Hadley’s eyes flew wide open, her surprise clear.

“Ernest?”

Eric agreed right away, even though he had no clue what the situation was.

“Absolutely!”

A faint grin appeared on Ernest’s face as he turned to Hadley.

“He’s agreed to go with you.”

Hadley tried to .

“But—”

“That’s enough.” Ernest stopped her quickly, his brow creasing and his head moving in a firm shake.

“Do you really expect me to feel comfortable if you head out there on your own? If you’re set on going, Eric’s joining you.”

Not another word left Hadley’s lips. Silence settled over her. Meanwhile, Eric still looked lost.

“Can someone just explain what’s happening? Where are we even going?”

“Ask Hadley about it.” Getting to his feet, Ernest spoke as he walked toward the door.

“I’ll talk to Quentin and have him get things ready for your trip.”

The room held only the two of them now.

With uncertainty, Eric called her name.

“Hadley?”

Hadley lifted her gaze, seeing his baffled expression. She honestly had no clue why Ernest had even asked Eric to tag along.

“We’re headed to Mayo Hospital,” Hadley’s voice came out gentle.

“To visit… Linda.”

Quentin handled everything without delay.

Keep reading at .c○m

While Ernest remained behind to finish up the launch event, Eric and Hadley left for Srixby right away, boarding a private jet bound for Ontmond.

Ever since he learned where they were heading and the reason behind it, Eric could hardly process any of it. Words failed him. He recognized Linda’s name the moment he heard it.

Hadley had told him before that this woman was the one he had loved, that their marriage had ended because of Linda. Eric paid close attention to Hadley, careful not to make a misstep that might upset her.

As for Hadley, the thought of seeing Linda stirred up irritation and a tightness in her chest. She had no desire to speak either. After settling onto the plane, she went straight to the private cabin and shut the door.

Eric kept his distance and watched quietly, the tension in him only growing.

More than ten hours later, they finally landed in Ontmond. Hadley had gotten some sleep on the flight, so she decided not to waste any time and went straight to Mayo Hospital.

This trip was all about taking care of Linda’s surgery. There was no room for sightseeing.

“Alright.” Eric nodded in agreement, making sure they went directly from the airport to the hospital.

Having Eric by her side made everything feel less overwhelming.

They reached the hospital in no time and were soon speaking with Linda’s doctor.

After talking through her case, they looked through a pane of glass at Linda, who lay motionless in her hospital bed.

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