?Chapter 1249:
Elissa’s eyes widened. “Wait—he moved out of Silver Vis?”
“Yes,” Hadley responded with a quiet nod.
Elissa nodded slowly, her expression unreadable. “So… if he really sorts things out with Linda… are you going to keep your promise? Are you going to give him a chance?”
Hadley didn’t answer. She didn’t agree, nor did she deny it. Her brows only drew in tighter, thoughts tangled in silence.
“Don’t think about it right now. You told him you’d wait until he actually followed through, didn’t you? Start there. Just take the medicine first.”
Without waiting for a reply, she reached out and opened the box.
She twisted off the cap, then held it to Hadley’s lips with exaggerated care. “Come on. Considering the fact that he actually moved out of Silver Vis, don’t waste the gesture. Take a sip.”
“What are you saying?” Hadley let out a halfugh, half-sigh.
“Drink!” Elissa insisted, tipping the bottle gently toward her. “Stop whining when there’s actually someone trying to take care of you for once.”
“Pfft—” Hadley nearly choked, coughing through a mouthful of the syrup.
“How could you say that? You basically forced it down my throat!”
“Ha… ha…”
After the yful back-and-forth, the twoy side by side on the bed, the room dim and still.
Hadley had just closed her eyes, teetering on the edge of sleep, when Elissa spoke again.
“Hadley… if you really like someone, don’t keep pushing them away—even if you’re not the type to take the first step. Otherwise… someone else might take your ce, you know?”
Hadley paused, her eyes fluttering open. She turned her head to look at Elissa, only to find her already facing the other way, eyes closed and breathing steady.
She said nothing. But Elissa’s words lingered.
Somewhere in the quiet, another memory surfaced—Denver had said something eerily simr.
Silver Vis.
That afternoon, after waking from her nap, Linda straightened herself up and told her caregiver,
“Let’s head over now.”
“Alright.”
The caregiver already knew where they were headed—next door, as always.
Even though Eric hadn’te back in days, Linda still went over daily to prepare dinner.
If he didn’t show up, she would eat alone and waitte into the night before finally returning to her ce.
Most nights, she stayed there until just before bedtime.
As the caregiver wheeled her into the vi, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Linda froze, her breath catching in her chest as a hopeful smile spread across her face.
“He’s back,” she whispered, eyes bright with anticipation. “Quick, open the door!”
.
.
.