?Chapter 1312:


    Clutching the paper bag with the ointment, Elissa made her way slowly toward the entrance.


    As she approached, a new predicament arose.


    Her heel was broken, and though she had managed the few steps earlier from his car to the house, hobbling to the subway in such shoes would be a trial.


    As she weighed her options, Ernest reappeared, a bag in hand. Without a word, he crouched before her, his presence bothmanding and gentle.


    Elissa watched as he opened the bag, revealing a pair of sleek, t sneakers.


    He set them before her with deliberate care. “Put these on.”


    Sensing her hesitation, he added, “They’re brand new, just delivered, and in your size. Perfectly clean.”


    His words carried an unspoken message—the sneakers were meant for her, and her alone. To refuse them would be to reject a gesture crafted with intention. If she didn’t wear them, they would go unused. A quiet weight settled in Elissa’s chest, her gratitude tinged with something deeper.


    “Thank you, I…”


    “What now?” Ernest’s brow creased, a self-deprecating smile flickering across his face. “nning to send me another payment? Go right ahead.” His tone was lighter this time, less sharp than before. “I can’t stop you anyway, can I? It’s not like this is the first time you’ve insisted on settling a score.”


    Elissa, now earning her own ie, had indeed sent him a transfer once before—a small act of independence that hadn’t gone unnoticed.


    “Do whatever brings you peace,” Ernest said with a resigned sigh, gesturing toward the sneakers. “Just put them on. Sebastian’s waiting outside to drive you home. I know you hate feeling indebted, but you’ve injured your foot today. Don’t be so stubborn. Take it as a bit of kindness from your student’s parent.”


    Without waiting for a reply, he turned and ascended the stairs, his figure vanishing around the corner.


    Elissa’s gaze lingered on the empty stairwell before drifting to the sneakers.


    Eager to shift the spotlight, Elissa leaned forward, her intuition stirring. “Enough about me. Hadley, something is up with you, isn’t it? You don’t sound quite yourself.”


    Your next chapter awaits g?lnσν??ls?c?m


    Hadley froze momentarily, caught off guard. “What makes you ask that?” she said, her voice tinged with surprise.


    Elissa, picking up on the strain in her friend’s tone, responded gently, “It’s the way you sound, Hadley. You seem so rattled. Did something go wrong? Is it about Eric?”


    A sharp, humorless chuckle escaped Hadley’s lips. “You always see right through me, don’t you?”


    Intrigued, Elissa sat up straight on the sofa, her curiosity piqued. “What’s going on with you two? I thought he had been making an efforttely.”


    Hadley exhaled heavily, her voice low. “Well, he…” She hesitated, but then shared the painful truth about Eric’s betrayal with A.


    “That’s it. And I’m done with him,” she said curtly, eager to move past the topic.


    Elissa’s eyes widened, stunned. “This is… unbelievable. Eric doesn’t strike me as the type to do something like that, does he?”


    Hadley raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised. “Why would you think that?”


    Elissa shook her head, uncertain. “I don’t know. Just a gut feeling, I guess.”<fna0ae> N?w ?ovel chapt?rs are published on find~novel</fna0ae>


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