“Megan.” Hadley reached out and gently squeezed her hand.

“Take a breath, alright? There’s no need to panic. Eric and I haven’t had anything real for most of our lives. Whatever feelings he had for me only came up recently—and even then, they never ran deep.”

Truthfully, Linda had been the one tied to Eric for all those years.

“Then give me your word!” Megan leaned in, her voice tight.

“Will you? Please?”

A short silence passed before Hadley gave her a nod.

“Alright. You have it. I promise.”

She waited a moment, then added, “I won’t get close to him. I won’t start any conversations either.”

A quiet laugh escaped her lips.

“To be honest, even without you asking, I already planned on staying away.”

“Thanks!” Megan’s gratitude poured out in waves.

“Thank you so much!”

Hadley didn’t know how to respond. It all felt a little excessive. She turned her eyes toward the window, spotting a familiar sign nearby.

“You can drop me off there. I’ll take the subway the rest of the way.”

There was a flicker of hesitation in Megan’s eyes. She really wanted to give Hadley a ride, yet driving her back to Jewel Avenue might stir up memories for Eric. That was something she wanted to avoid.

Choosing her comfort over consideration, she gave a cheerful nod.

“Sure, no problem.”

Turning to the driver, Megan gave a quick instruction.

“Would you pull over at the subway station up ahead?”

“Of course,” the driver replied without hesitation.

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Once the car rolled to a stop, Hadley gave Megan a small wave.

“I’ll get going now. Take care.”

“Take care!” Megan returned the gesture with a bright smile.

With her bag slung over one shoulder, Hadley made her way toward the entrance and slipped into the flow of the crowd.

As soon as Hadley disappeared, Megan’s smile slowly vanished. She understood her decision had been selfish. Still, she didn’t feel guilty. In her mind, wanting something for yourself wasn’t a crime. Everyone did it. After all, she hadn’t hurt anyone—Hadley had been the one to walk away first. She hadn’t even known that Eric had lost his memory. To Megan, that kind of distance only confirmed how little Hadley truly cared. Because of that, Megan felt no guilt over her actions.

Sometime later, Eric’s vehicle came to a stop, and he stepped out. Seeing him, Megan got out of her car as well.

“Eric.”

Without turning to her, Eric kept his gaze on the subway entrance.

“She’s gone, isn’t she?”

“She is,” Megan said.

“Told me it was easier to get home by train. She wouldn’t let me convince her otherwise. We’re not that close, so I didn’t push it.”

“Got it.” Eric didn’t ask further. From his point of view, the subway was a safe enough choice after all.

“Come on.” He reached for the door and held it open, lifting his hand slightly to shield Megan’s head.

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