?Chapter 1396:


    “What’s wrong with you?” Hadley tilted her head slightly, noticing Eric’s silence. For some reason, his eyes held a deep sorrow. “Did something happen?”


    As she spoke, her brows furrowed in concern.


    Was she really… worried about him?


    The tightness in Eric’s chest loosened. Just that flicker of concern from her made him feel alive again.


    “It’s nothing…” Eric smiled faintly and shook his head. “Maybe it’s just been a long day. I’m kind of tired.”


    His voice was gentle, yet it carried a myriad of emotions.


    “Then why did you evene over?” Hadley asked, puzzled. She waved a hand in his direction and added, “You should go back and rest. I still have two more scenes to shoot.”


    “No rush,” Eric reassured her, a smile tugging at his lips. “Seeing you makes me feel less tired. I’ll wait here for you to finish, then we’ll go back together.”


    “Suit yourself.” Hadley didn’t argue. She knew how stubborn he could be. There was no point in trying to change his mind. She turned, lifted the hem of her costume, and walked back toward the set. “I’m telling you, I’ll be busy for a while.”


    “Alright.”


    As soon as her back was turned, the smile faded from Eric’s face.


    He’d almost lost it just now.


    The cruel part was knowing that he couldn’t do a single thing for her. The pain he and Linda had caused Hadley ran too deep. And now, he couldn’t even bring Linda to her knees to beg for forgiveness.


    Eric owed Linda—she had once saved his life. For that, he had promised to always look after her. But that promise had now twisted into a chain around his neck.


    Now, all he could do was stand by and watch as the woman he loved endured pain.


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    There were reasons why he hadn’t epted Hadley many years ago.


    It wasn’t that he was avoiding responsibility. He simply hadn’t felt anything romantic for her back then. Not when she was still young. But that wasn’t the only reason. Deep down, he had always known the truth. He wasn’t a true Flynn.


    And because of that, he had spent his entire life putting the Flynn family, Ernest, and Linda before himself—and he knew he would continue to do so.


    A man like that, once married, would never make a good husband. Sooner orter, he would end up neglecting his wife. He could never expect his wife to constantly put Ernest and Linda ahead of herself like he did—after all, she didn’t owe them anything.


    And what happenedter was just as he had always feared.


    Hadley became his wife. And from that day forward, she had done nothing but endure.


    He couldn’t me the Flynn family or Ernest. He could only me himself.


    His own baggage, which he tried so hard to carry alone, had eventually hurt the one person he wanted to protect most.


    It had left her wounded and left him drowning in guilt.


    When Hadley wrapped up her scenes for the night, Eric was already there, waiting to help her into the car.


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