“At once, sir!”
Hadley was halted halfway by the guards, her path to Eric blocked.
“I need to speak with you-it’s urgent!” Hadley yelled, her voice laced with desperation.
Eric continued forward, ignoring her plea.
As his car pulled up, he entered without a backward glance.
“Eric! Please, just listen!” Hadley’s voice broke with despair and disbelief as she called after the departing car.
Eric disregarded her completely, shutting the car door and commanding the driver,
“Let’s go.”
As the vehicle began to move, Hadley’s expression turned to one of shock and desperation.
“Eric!” Hadley yelled, mustering every ounce of her strength to break free from Xander and sprint after the car.
“Eric, please! Stop the car!”
Tears mingled with her cries as she pursued the car relentlessly.
The cold air burned her lungs, yet she continued.
However, the car accelerated, quickly distancing itself from her. Just as she neared the hospital gate, Hadley’s foot caught, and she tumbled to the pavement.
The pain elicited a sharp cry from Hadley.
From the car, Theodore looked back and murmured to Eric,
“Sir, she fell.”
Did she?
Eric casually checked the rearview mirror and saw Hadley lying on the wet ground, drenched and helpless. His expression briefly showed concern.
However, he quickly dismissed the sentiment.
“She’s tough. She’ll recover. Drive faster. Let’s ensure she doesn’t follow us and complicate things further.”
“Understood, sir.”
Accelerating, the vehicle quickly vanished into the distance. Helplessly, Hadley watched as it disappeared, the spark in her eyes dimming. Struggling to rise, Hadley noticed her arms and palms were scraped and bleeding, the blood diluting in the rainwater.
The pain she felt was sharp, almost soul-deep.
Tears mixed with the rain as Hadley shut her eyes, overwhelmed by the moment.
Later, at Silver Villas, completely spent both physically and emotionally, Hadley collapsed onto her sofa still in her damp attire, too exhausted to change or shower.
What options did she have left? Who could help her now?
A sudden memory prompted her to grab her phone. She bypassed her contacts, dialing a number she remembered well.
As she hit the call button, a surge of hope briefly animated her.
The phone rang, and she held her breath in tense anticipation.
“Hello?” A female voice answered.
Immediately, the flicker of hope in Hadley’s eyes faded.
“Hello, who is this? Speak up!” The woman on the line warned, “If you don’t respond, I’m hanging up.”
Shortly after, the line went dead.
Her expression hardened, and Hadley clutched her phone tightly as tears streamed down her face. She realized the call had been a mistake. Frustrated, she threw the phone aside and buried her face in a pillow, her cries muffled.
The night dragged on in a blur of anguish.
She wasn’t sure when she fell asleep, but she was jolted awake by the incessant ringing of the doorbell, each ring sharper than the last.
Possibly tired of waiting, the person stormed in as the door burst open. Eric entered, irritation evident on his otherwise striking features.
Upon seeing Hadley on the couch, Eric’s expression grew sharp with annoyance.
“Why wasn’t the door answered?”
Silently, Hadley muttered to herself,
“I lacked the strength to even get up,”
but she left her thoughts unspoken, simply shaking her head in response.
Hadley was acutely aware that any attempt to explain herself would merely be seen as an excuse by Eric.
To someone who harbors disdain for you, even the act of breathing could seem like a fault.
Overwhelmed by an uncomfortable feeling, Hadley went directly to the heart of the matter.
“What brings you here?”
She thought he wanted nothing to do with her.
“Do you actually think I came here willingly?”
With a sneer, Eric made no effort to mask his contempt as he glanced coldly at Hadley.
“Grandma sent me to escort you to the airport.”
That was how things stood.
Hadley asked herself bitterly,
“Why did I even harbor any hope?”
“Is your luggage upstairs?”
The impatience in Eric’s voice was unmistakable. Spending even a moment with Hadley was clearly something he found almost unbearable.
Hadley nodded, but then quickly added,
“It’s upstairs, but I haven’t finished packing yet…”
She had planned to finish packing the previous night, but overwhelming fatigue and sickness had caused her to fall asleep prematurely.
“What?”
A shadow crossed Eric’s face as his irritation flared.
“You’ve had all day and still haven’t managed to pack your bags?”
He fixed a stern gaze on Hadley, who appeared bewildered and unresponsive. Eric guessed bitterly,
“Is she trying to delay her departure?”
“Don’t just stand there; get moving and finish your packing!”
“Alright,” Hadley responded with a vacant nod, turning to ascend the stairs swiftly.
Making her way up, Hadley felt each step cause her to break out in a cold sweat. She sensed that something was amiss. Hesitantly, she touched her forehead.
It was unmistakably hot, and her breathing was labored, as if each breath scorched her lungs.
Clearly, she was running a fever.
The fever was probably a result of being soaked in the rain yesterday. Hadley’s initial reaction was to search for some cold medicine in her room. Just as she was about to take one, she hesitated.
Remembering her pregnancy, she knew she couldn’t take the medicine. Although she hadn’t decided whether to keep the baby, she felt a responsibility to protect it while it was still part of her.
“Agh…”
A wave of nausea hit Hadley hard, causing her to groan.
She clutched her mouth and hurried to the bathroom, where she retched into the toilet until she felt completely empty.
Afterward, she turned on the tap, rinsed her mouth, and splashed her face with cold water to soothe her burning skin.
“Hadley!”
Eric’s voice, deep and slightly raspy, echoed with a note of exasperation.
Impatient from waiting, he had come upstairs to check on her progress. Noticing she still wasn’t ready, he demanded,
“Hadley, what’s taking so long? Get out here!”
“On my way,” replied Hadley, dabbing her face with a towel. She emerged from the bathroom, her complexion ashen, her voice a faint murmur.
“Eric,” she whispered. “Might I request to leave a day later?”
Her health was so precarious that she worried about becoming sick on the flight.
Should she fall ill on the plane, she would be entirely alone, without assistance.
“Why?” Eric asked, his expression clouding with suspicion.
“What’s your scheme now? Yesterday, you tried to see Linda at the hospital, and I had to stop you. Are you attempting something else today?”
Did he truly have such a low opinion of her?
“It’s not what you think…” Hadley replied, her eyes widening with the effort to restrain her tears.
“I feel very sick. I need to consult a doctor…”
“Enough of this!” Eric interjected sharply, not allowing her to explain further.
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