The sight defied all the grim images she had conjured over the past few days—he was standing there, intact and unharmed.

“Eric!” She wrenched herself free from Ernest and sprinted toward him.

As soon as she reached him, she wrapped her arms around him tightly, holding on as if she might never let go.

Eric tensed, a shock of electricity running through him, making his body shiver under her grip.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, letting the familiar scent of her shampoo steady him.

“Hadley,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

“Yes?” She pulled back just enough to look at him fully, examining his face with careful attention.

The suit he wore—the same one from the hospital that day—was now rumpled and stained.

His hair was messy, his jaw shadowed with days of stubble, and his complexion showed the strain of recent hardships. Despite everything, he appeared much healthier than she had feared.

A thought struck her.

“How are you feeling?”

Her finger traced lightly to his temple.

“You hit your head, didn’t you? Is it sore anywhere?”

Eric lowered his gaze to meet hers, silent.

The moment felt unreal.

Hadley’s words poured out, each question laced with genuine worry and care.

It seemed as if she had stepped right out of a dream.

“Why aren’t you answering me?” Her eyes widened, brimming with concern as she lifted her hand toward his head.

Before she could reach him, Eric took her hands and pressed them gently against his cheeks.

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He reveled in the contrast—the softness of her palms against his rough stubble.

A rare calm settled over him in that instant, a sense of peace he hadn’t felt in days.

Eric saw himself mirrored in Hadley’s eyes, but the timing was all wrong, and it unsettled him.

Of all moments, why did it have to happen now?

“I’m okay.” He forced a steadying breath, letting his thumb trace the back of her hand.

“No headaches, nothing hurts.”

The blow hadn’t harmed him—it had unlocked his memories, returning what had been lost.

“Hadley.” His gaze held hers, his voice soft as he spoke her name.

“Yes?”

“It’s been far too long.” A small smile tugged at Eric’s lips.

To him, every second apart had stretched painfully, from Velacca Airport to his collapse, from waking without memories to forgetting her, forgetting Joy.

More than six months had slipped away. It truly felt endless.

“Let me see you properly. I’ve missed you so much.”

Hadley froze, her mind spinning with surprise.

.

.

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