?Chapter 1212:


    Denver motioned in the opposite direction.


    “Mine’s over that way.”


    “I guess this is goodbye, then.”


    “Yeah. Goodbye.”


    With a final wave, Hadley turned and jogged toward her car.


    Denver stood there, watching her as she walked away. He didn’t leave right away. Something in her demeanor told him she was still keeping her distance. But that was okay.


    When it came to someone he truly cared about, Denver had all the patience in the world.


    Meanwhile, Hadley found her parking spot and slid behind the wheel. As she drove off, a quiet sigh escaped her lips.


    She could feel it—Denver was still hoping. Hoping she’d eventuallye around and be with him. But right now, she didn’t see him that way.


    To her, he was just a friend. Nothing more. She had already told him this before.


    Still, maybe she needed to say it again. But what if he didn’t let go?


    With anyone else, she might not hesitate to be blunt—to say something cold just to make things clear. But Denver wasn’t like anyone else.


    Even if he held on to hope, he never crossed a line. He was patient. Respectful. Considerate in ways that made it harder to push him away.


    At the hospital, Eric had gently rocked Joy to sleep and was now settled on the sofa, quietly working on hisptop nearby.


    His phone buzzed quietly on the table.


    He nced at the screen, saw the caller ID, and declined the call without hesitation.


    Then he typed out a message.


    “Can’t talk right now. I won’t be back at Silver Vis for the next two weeks. Take care of yourself. If you need anything, contact Phillips.”


    The reply came almost immediately.


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    “Are you at the hospital?”


    He paused, then responded with a single word.


    “Yes.”


    “I understand.”


    And that was it.


    On the other end of the line, Linda stared at her screen, her fingers tightening around the phone. A sneer slowly curled across her lips.


    Of course she knew. She had already found out about Eric and Hadley’s daughter.


    It hadn’t been hard.


    Eric had even returned to the Scott family—a ce he once swore he’d never set foot in again. And he did it for them.


    Not even Ferris, with all his tactics and even using Milly, had managed to bring Eric back. But for Hadley and their daughter, Eric returned without hesitation.


    That alone said everything. It showed just how much they meant to him.


    Linda’s grip tightened around her phone. A sharp glint flickered in her eyes, followed by a slow, bitter sneer.


    “So, having a child really changes everything, doesn’t it?” she muttered under her breath.


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