?Chapter 694:


    Eric’s heart stuttered, his fingers tightening around her hand.


    “Hadley, I…”


    “Go on, then,” Hadley interjected, her voice steady as a stillke.


    “If they called you thiste, it must be pressing. Don’t linger here exining—just go.”


    “Hadley?” Eric blinked, caught off guard by herposure.


    “You’re not upset?”


    “Not in the least.” Hadley offered a gentle smile, shaking her head, before her tone shifted with a sudden curiosity.


    “But let’s say, just for argument’s sake, I were upset and asked you to stay. Would you?”


    Eric froze, his expression a canvas of conflicted emotions, answering more than words ever could.


    “Exactly,” Hadley said with a faint smile.


    “Whether I’m upset or not wouldn’t change a thing, so why dwell on it?”


    She slipped her hand from his and gave him a nudge, her touch light but firm.


    “Go on now. She is waiting.”


    “Hadley…” Eric hesitated, searching her face for something—anything—to hold onto.


    But Hadley turned her gaze toward the window, her voice cool.


    “It’ste, and I need my rest. You should get going.”


    Eric studied her profile, sensing the undercurrent of her displeasure beneath herposed exterior.


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    Yet, he couldn’t ignore the call of duty.


    “Then… I’ll be off.”


    “Mm,” Hadley murmured, her smile soft as she nodded in acknowledgment.


    Eric rose and moved to the closet to change. When he returned, Hadley had already settled back down, her back to him once more.


    A sudden tightness gripped his chest, an unease he couldn’t shake.


    “Hadley, I’m heading out.”


    Hadley’s response was faint, her position unchanged, offering no further words or even a nce his way.


    Eric lingered for a heartbeat, hoping for something more, but the silence stretched on.


    As he had changed earlier, he had noticed the faint patter of sleet against the window outside.


    Bending down, he brushed his fingers gently across Hadley’s cheek.


    “It’s chilly out there with sleet falling—keep the nket tucked around you.”


    Hadley’s eyes remained closed, her breathing steady as if she were already drifting into dreams, offering no sign she had heard him.


    “I’m off now,” Eric said again, his voice quieter now.


    He hesitated a moment longer before withdrawing his hand and stepping out of the room.


    The door clicked shut behind him, and in that instant, Hadley’s eyes fluttered open, her gaze steady andposed.


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