?Chapter 1073:


    “You’re making a mountain out of a molehill,” Hadley teased, pulling her hand back with a lightugh. “It’s just a graze. A tissue will do the trick, and it’ll be fine before we even go to a doctor.”


    “You’re joking at a time like this?” Brady’s frown deepened, his worry almostical. “You know how serious your condition is. Your blood—it’s important!”


    Hadley paused, realizing Brady was still in the dark about Joy.


    She pressed her lips together, then met his gaze. “Actually, I’m not the one who is sick. It’s not me with astic anemia.”


    “What?” Brady froze, confusion clouding his face. “What are you talking about?”


    If she wasn’t ill, what had all their efforts been for?


    “Let me show you something,” Hadley said, pulling out her phone and opening her photo album. “I didn’t think we would find a match, so I kept it quiet. Thing is, I have a daughter, Brady, and she is the one who is sick.”


    She handed Brady the phone, revealing a picture. “This is my daughter.”


    “Let me see.” Brady’s eyes softened as he took it in, still reeling. He studied the image, a mix of joy and sorrow tugging at him. “She is… beautiful. So precious.”


    Joy’s cherubic face was enough to warm any heart, but the weight of her illness tempered Brady’s smile.


    “Her name?”


    “Joy,” Hadley said softly.


    “Joy… Joy,” Brady repeated, as if savoring the sound. His gaze lingered on the photo, a tender grin breaking through. “She has got my eyes, don’t you think?”


    Joy’s delicate features did indeed echo Brady’s own.


    Brady’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, his voice catching as he murmured, “I’m so sorry, Hadley.”


    Their family had failed her in too many ways.


    “She has grown so much already, but…” he added, a pang of regret in his tone.


    But none of them had even known she existed.


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    Hadley pressed her lips together, unable to brush it off with empty reassurances this time. Instead, she let the silence speak for her.


    Brady steadied himself, a hopeful smile breaking through. “Hadley, can I meet her? Can I meet Joy?”


    Hadley’s face softened. “Of course,” she said with a nod.


    With Joy’s surgery being nned, it was the perfect time for them to meet—not just as uncle and niece, but for Joy to know the person whose bone marrow would soon give her a fighting chance.


    “Oh, man!” Brady eximed, smacking his forehead with a grin. “I’ve got to get her something special. First time meeting my niece—I can’t show up empty-handed! What does Joy love? Spill all the details.”


    “Alright, I’ll tell you everything.” Hadley chuckled, warmth in her eyes.


    In the stillness of the hospital room, Eric stirred, his eyes fluttering open.


    The afternoon light cast a gentle glow, and the caregiver dozed quietly on the cot nearby. At his bedside, someone rested, long hair spilling over her shoulders like a soft curtain.


    Hadley?


    Eric’s brow furrowed as he lifted his hand.


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