?Chapter 109:


    “Now, which door is it?”


    As she looked up, her eyes unexpectedly met Eric’s.


    Hadley stood rooted to the spot, her gaze fixed on the duo entangled in what seemed to be an intimate embrace. Were they about to kiss?


    “Oh no!” Hadley cursed silently.


    Eric faced her directly, while Linda remained oblivious, her back turned. She had no idea Hadley was standing there, witnessing the moment.


    Eric’s expression stiffened, hisplexion turning pale as his grip on Linda’s arm unconsciously tightened.


    Hadley? What was she doing here? Hadley was the first to shake off the shock, her body snapping into motion as she spun around to flee.


    Why was she running?


    Did she see him as some kind of dreadful specter lurking in the dark?


    “Linda!” Eric’s tone turned rigid as he pushed Linda away. “You don’t need to walk me out. I can handle it myself.”


    Before Linda could respond, Eric was already striding down the hallway, his long legs effortlessly closing the distance between him and Hadley.


    “Eric!”


    Linda’s voice rang out, sharp with frustration. She clenched her fists, staring after him. Had shee on too strong and driven him away?


    Eric, familiar with every inch of the building, caught up with Hadley in no time, cornering her in the stairwell. “Where do you think you’re going?” he snapped.


    Hadley found herself trapped, her back pressed t against the cold wall.


    Eric braced his hands on either side of her, effectively caging her in. “Why are you running? Do I terrify you that much?”


    Hadley swallowed hard. To her, he was far more fearsome than any…


    Stay tuned galnov??????.co??


    The monster conjured from childhood nightmares.


    Shrinking away to avoid the idental brush of his arm, she sped her hands together and pleaded, “Please, just let me go! I didn’t mean to interrupt you two!”


    “If they were nning to cozy up, they should have picked a better location,” she thought. That corridor? Anyone could have walked by.


    What? Interrupting?


    Eric’s face darkened, his eyes narrowing into dangerous slits as he growled her name, “Hadley, what absurd ideas are running through your head?”


    Linda belonged to Ernest. There wasn’t a shred of possibility for anything between him and her.


    And yet, this wasn’t the first time Hadley had assumed such nonsense.


    She wasn’t the only one, either. Half the people in Srixby likely shared her misconception.


    Eric had never cared to correct them. There was nothing to correct. His history with Linda was tangled, yes, but it had never crossed the line into something inappropriate. Yet, for reasons beyond his understanding, he felt an inexplicable need to rify things with Hadley.


    “Linda and I are not what you think!”


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