Hadley froze, watching Eric’s face grow larger as he drew closer. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and couldn’t escape the thought that Srixby was impossibly small.
Eric caught sight of her ashen complexion and assumed she had injured herself in the fall.
“Take my hand and let’s get you up.” He stretched out his hand to assist her.
Hadley snapped her head up, eyes blazing as she silently warned him to keep his distance. Eric stopped mid-reach, pulling his hand back.
Hadley maintained her stoic expression, bracing herself against the wall as she rose to her feet. She took several steps forward before lifting her hand to brush away the grime that clung to her clothes.
Observing from behind, Eric concluded that her fierce hatred toward him was completely unjustified.
“Mr. Scott.” Phillips approached, clutching a handbag, and passed it to Eric.
“It’s her bag.”
Eric blinked in surprise.
“Why didn’t you just give it to her?”
In truth, Phillips had lacked the courage to speak moments earlier. After a stretch of silence, he asked, “Should I give it to her now?”
“Why didn’t you go sooner? She’s gone now!” Eric scowled and muttered under his breath, gripping the bag as he hurried to catch up with Hadley, stepping into her path.
“Wait!”
Hadley jumped and finally couldn’t contain herself any longer.
“What do you want now?”
“What do I want?” Eric’s frustration boiled over. He genuinely couldn’t comprehend why she despised him so intensely, despite his resemblance to Ernest. He believed she should channel her bitterness toward the correct target. Yet he had witnessed firsthand how compliant she appeared before Ernest, which only infuriated him further as she unleashed all her rage on him instead.
“Here!” He flung the bag into her arms with a sharp flick of his wrist.
Hadley’s reflexes kicked in as she lunged forward to catch it.
Eric pivoted to leave but then wheeled back around, tilting his chin toward her.
“I’ll take you home.”
This neighborhood attracted all manner of unsavory characters. He believed it posed too great a risk for a girl like her. After all, she had nearly found herself in serious trouble earlier.
Hearing those words, Hadley recoiled in shock, her lips twisting into a contemptuous smile. Suddenly, she exploded at him.
“You’re so annoying! Go away! I don’t need you!”
She found it absurd that after callously abandoning Joy, he now pretended to care about her well-being.
Eric’s fury erupted, his expression darkening like a storm cloud.
“How can you be so stubborn? Do you think I want to do this?”
In his mind, Hadley belonged to Ernest, so he felt obligated not to ignore her. If something truly happened to her, the guilt would make it impossible for him to face Ernest again.
“Then don’t bother!” Hadley shot back, her rejection cutting through the air.
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