“Mr. Scott, the police just sent word. Chelsey has confessed to everything,” Phillips reported.

She had admitted to poisoning Hadley and to leaking the photos that revealed Eric’s illness.

“The police also recovered the original photos from her phone,” Phillips added. On top of that, their own team had uncovered evidence that Gifford had bribed Chelsey’s father, Richard Williams.

“Got it,” Eric said flatly, then ended the call. He stared out the window with narrowed eyes.

Like he had suspected, it had been Chelsey all along. Gifford’s involvement didn’t surprise Eric, but he hadn’t imagined that something so serious would trace back to an ordinary assistant.

To Eric, it was a failure in judgment—one he couldn’t afford to make again.

By the time they reached Jewel Avenue, Hadley was still sound asleep. Eric didn’t think twice about carrying her inside.

“Mommy!” Joy came dashing across the floor, clutching her favorite doll. “Mommy’s home! And it’s not even dark yet!”

Suddenly, Joy froze. Her bright eyes, so much like her father’s, blinked in surprise. “Mommy… Daddy, you’re carrying Mommy home together!”

“That’s right.” Eric gazed at Joy with warm eyes, his voice dropping to a tender hush. “Joy, sweetheart, Mommy’s tired and asleep. Let’s not wake her up, okay?”

“Okay!” Joy nodded eagerly.

“Good girl. Now, what should we do?” Eric leaned in a little and gave her a clue. “Shh…”

“Shh…” Joy mimicked him, tiptoeing exaggeratedly. “We talk softly and walk quietly.”

“Exactly!” Eric chuckled, his smile reaching his eyes. “You’re so smart! Now, Joy, wait right here. I’ll take Mommy to her room and then come back to play with you.”

“Okay!”

g0ν.,

Later, when Eric returned downstairs to be with Joy, a small worry tugged at him. He kept thinking Hadley might wake up suddenly, like last time, and get scared if she didn’t see him there.

With this thought, he made sure Tamara stayed in the room to keep her company.

But even after he finished dinner with Joy and tucked her snugly into bed, Hadley still hadn’t woken up.

Eric sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes never leaving Hadley’s pale face. A heavy worry settled over him like a thick fog. She had drifted off even before Joy did, and her sleep was far deeper. Of course, he was concerned.

That night, Hadley didn’t wake up once. It wasn’t until nearly seven the next morning that her eyes finally fluttered open.

The second Eric heard her stir, he straightened and helped her sit up.

“You’re awake?”

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Message from Noah: I hope you enjoyed the new chapters, dear ones. New novels will be released in a few hours, please enjoy them! God loves you, and Noah wishes you all the best. ( ? ? – ) ?”

P.S. I will try to regularly release two new novels each week. I will announce which ones are coming in the gal no vels WhatsApp community each time. ()

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