“I told you, she’s crazy!” he said, half-laughing, almost triumphant.
“I’m not joking,” Hadley said sharply, her tone cutting through his amusement.
Her expression was calm but firm. “This isn’t just drama, Eric. I think something’s genuinely wrong with her… mentally.” She gestured toward herself. “She really believes that you two were once in love. That you betrayed her because of me.”
Eric’s mouth fell slightly open, stunned. “She actually believed that?”
“Likely so.” Hadley confirmed with a grave nod. “And honestly, I don’t think she’s pretending.”
Eric fell quiet, absorbing her words. But while he was surprised, there was no real alarm in his eyes—just a distant kind of unease.
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“Enough about her,” Eric said lightly, brushing it off. “Whether she’s truly unwell or just putting on a show—it doesn’t concern us.”
But then something clicked, and he looked down at Hadley, concern flashing across his face. “She didn’t scare you, did she?”
Hadley let out a soft laugh and shook her head. “No, not at all.”
“Great.” Eric exhaled in relief. “Come on. Let’s get in the car.”
They hadn’t expected such a stir just from lingering at the gate.
Without another word, they climbed into the vehicle, and it pulled away.
“Oh—I almost forgot,” Eric said suddenly, as if remembering something important. “I’ve already started putting things in motion for Elissa.”
Hadley’s head snapped up, her hand instinctively grabbing his arm. “What do you mean—you’ve started?”
Eric nodded. “Well, I’ve set things in motion.”
“Is everything going smoothly?” she asked, her voice tight with worry. It was a serious matter—they both knew that. Helping Elissa break away from Ernest wasn’t just risky. It was personal.
Eric sighed. “It’s hard to say. I’m still working on it. But before it goes any further… I want to talk to Ernest first. If there’s even a chance he’ll call off the wedding, then I’ll also back off.”
.
.
.