?Chapter 298:


    However, Hadley didn’t wait for him and stepped out by herself.


    She moved swiftly, her eyes locking on Eric. “Let’s go.”


    “Alright…” Eric responded after a slight hesitation, perplexed by her apparent eagerness, which contrasted sharply with herck of fear.


    In the hospital room, they stood together beside the bed.


    “Ernest, look who’s here,” Eric said, stepping aside to give Hadley space.


    Approaching the bed, Hadley found her emotions overwhelming her before she could even speak. Tears streamed down her face.


    “Ernest…” Her voice broke,den with emotion.


    Ernest’s response was nonverbal—a faint smile that acknowledged her presence, his lips curving ever so slightly.


    His fingers twitched at his side, a subtle hint of his attempt to move.


    “Ernest?” Eric asked, puzzled. “Do you need something?”


    Hadley quickly interjected, her voice choked with tears. “No, he doesn’t…”


    She took a deep, shaky breath, and then suddenly knelt beside the bed.


    “Ernest, I know you can’t move much now, so let me help.”


    Ernest blinked slowly, his eyes seeming to affirm her gesture.


    Carefully, Hadley lifted his hand, cing it gently on her head. “Like this, right?” she murmured softly.


    Ernest blinked again, tears now glossing his eyes.


    Back then, to Ernest, Hadley had always seemed like the little sister he never had.


    Every time she approached him with that sweet smile of hers, Ernest would gently pat her head with a warm smile of his own, saying, “Be a good girl and focus on your studies, and remember, you can alwayse to me if you need anything.”


    Now, overwhelmed by these memories, Hadley couldn’t hold back her tears and sobbed deeply.


    Remaining beside his bed, she whispered, “You’ll get better, Ernest… You have to recover.”


    L?t??t chαpt?rs ιn g??lnov?l??.???m


    She believed firmly that he would return to being his kind and gentle old self, the bright and dignified eldest son of the Flynn family.


    Eric stood there, a wave of mncholy sweeping over him as he watched Hadley with his brother.


    He realized only now how deep their bond was.


    He could faintly recall Ernest’s consistent kindness toward Hadley; his brother was a good man, kind-hearted by nature, which exined Hadley’s profound respect for him.


    Reflecting on it now, the loss they had endured—Hadley must have been heartbroken, despite her known differences with Linda.


    Back then, Eric was too wrapped up in his own guilt toward his brother for not being able to protect his child to see the situation from Hadley’s viewpoint.


    What was done was done. Dwelling on those days served no purpose now.


    Leaving the hospital room, Eric noticed Hadley’s tear-stained face. “Stay here for a second,” he instructed gently. “I’m going to grab an ice pack for those eyes.”


    Her eyes, red and swollen, looked painfully irritated, almost as if she would struggle to keep them open without some relief.


    .


    .


    .