Even without credentials, he could see the difference. Hadley’s symptoms didn’t match Milly’s.

“If Hamza can’t help, I’ll find someone better. I’ll keep looking until we get answers. I won’t let anything happen to you. And besides…” His voice softened as he reassured her. “It’s not serious right now. Don’t frighten yourself more than necessary.”

“Alright.” Hadley took a steady breath. “I understand.”

“Good girl.”

At her request, Eric dropped her off at the film set. Still, he had already arranged with the production team to adjust her schedule—spacing out her scenes and ensuring she wouldn’t be pushed too hard. Fatigue might not be the root of her condition, but there was no reason to take chances. She needed time—for rest and for treatment.

Once he left the set, Eric called Hamza. “Hello, Dr. Perkins.”

“Mr. Scott.”

Eric didn’t waste time. “Back at the clinic, you held back in front of Hadley. I need the rest now. When you said the hallucinations weren’t ‘something to take lightly’—what exactly did you mean?”

There was a pause before Hamza answered. “I said that because hallucinations… they can be an early sign of schizophrenia.”

Upon hearing that, Eric’s body went still. A cold dread settled over him, spreading like frost across his chest.

Eric realized instantly that Hadley was in the shower.

He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry.

Forcing his gaze away from the bathroom door, he set the glass of milk on the table and pulled out his phone, scrolling through a random page. The words didn’t register.

The sound of running water filled the room, and it felt as though the heat was spilling out with it, wrapping the air around him like a second skin.

He loosened the button at his collar, but that only made it worse. Heat crawled up his neck and flushed his face. His mind betrayed him—flashes of her figure, her skin, the way water might trail down her back.

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“Get a grip, Eric!” he muttered through clenched teeth.

He shut his eyes, trying to focus on anything else, anything at all.

Just then, a sharp scream cut through the air.

“Hadley!” His eyes flew open. He bolted to the bathroom, grabbed the doorknob, and shouted, “I’m coming in!”

The door swung open, releasing a burst of steam. The shower door clattered against the wall.

Hadley, wrapped in a towel, ran toward him. “Eric!”

She didn’t make it. Her foot slipped on the wet tile, and she crashed hard to the floor with a loud thud.

A cry of pain followed.

“Hadley!” He dropped to one knee beside her, catching her shoulders to steady her. “Are you hurt? Can you move?”

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