And just like that, the plan executed flawlessly.

The departure time was approaching rapidly. Even if Eric somehow caught wind of her booking the flight and raced to the airport… by then, she would already be soaring thousands of feet above the clouds.

“Here you are. You’re all set,” the clerk said, sliding her ticket and passport across the counter.

“Thank you.” Hadley gathered her documents, offered her gratitude, and pivoted toward the security checkpoint.

As she approached the security line, she stole another glance at her watch. Behind her dark sunglasses, her eyes burned with unshed tears, and warmth gathered at their corners.

She dug into her bag and extracted her phone, pressing the power button. To prevent Eric from tracking her location through her phone, she had switched it off immediately after her final conversation with Savannah. Now, she brought the device back to life.

The screen blazed to life. Signal bars appeared. Notifications erupted across the screen.

Instantly, a deluge of communication crashed over her—missed calls, unread texts.

“Hadley! Where are you?”

“Hadley, don’t terrify me like this! What’s happening?”

“Hadley, please respond to me!”

“Hadley! Don’t do anything dangerous! I’m pleading with you!”

Hadley scrolled through each message with methodical precision. She lifted her hand to brush away the hot tears cascading down her face, tasting salt as some found their way to her lips—salty, bitter. She blinked furiously to push back the moisture threatening to overflow, drew in a shuddering breath, and dialed Eric’s number.

“Hello? Hadley!” He picked up on the first ring. He had been gripping his phone like a lifeline, desperate for any word from her. But he never expected her to reach out to him directly. In that instant, his relief flooded through the phone line. “Hadley? Where are you? Why didn’t you bring Tamara with you? Why didn’t you tell me anything? You terrified me beyond words, do you realize that?”

g0ν.′ ?

But there was no response from Hadley.

“Hadley?” Eric’s voice carried a note of bewilderment. “Is that really you? Can you hear me? Are you still there?”

“Yes.” Finally, Hadley’s voice emerged from the silence. “It’s me. I can hear you.”

“Oh…” Hearing her voice, Eric released a long breath, as if some crushing burden had suddenly vanished from his chest. “Where are you? I’ll come get you.”

“Eric…” Hadley straightened her spine, her voice barely above a whisper as she called his name. Then her tone shifted, becoming more serious. “Listen carefully.”

“Hmm?” Eric felt an inexplicable panic grip his chest. “I’m listening.”

“Eric,” her voice softened, carrying the same tentative sweetness it had possessed when she was fifteen and had first crossed the threshold of the Flynn family’s home. Nyla had coached her on proper address then.

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