“Hadley? Can you hear me?” His voice rose, laced with panic.

Still nothing.

Eric’s anxiety spiked. He cursed himself for having the garden built so wide, so winding. It felt more like a maze now.

“Hadley!” Sweat gathered at his brow as he yanked at his collar, the heat of worry tightening his chest. Then, his hand brushed the red cord around his neck. He froze. A beat later, his fingers gripped the small whistle that hung from it. Hadley had given it to him and taught him how to use it.

Back in the Tidebourne earthquake, Hadley had heard the whistle. That memory clung to him now. It might seem ridiculous to use in their own garden—but he clung to the hope that she’d hear it and come to him.

Eric dashed through the winding paths, whistling frantically, panic swelling in his chest. He’d already made a full round.

The garden was spacious, but not infinite. In a place this size, there was no reason he shouldn’t have found her by now.

“Eric!”

Eric was about to rush out to find a bodyguard to help him search when he heard Hadley’s playful voice behind him.

“Hadley!” Eric breathed a sigh of relief, the tension in his chest finally easing.

“Where are you?”

“I’m here!”

Guided by her voice, he turned and hurried south. Pushing past the thick, leafy branches, he finally caught sight of her.

So this was where she had slipped off to. No wonder he hadn’t found her right away.

“Eric,” Hadley called.

She never wore makeup at home, yet her bare face seemed to catch the light in a way that made her delicate features stand out, as though the world itself had chosen to cast her in a gentle glow.

: ν﹒

In that moment, her eyes danced with laughter, her lips curled into a bright smile, and she lifted her hand to wave him over. “Come here!”

“Alright.” Eric nodded and quickly closed the distance between them.

“Eric, I’m—”

Before she could finish, he surged forward, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her tightly against his chest.

Hadley blinked up at him, bewildered. “What’s wrong?”

“Hmm?” Eric let out a rough sound, somewhere between a shaky laugh and a sigh. “You’ve got the nerve to ask me that? I’ve been calling for you forever, and you didn’t answer once!”

“You’ve been calling me?” Hadley pursed her lips into a guilty pout. “I’m sorry.”

She tilted her head toward a pair of Bluetooth headphones sitting on the table. “I was wearing those and listening to music. I didn’t hear a thing.”

.

.

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