“Stay there. I’ll be right over!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Eric ended the call and hurried after her, his eyes fixed on her retreating form.

Hadley’s hands gripped her skirt tightly. Her mind spun with confusion, and she ran without really seeing where she was headed.

Megan came walking toward them from the other end of the hall.

“Hadley…” Megan called out, her voice tinged with surprise as she caught sight of Eric a short distance behind.

What had just happened between them?

Megan glanced from Eric to Hadley, noticing the tears streaming down Hadley’s face. A wave of worry washed over Megan.

“Did you see Eric? Did you speak to him? You promised me you wouldn’t—”

Without breaking stride, Hadley passed by, not even acknowledging her.

“Hadley!”

Hadley refused to stop, refusing to listen.

Just then, the entrance to the Hayes residence grew lively as more guests began to fill the space. Amid the commotion, Ernest made his way through the crowd with Nelson guiding him.

“Ernest…” A whisper slipped from Hadley’s lips. She broke into a run, calling out his name again.

“Ernest!”

“Hadley.” Ernest caught sight of her and stopped in his tracks, stunned by the sight.

“What’s wrong?”

The plan had always been to come for Brady and Colleen’s sake, but seeing Hadley in such distress left Ernest speechless.

“Ernest!”

Overwhelmed, Hadley tried to speak, but as soon as she opened her mouth, fresh tears poured down her face.

? .

“Please don’t cry.” Ernest fumbled for words, not sure how to comfort her.

“What’s going on? Just tell me what happened.”

A flicker of worry crossed his mind. Had the Hayes family started making trouble for her even before he arrived?

Hadley’s thoughts were a mess. She tapped her temple with a shaky finger.

“He doesn’t remember me! Not even a little bit!”

Surprise flashed in Ernest’s eyes, but he soon pieced things together.

“You’re talking about Eric, aren’t you?”

Hadley’s answer was a tearful nod.

“Wait…” Ernest stared at Hadley for a moment, trying to process it.

“You just found out about this now?”

Hadley nodded again, still confused but unable to stop herself.

“Yes.”

How could something like this happen?

A frown appeared on Ernest’s face.

“Didn’t you mention that Dr. Hayes did some digging for you before—”

“No!” Hadley interrupted, tears falling faster as she shook her head.

“Nobody told me anything. I only knew he had surgery and he survived. That was all she ever found out.”

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