The memories crashed back into Eric’s consciousness with startling clarity.

That particular year would forever remain seared into his memory. It was the year Ernest plunged into his devastating coma, and with Nyla’s unwavering support, Eric reluctantly assumed the overwhelming responsibilities of CEO at the Flynn Group. To commemorate this monumental transition, Nyla orchestrated an elaborate banquet at the Flynn family residence, inviting an endless stream of influential guests.

Yet under such tragic circumstances, being thrust into the unforgiving spotlight brought him no joy. All Eric wanted was to protect and preserve the Flynn family’s legacy for Ernest, clinging to the fragile hope that his brother would eventually emerge from his coma.

During those turbulent days, Linda, who was pregnant, tumbled down the stairs and lost her child in a tragic turn of events. She had been carrying what was presumed to be Ernest’s only hope for an heir. Her pregnancy met a devastating end.

Every voice around him united in accusation, pointing to a single culprit—Hadley. They all declared with unwavering certainty that she had deliberately pushed Linda down those fateful stairs.

Hadley was his wife, yet at that crucial moment, his heart had placed her worth far below that of Ernest or Linda.

As a consequence of this misplaced loyalty, he had banished her to a foreign land, far from everything she had known and loved.

The buried memories tore through Eric’s consciousness like a violent tornado. “I remember everything now.” He nodded slowly, his intense gaze fixed on Hadley’s face as deep lines of anguish creased his forehead. “You swore to me that you didn’t push her.”

“I didn’t! I swear I didn’t!” Hadley’s tears cascaded down her cheeks in endless rivers, her chest rising and falling with desperate, ragged breaths. “It was her own doing! She threw herself down those stairs!” Suddenly, her entire body went rigid.

Her eyes flooded with the same helpless confusion that had tormented her for years as she shook her head in bitter resignation. “You didn’t believe me back then, and you won’t believe me now either. You don’t believe me! No one ever believes me!”

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“I believe you!” Eric cradled her trembling face between his palms, his long fingers weaving tenderly through her thick hair. “Hadley, I believe every word you’re saying!”

Hadley shook her head with violent desperation. “You don’t believe me! You’re just saying what you think I want to hear!”

Her tears continued their relentless journey down her face. “I screamed it to you! I begged Nyla to listen! I proclaimed my innocence—I didn’t push her! But you turned away from me! None of you believed me!”

Even after all these years had passed, the agony in her heart remained as fresh and raw as the day it first wounded her. “I had no evidence to offer. My desperate words fell on deaf ears. I couldn’t prove my innocence. And this time… oh God…”

Hadley gasped sharply, despair crashing over her like an arctic wave threatening to drown her completely. “This time will be no different! No one will believe me again!”

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