?Chapter 1394:


    Behind her, Ernest stood still, the tissue left hanging in his hand. He lowered his eyes, the weight of something dark pulling down his expression.


    Maybe… this would be the end of it.


    Outside the door, Jane—the caregiver—saw Linda emerging and rushed over.


    Seeing how pale she looked, Jane stepped closer. “Miss Harris, are you alright?”


    Linda didn’t answer immediately. She stared into space for a moment, and then suddenly gripped the armrests and let out a scream. “Ah!!!” Her eyes turned red. Emotion spilled out of her in one raw cry. Jane froze, startled. “Miss… Miss Harris!” Linda looked terrifying.


    “What’s wrong?” Jane stammered. She wanted to help but hesitated.


    Leaving didn’t feel right, yet going closer seemed just as risky.


    “Miss Harris, are you feeling unwell?”


    “Unwell?” Linda kept staring at the door, her expression unreadable. She teetered on the edge of something unstable. “Yes. I’m unwell. Very unwell.”


    “What?” Jane moved forward quickly and gripped the chair. “Let me take you to a doctor, okay?”


    “A doctor? Why?” Linda snapped.<fnd7a5> Th? link to the orig?n of this information r?sts ?n find?novel</fnd7a5>


    Jane was confused. She replied, “A doctor can cure you.”


    “It’s useless…” Sheughed through tears. “No doctor can fix this. I’ll never be okay again. Never.”


    Jane stared, confused and frightened. Was Linda really alright?


    Eric stepped out of the hospital into the harsh sunlight.


    It was early summer. The heat was climbing fast. Still, his whole body felt cold. Like his blood had frozen inside him.


    The sunlight stung his eyes. He shut them quickly, his mind unraveling.


    Hadley… How was he supposed to face her now?


    He thought about the past year—everything that had happened ever since she returned to Srixby. Everything they had gone through. She came back carrying more pain than anyone had seen.


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    How had she survived those four years in the?


    She had no money. She had to keep herself alive. She had to raise Joy.


    She had to pay for Joy’s treatment…


    All of it took money.


    So she scraped by with the bare minimum.


    So she worked in a seedy club.


    So when there were no other options left, she even considered being Duran’s secret lover.


    All of it…


    It wasn’t hard to imagine—those four years in the were no easier than everything that followed.


    But she survived. Not only that—she finished school. She raised Joy. Four long years… and “hardship” didn’t even begin to cover everything she had endured.


    A dryugh escaped Eric as his eyes filled with tears.


    How could he have been so blind—to ever call Hadley a parasite? No parasite would stand alone in a foreign city, with no help, no money, and carve out a life like she did.


    Only now did he begin to see it clearly.


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