?Chapter 181:


    Without another word, Hadley spun around and ran toward the spot where Eric had thrown the ring. Under the dim streetlights, she crouched low to the ground, her fingers trembling as she searched the pavement, determined to find it no matter what.


    The alley was dim, the faint glow of the streetlights doing little to illuminate the cracked pavement. Hadley’s hands shook as she searched the ground, the darkness swallowing up every inch she covered.


    Frantic, she yanked out her phone, flicking on the shlight. The beam cut through the ck, but it only highlighted how small and insignificant the ring seemed in the vast emptiness of the alley. How could she even find it?


    A quiet, desperate whisper slipped from her lips. “Please, please…” She didn’t know who she was asking, but she needed to find it. She had to.


    What if Duran found out? What if he knew she’d lost his gift the moment she turned her back? The thought clenched her chest. She couldn’t let that happen.


    Across the street, Eric watched, his eyes narrowing as he observed Hadley kneeling in the dim light. His chest burned, a cold, simmering anger building inside him, spreading like wildfire, choking everything else.


    Did she really care that much about the ring from Duran?


    “Hadley!”


    Eric stormed over, his grip tight on her shoulder, yanking her back with a force that made her stagger. “Stop looking! Do you hear me?”


    “Let go!”


    Hadley whipped her head up, her face flushed with anger and frustration. Her eyes were red, the weight of everything crashing down on her. “Eric, don’t push me… I’m starting to hate you more every day!”


    She just said she hated him.


    The words hit Eric like a p.


    He froze, his chest tightening. “You hate me?”


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    “Yes!” Hadley snapped, her voice cracking with raw emotion. “When I was younger, I couldn’t leave you alone. That was my mistake! I’ve already paid the price for being so foolish. Please, Eric, just let me go.”


    Eric let out a bitterugh, disbelief shing across his face.


    “Unbelievable,” he muttered, his gaze cold and cutting. “Ungrateful. Fine, do whatever you want.”


    In one swift motion, Eric yanked his hand away from her and turned on his heel, his expression hard as stone, anger radiating off him. If she was so set on degrading herself and chasing after that old man, then so be it.


    Eric’s mind roared, “I’d be a damn fool if I let myself get involved again!”


    As Eric reached the corner of the alley, something tugged at him, forcing him to nce back. There she was—Hadley, still crouched, scouring the ground under the dim light, determined but helpless. With a flick of his wrist, Eric pulled the diamond ring from his pocket, his fingers curling around its cold, sharp edges.


    A cruel smile tugged at his lips.


    “You’ll never find it,” he thought, the words echoing in his mind like a dark promise.


    His grip on the tiny ring tightened, the metal digging into his palm until it almost hurt.


    Without another nce, Eric spun on his heel, yanked out his phone, and dialed a number.


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