Tamara made the call, and soon after, Eric’s phone buzzed. A landline number flashed on the screen. Eric took a moment to steady himself, then picked up. “Hello?”
“Hi.” A polite, official voice answered. “We’re calling from the police station.”
“Go ahead, Officer.”
“Is this Mr. Eric Scott I’m speaking with?”
“Yes, this is Eric.”
“Thank you, Mr. Scott. Here’s the situation,” the officer said. “A report has been filed involving Miss Hadley Pearson in a criminal investigation. We’ll need her to cooperate and assist us as part of our procedure. Is Miss Pearson with you right now?”
Eric felt his throat tighten. He forced himself to answer, “Yes, she’s here with…”
The officer hesitated for a moment. “Are you currently at your Olisvale Bay residence? We’ll need Miss Pearson to come down to the station to answer some questions.”
“Very well.”
“Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Scott,” the officer replied.
The call ended, leaving Eric staring at his phone, his chest clenching painfully. If this weighed so heavily on him, he could only imagine what Hadley would go through.
The thought of her sitting across from the police, forced to relive it all, made his chest ache even more.
Just then, a quiet knock sounded at the study door.
A servant called from the hallway, “Mr. Scott, Miss Pearson is awake and wants to see you.”
“Alright, I’ll be there.” Eric slipped his phone into his pocket and left the study, making his way to the master bedroom.
As soon as he stepped inside, Hadley called out to him. “Eric! Eric!”
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“You’re finally awake.” Relief flashed across Eric’s face as he hurried to her side, forcing a small smile.
“There was blood everywhere, Eric!” Distress clouded her features. Hadley held her hands out, trembling. “My hands! I can’t get rid of it. There’s so much blood!”
“There’s nothing there.” Eric reached for her hands and spoke in a gentle, calming tone. “Look—your hands are clean.”
Hadley peered down, examining her palms. “They’re… clean? No blood?” She spoke in a low murmur, confusion etched into every word. “Then what… what happened?”
She searched his face for reassurance. “Was it just a dream?”
A dull ache pulsed in her temples, making everything feel distant and unreal.
“Hadley…” Eric began, his voice barely above a whisper, but uncertainty kept him from saying more. Finding the right words seemed impossible. He longed to comfort her, but nothing he could say would soften the truth she had to face.
“What’s going on?” Hadley’s eyes grew sharper, her confusion slowly giving way to alertness. She glanced around, taking in her surroundings. “Is this your place? How did I get here? The last thing I remember, I was with Nyla…”
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