?Chapter 734:


    Eric could afford to be angry. She couldn’t. If she pushed him too far… what would that mean for Joy?


    Hadley exhaled slowly, forcing down the unease tightening in her chest. Breathe. Stay calm. After a brief pause, she pulled out her phone, her fingers hovering over the screen before quickly typing out a message.


    “You didn’t show up—probably busy. I’ll head back to Silver Vis on my own.” Then, without looking back, she walked away and took the bus going to Silver Vis.


    By the time evening settled in, she had taken a long shower and stretched out on her bed, phone in hand.


    Still nothing from Eric. She scoffed, tossing the phone aside. For someone his age, Eric sure knew how to hold a grudge.


    Sighing, Hadley sat up, towel-drying her damp hair before heading downstairs. As she poured herself a ss of water, her mind drifted back to what had sent her running earlier. Had she imagined it? That woman with Denver—why did she look so much like Astrid?


    But she wasn’t so sure. She had only met Astrid once, after all. That was why she had run after them—to be sure.


    Maybe she could just call Denver and ask? But whoever he was seeing was his business, not hers.


    Hadley hesitated, caught between curiosity and the awkwardness of reaching out—when suddenly her vision darkened.


    A wave of dizziness crashed over her, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.


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    It was the medication’s side effects.


    She squeezed her eyes shut, gripping the edge of the counter, hoping the feeling would pass. But this time—it didn’t. It only got worse.


    What could she do about it?


    Hadley fumbled for her phone, her vision blurring as she scrolled through her contacts—until she found Eric’s name. Her fingers trembled as she pressed the call button.


    No answer. The call cut off.


    Hadley barely had time to register the rejection before her knees buckled beneath her. Her phone slipped from her grasp, ttering against the floor as she drifted into darkness.


    Meanwhile, Eric stepped out of the bathroom, drying his hands before casually picking up his phone.


    A message. And—A missed call. So, Hadley had finally reached out? And she was back at Silver Vis?


    Across from him, Marshall took in the scene, his brows raising slightly. “She already backed down. Take the chance and go back to her.”


    “Go back? For what?” Eric leaned against the sofa, his voiceced with amusement. “To make her think I’m that easy to please?”


    Hadleyy sprawled on the cold floor, her breath shallow. She was aware—but barely. Her limbs felt heavy, her bodypletely drained of strength. She couldn’t move, nor could she even make a sound.


    The world around her blurred in and out of focus. Footsteps echoed through the quiet space, then—a voice. The cleaningdy.


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