?Chapter 2759:


    Avoidance wasn’t a solution. Sooner orter, this had to be faced.


    Today marked Hadley’s final day at the studio for the dubbing work.


    “What’s wrong?” Eric’s brows furrowed.


    “Is it not to your taste?”


    Hadley shook her head faintly.


    “No… I’m just not very hungry.”


    Eric’s gaze flicked to her barely touched te. His voice softened, coaxing, almost gentle to a fault.


    “Try to eat a little more. How about just one more bite?”


    The way he said it—so careful, so indulgent—made Hadley feel like a pampered child again. Like Joy.


    A bitter sting prickled her nose.


    “Okay,” she murmured, forcing a smile she didn’t feel.


    She picked up her fork again, eating mechanically.


    “Have some vegetables too,” Eric added, smiling as though trying to ease the tension.


    “If you can’t finish your food, I’ll take care of itter.”


    “Alright,” she whispered, head bowed, the sour ache in her nose creeping toward her eyes.


    Because in the future… dinners like this—just the two of them, quiet and warm—might never happen again.


    This could very well be theirst.


    So she ate, one bite after another, as if each one could buy her a little more time she didn’t have.


    Eric only rxed once she had eaten nearly her usual portion.


    The tes were cleared away, reced with delicate desserts. Eric pushed one toward her.


    “Try this—it’s new.”


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    “Sure.” She nibbled at it quietly.


    And then, with a quiet inhale, Eric reached into his pocket. His hand emerged holding a small red velvet box.


    He set it before her.


    “Hadley.”


    “Yes?” She lifted her gaze—only to freeze.


    Before her eyes was the red diamond ring.


    The same ring that had circled her finger more than once, only to be returned each time with quiet finality.


    “Hadley.”


    Eric’s deep-set eyes gleamed in the candlelight, a rare, unguarded brightness flickering in them.


    “I’ve kept this ring all this time,” he said softly.


    “Because it belongs to you.”


    Then he stood, circled the table, and—without hesitation—knelt before her.


    “Eric!” Hadley startled, reaching instinctively to pull him up.


    “Get up—”


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