Eric noticed it right away, and guilt crept in without warning. His voice dropped as he leaned in, saying, “You matter more to me than anything. But you’ve got to take care of yourself. It’s been almost two days since you last spent time with Joy. She misses her mommy. If you don’t rest tonight, how will you even manage breakfast with her in the morning? You see what I’m saying, don’t you?”

He gestured toward his watch with a subtle flick of his wrist. “Besides, it’s getting late. Even if you think you’re fine, Cristian’s been burning the candle at both ends for your case. He’s barely had a moment to sit still these past two days. Don’t you think he deserves a bit of rest, too?”

“Alright.” Hadley’s eyes dropped to the floor as she quietly agreed.

With the hour creeping toward midnight, even she had to admit she might be pushing things too fast.

“Then… what about tomorrow?” Hadley offered a middle ground. “Can we ask Cristian to drop by in the morning?”

“Sure thing.” There was no hesitation in Eric’s reply. “But first, get something in your stomach. Then go lie down and rest properly. We’ll sort out the rest when the sun comes up.”

“Okay.” Hearing that, Hadley let out a breath and finally allowed herself to relax.

Once their late dinner was done, Eric guided Hadley upstairs toward their room. Hadley leaned into him heavily, letting him carry most of the strain.

“That sigh… what’s bothering you?” Eric caught it instantly. When it came to Hadley, nothing slipped past him. Even the faintest trace of discomfort was enough to put him on edge. “Is something bothering you? Are you feeling off?”

Hadley gave her head a slight shake, then sighed once more. “I’m just so tired. But I can’t explain why.”

This wasn’t the type of fatigue that followed a long day.

“It’s like my whole body’s drained,” she muttered.

They hadn’t gone far, yet the thought of reaching the bed already felt like a relief.

Eric stayed beside her, mind tracing back to the doctor’s earlier words—this kind of fatigue wasn’t unusual during recovery. “You’ve pushed yourself too hard again,” he said, keeping his tone gentle. “Try to rest tonight. It’ll help.”

gα? ησ ν ?s?com is your story hub

Hadley gave a small nod in response.

After guiding her into the bedroom, Eric headed straight for the bathroom and began drawing a warm bath, mixing in a few drops of calming essential oils. He took his time helping her into the tub, then gently dried her hair and lifted her into bed once she was done.

While smoothing his fingers through her freshly dried hair, he whispered, “There you go. Time to sleep now.”

“Alright.” With the blanket clutched tightly in both hands, Hadley nodded again and slowly closed her eyes.

“I’ll be in the study for a bit,” Eric said to her gently. “There’s something I still need to handle.”

“Alright.” Hadley didn’t ask questions or try to stop him. It was clear enough—he must have already put off a great deal of work over the past couple of days for her sake. No doubt, the Scott Group had piled up with responsibilities waiting for his attention.

.

.

.