?Chapter 513:


    Eric shot to his feet, scanning the room. His heart pounded as he checked the bathroom, the closet, the balcony—nothing.


    A surge of panic crashed through him as he bolted out of the bedroom, tearing through Silver Vis like a man possessed.


    No matter where he looked—she wasn’t there.


    He grabbed his phone and dialed her number.


    The ringtone echoed immediately.


    Eric turned toward the sound, eyes locking onto the living room sofa—where Hadley’s bag sat, untouched.


    A quick scan of the room revealed more—her coat still hung by the entrance, her shoes neatly in ce. The only thing missing were a single pair of indoor slippers.


    She went out in nothing but a thin sweater and slippers?


    Eric’s hands clenched into fists, frustration and regret colliding in his chest.


    Leaving without a phone, without a coat—how would she manage? He shut his eyes for a moment, fingers pressing against his temples as his mind reeled.


    Earlier in the car… He had lost control. He knew that.


    Hadley and Denver… nothing had happened between themst night. As a man—as her man—he would have known the moment he held her.


    And yet, blinded by jealousy, he hadn’t been able to think straight.


    Thenter, anger had turned into something else entirely.


    He really lost control. He wasn’t even sure why. Years ago, these things hadn’t mattered to him. But with Hadley, every little thing got under his skin. Every look, every word.


    ?????????????? ?????????? ???? ??????????ν??????﹒?????


    Especially when she kept insisting… that he wasn’t as good as Denver. And now, here they were.


    Hadley had been right about one thing—he really was a bastard. But that didn’t matter now.


    Right now, there was only one thing that mattered—finding her.


    Eric strode into the study, his movements swift, his mind racing. Pulling up the surveince footage, he fast-forwarded until he spotted Hadley. She had left less than twenty minutes ago.


    The grainy ck-and-white footage showed her stepping out of the house, wrapped only in a thin sweater, her arms crossed tightly over her chest against the biting cold.


    Eric’s heart clenched at the sight. Damn it. Where could she have gone?


    She didn’t have many friends in Srixby, which meant there was only one ce she could have gone—her apartment at West Twelfth Alley. Wasting no time, Eric grabbed his keys and tore out of the house, driving straight into the snowstorm.


    “Hadley, Hadley!”


    Eric pounded on the door of her apartment, his voice raw, his breath misting in the frigid air.


    “I’m sorry, okay?” Eric murmured, pressing his forehead against the doorframe. His voice was low, almost pleading. “Please… open the door, okay?”


    No matter how many times he knocked, no matter how many times he called her name—nothing.


    She was still furious. He had expected that. But still—


    “Why are you out here making so much noise?”


    Eric turned as a neighbor cracked open his door, his expressionced with irritation. “Quit making a scene! No one lives there anymore—who are you even looking for?”


    What?


    .


    .


    .