Hadley faltered, then gave a quiet shake of her head.

“That won’t be necessary.”

“That won’t be necessary?” Ernest’s brows knit in confusion.

“Why not?”

He figured she might be worried about going against Ferris.

“If you’re concerned about Ferris, don’t be. I’m not intimidated by him. For me, you and Eric have always come first.”

“Thank you, Ernest.” Hadley offered a weary smile, shaking her head.

“But I mean it—there’s really nothing for us to talk about.”

Ernest couldn’t make sense of her answer.

“I don’t understand.”

“Have you forgotten already?” Her voice rasped with emotion.

“I ended things with Eric. It was my decision, right before his operation.”

“That doesn’t change anything,” said Ernest, unable to accept it.

“Did Eric ever agree to the breakup?”

Ernest’s voice grew more forceful.

“Hadley, I’m not trying to take Eric’s side, but you have to see this. You’re the one who called it off. He never accepted it. Even as they took him into surgery, he kept calling out to you.”

At those words, Hadley’s hand flew up, covering her eyes in a desperate attempt to hide her pain.

“Hadley, it wasn’t a breakup. You just walked away.”

“If he couldn’t accept it, was I supposed to force myself to stay?” Hadley dropped her hand, her eyes rimmed red and raw.

“Was I just supposed to keep pretending I was fine while he clung to Linda?”

Ernest had nothing to say to that. He still tried to defend Eric.

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“I honestly don’t believe Eric has any lingering feelings for Linda.”

“Is that so?” Hadley’s voice was laced with bitter amusement.

“I bet you told Elissa the same story. Did she buy it?”

Ernest could only stare back at her, silent and defeated. Elissa had never believed a word of it. If she had, none of this would have happened and she would likely still be alive.

A heavy silence hung between Hadley and Ernest, both refusing to look away, tension crackling in the air.

“I see there’s no convincing you.” Ernest finally dropped his gaze.

“I’ll honor your decision.” He’d kept his feelings to himself, out of respect for what she wanted.

“But…” Still, he hesitated, taking in the fresh tears on her face before letting out a weary sigh.

“Are you certain this is what you want? Turning your back on Eric?” Ernest’s shoulders sagged.

“I only hope you don’t regret it later.”

The words caught Hadley off guard. Her phone’s ringtone broke the silence, muffled somewhere in her bag.

Snapping back, she dug out her phone and checked the screen. Brady was calling.

“Hello?”

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