“Why not look into it on your own?”

That surprised Eric.

“So I did know her?”

Not offering a clear answer, Ernest said, “There’s nothing in your memory yet. Instead of relying on what I tell you, try to find the answers yourself. Start digging.” After a brief pause, he added, “Take a look into her past.”

A spark of determination flashed in Eric’s eyes as he nodded.

“Okay!”

Gesturing for him to leave, Ernest told him, “Now go. Grandma’s already gone to bed. Let her rest. You can come by some other time.”

“Alright! Thanks!” Eric didn’t waste a second. He climbed into his car and pulled away.

Once Eric had left, Ernest reached for his phone, pulled it from his pocket, and dialed Hadley’s number. The call connected almost instantly.

“Ernest?”

“Hadley.” Ernest let out a heavy sigh before speaking.

“Eric is bound to discover the truth soon, so you ought to get ready.”

No immediate response came from her.

“What are you talking about?”

Ernest didn’t rush to explain. Silence stretched between them.

Realization dawned quickly. She steered her car to the side of the road, stopped, switched off the Bluetooth, and brought the phone up to her ear.

“Ernest, are you trying to say… Eric finally remembers?”

“Not exactly.” Ernest shook his head.

“He knows that you two have crossed paths before.”

“Ernest!” Worry creased her brow.

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“You promised me—”

“I didn’t tell him,” Ernest answered right away.

“He worked it out for himself.” To be honest, he added, “Maybe I nudged him a little. When he pressed me about it, I just couldn’t bring myself to lie.” He couldn’t take sides in this situation.

He went on, “Hadley, now that he’s grown suspicious, there’s no use trying to hide it.”

Truthfully, he never really believed it could be covered up forever. After all these years, it was impossible to erase every sign. Their shared past left too many traces. Before, hiding the truth had been easy since Hadley was away from Srixby. Now that she had returned, the secret had started to unravel.

With her head in one hand, she gripped the phone tightly and tried to gather her thoughts. Words failed her for a moment.

“Hadley.” Ernest spoke again, his voice steady.

“Regardless of what you think of Eric, he deserves to know about his past.”

A slow nod followed as she whispered, “You’re right.”

After the call ended, Hadley looked down at her phone, lost in thought. She couldn’t tell if it was fear that settled in her chest or something more complicated. Would Eric remember everything the next moment?

“Phillips!” Eric dialed Phillips as soon as he got into his car.

“Mr. Scott.”

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