That question hit her hard. Hadley stood motionless, her mouth slightly open.
“Say something!” Eric’s eyes never wavered as he pressed on. “Do I matter to you at all? Isn’t there even a part of you that wants to hold on?”
Before Hadley could respond, Eric seemed to remember something and let out a bitter laugh. “How could I forget? You’ve said it before—you don’t like me…”
She had declared it herself when she returned to Srixby this time: that love was gone, she didn’t feel it anymore.
Eric expelled a weary breath that seemed to carry the weight of his soul, his face draining of color until it resembled weathered stone. “Of course. Someone like me—what right do I have to demand your affection? And because of that… I’ve become someone you can discard like yesterday’s newspaper without a moment’s hesitation.”
Hadley’s lips trembled apart, but silence hung between them like a heavy curtain. None of that reflected reality. She burned with the need to contradict him. They had weathered countless storms together. Her emotions toward him twisted like tangled vines—complex and impossible to untangle. For a long time, hatred had indeed reigned supreme in her heart. But now… could she honestly claim that her heart remained completely untouched by him?
“Eric—”
“Stop talking!” Eric’s eyes slammed shut as agony lanced through him, his palm pressing hard against his forehead. “I don’t want to hear another word!”
As the words left his lips, his hand dove into his pocket, retrieved a bottle of pills, shook one into his palm, and tossed it into his mouth.
He wasn’t feeling well again?
Hadley’s body went rigid. It had been months since she’d watched him swallow that particular medication. She pressed her lips into a thin line and turned her gaze to the world rushing past the car window.
The car rolled toward an intersection, and the driver’s voice broke the tense silence. “Mr. Scott, should I head straight to the office or make a detour to Jewel Avenue first?”
Lately, because of Hadley’s condition, unless extraordinary circumstances intervened, wherever Eric ventured, he brought her along like a protective shadow. But today…
LΑττ chαρτ?rs ιn glov?l.
Eric’s eyes found Hadley’s profile. “Should I drop you off at Jewel Avenue?” He assumed she probably craved distance from him right now.
Hadley wavered for a heartbeat. Was he asking because anger still simmered beneath the surface? After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded without a word.
Watching her bow her head in defeat, Eric’s jaw clenched like a steel trap. After a moment that stretched into eternity, he delivered his instructions to the driver. “Take her to Jewel Avenue first.”
“Yes, sir.”
The car swept around the intersection.
When they arrived at Jewel Avenue, Eric accompanied Hadley to the house. He offered no parting words before pivoting away. The car executed a smooth turn and disappeared down the street.
.
.
.