?Chapter 555:


    Hadley was already in bed, her breathing slow and steady, but he wasn’t convinced she was fully asleep.


    Moving quietly, he entered the walk-in closet, retrieved a set of clothes, and returned to sit at the edge of the bed.


    He hesitated for a second, then spoke softly, not wanting to startle her. “Hey.”


    No response. But he wasn’t fooled. The slight flutter of her eyshes gave her away.


    He continued anyway. “Linda is staying in the guest room downstairs tonight. I took a set of your clothes for her. Do you think this set is okay?”


    At that, Hadley’s eyes slowly opened. She didn’t look at the clothes. Instead, she let out a quiet chuckle, her voice tinged with amusement and mild irritation. “I was just about to fall asleep, and you woke me up for this? Why does it even matter?”


    Eric reached for her hand, feeling the slight tension in her fingers. “Because they’re your clothes,” he said gently. “I figured I should ask you.”


    Hadley let out a soft,zyugh.


    “Don’t say things like that, Eric. Everything here is yours, not mine. You make the decisions, not me. Didn’t you already decide to let Linda stay without asking me?”


    Eric’s jaw tightened slightly. “That’s because—” His expression darkened slightly as he lowered his voice. “It’ste, she was upset, and she refused to go home. If she went out alone at this hour, something could have happened.”


    How thoughtful of him, indeed!


    Hadley didn’t bother arguing. It wasn’t worth the effort.


    Eric let out a slow breath. “The situation was urgent—I didn’t have time to ask you. That was my mistake…” He paused, studying her expression carefully. “I’ll be more mindful next time.”


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    He wasn’t blind. He could tell she wasn’t exactly thrilled after everything that had happened tonight.


    “As for these clothes,” he added, ncing at the neatly folded set in his hands. “I noticed you hadn’t even removed the tags, so I figured you didn’t like them much. Linda can have them, and I’ll have new ones sent to you—”


    Hadley exhaled sharply, waving a dismissive hand. “Go on. She’s waiting, isn’t she? Don’t keep her waiting.”


    Her tone was indifferent, but Eric felt no relief. In fact, an unexpected tightness settled in his chest.


    Why did it bother him that she was letting it go so easily?


    “Umm?” Hadley arched a brow when she noticed he was still sitting there. “Why are you still here? Aren’t you leaving?”


    Eric hesitated for half a second before finally standing up. “Alright. I’ll go. Get some rest.”


    “Mhm.”


    Hadley gave a small nod, rolling over to face away from him. “Don’t forget to turn off the lights…”


    “I will.”


    “Oh, and one more thing—” Eric had just reached for the light switch when she continued, “If you’re noting back tonight, can you lock the door for me? I’m used to sleeping with the door locked—I don’t rest well otherwise.”


    It was a habit she had formed during her time in the. Living alone with Joy had taught her to be cautious—to instinctively safeguard her space, to lock every door at night.


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