?Chapter 2862:


    “Hadley…” Eric’s brows drew together, his face ghostly pale.


    His lips—nearly the same color as his skin—looked like they’d been carved from ice.


    “Eric!” Hadley’s heart clenched as she hurriedly checked his back.


    In an instant, her whole body went rigid.


    The towel she’d pressed against the wound was drenched, crimson soaking through. The sight made her stomach drop.


    How much blood had he lost?


    Her pulse fluttered as panic surged.


    “Eric… Eric…”


    She held his face, watching his eyelids grow heavier, threatening to close.


    “Eric!” Hadley’s voice trembled, urgency rising.


    “Don’t fall asleep! You can’t sleep now!”


    Sleep wasn’t rest in this state—it was the first step toward copse.


    To put it inly, he was going into shock from blood loss.


    Eric’s head lolled and came to rest against Hadley’s shoulder.


    “Eric?” Hadley’s eyes widened, panic wing up her throat—an onrushing wave of fear threatening to drown her.


    “Eric? Don’t do this… don’t scare me!” Her voice trembled, tears quivering at the edges of her words.


    “Mm…” From the crook of her neck, Eric’s faint murmur brushed her skin.


    “I’m… fine…”


    His tone was soft, his words drawn-out and sluggish.


    “Just… a little cold.”


    Cold?


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    Hadley’s heart clenched. She touched his cheek, then grasped his hand—it was like ice.


    Eric’s body had always been strange: warm in winter, cool in summer. But this wasn’t an ordinary chill. This was the cold of blood draining away, the chill of severe blood loss.


    “Cold… so cold…” he whispered again, his voice barely more than breath.


    What could she do? Hadley’s mind raced, yet no answer came.


    “Eric!” She gripped his frozen hand and wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him tight.


    “If I hold you… will it help?”


    “Mm.” His reply was faint, but his arms moved to circle her, pressing in as if to steal her warmth.


    But it was only fragilefort, not a cure.


    “What should I do?” Hadley muttered under her breath, her voice tight with desperation.


    The rain drummed harder around them. So much time had passed, yet no one had found them. Waiting here would only doom him—night would fall soon. How much longer could Ericst? He needed help—real help, fast.


    “Eric.” Hadley forced herself to think. She draped her jacket over his shoulders, then fastened it at the cor to keep it secure.


    She steadied his arm.


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