“Dry off.”

“Thanks.” Megan took it but didn’t move.

Hadley sighed softly, then gently pulled the towel over Megan’s head and began drying her hair.

“Not your hair. You know how it is for us girls. Getting soaked like this isn’t good. Wet hair can lead to hair loss.”

Megan kept her head lowered, silent.

The truth was, the two women had never been friends. But things didn’t feel as tense now. Hadley’s opinion had shifted—at the very least, she no longer disliked Megan.

“What did you want to say?” she asked, still toweling Megan’s hair.

Megan’s head snapped up. Her eyes glistened, and her voice cracked.

“Did you and Eric get back together?”

The question caught Hadley off guard.

She shook her head and said, “No… Is that why you’re crying?”

“You’re not back together?” Megan didn’t sound convinced.

“No,” Hadley said again, more firmly.

“Why would you think that?”

Megan nodded slowly.

“If you say no, I’ll believe you.”

Tears welled up in her eyes again. She bit her lower lip.

“I messed up. I know I did. I want to apologize to him, but he won’t take my calls. He won’t see me. He hates me now—and it’s driving me crazy.”

Megan pulled the towel over her face and broke into sobs.

Hadley had always seen Megan as loud and strong-willed. But this? This was different. She had never seen her fall apart like this.

“What happened?” Hadley asked gently.

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Megan sobbed between words.

“I lied to him. I got tempted… His dad told me to do it…”

Hadley felt the pieces click into place.

So that was it.

She didn’t know what to say. Eric might have lost his memory—but the way he handled betrayal hadn’t changed at all.

Megan cried harder.

“I know I was wrong. But I like him so much. Being around him… it made me want more.”

“So now…” Hadley reached for the tissue box and handed it to her.

“What’s your plan?”

“I just want to apologize to him.” Megan wiped her face.

“I know we won’t be together anymore. But I don’t want him to hate me.”

She opened the door and stepped out of the car.

“Thanks,” she said quietly.

“For the towel. And for listening.”

…

Hadley watched Megan dash into the rain, her mind quieting into reflective stillness. She saw shades of herself in Megan—how intense emotions and unspoken longing could drive a person, even a decade ago. Back then, Hadley had been consumed by thoughts of Eric, despite knowing with painful certainty that his heart belonged elsewhere. She had reluctantly accepted Nyla’s meticulously arranged marriage plan, learning the harsh truth that relationships built on obligation rather than genuine affection were empty and often led to deep heartbreak.

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