?Chapter 2876:


    At the doorway, Eric leaned heavily on Phillips for support, the caregiver beside them wheeling a mobile IV stand. When he spotted Hadley, his voice softened.


    “Hadley.”


    Her face instantly darkened, her gaze sharp as a de as she red at him in silence.


    Eric hesitated, his brow furrowing.


    “Did I… do something wrong again?”


    Hadley’s eyes shifted to Phillips, her tone just as unsparing.


    “You let him do as he pleases? He just came out of surgery, and you’re letting him roam around?”


    Phillips raised his hands slightly, helpless.


    It wasn’t as though he hadn’t tried.


    Stopping Eric was an entirely different matter. Still, he couldn’t help but think—roam around? That was what she chose to call it? Eric wasn’t a stray dog.


    “What are you standing there for?” Hadley’s eyebrow arched sharply.


    “Get him back to his room. Now.”


    “Oh—okay.” Phillips exchanged a nce with the caregiver.


    Eric, however, shifted uneasily.


    “Hadley, I…”


    But Hadley didn’t wait for him to finish. Stepping forward, she slipped beneath his arm with practiced ease, taking his weight. Phillips wisely stepped aside, leaving the task to her.


    “Back. To your room,” she ordered.


    “Okay,” Eric murmured, nodding like a chastened child. His gaze flicked up at her stern expression, searching for a hint of softness.


    Was she… truly angry?


    Once back inside, Hadley guided him down and pressed him gently onto the bed.


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    “Lie down.”


    Eric obeyed without resistance, easing himself onto his side—the only position he could manage.


    Before stepping back, Hadleyid her palm against his forehead. Her frown deepened.


    “You still have a fever.”


    Her voice sharpened.


    “You’re a grown man. Don’t you have the sense to rest when you’re not well?”


    “I… I didn’t—” Eric started, but her look cut him off mid-sentence. He wilted instantly.


    “You’re right. I was wrong. I didn’t think it through,” he said instead.


    Phillips, standing nearby, spoke up in his defense.


    “Hadley, don’t worry. The wound was serious, yes, but it’s been properly treated. There’s no risk now.”


    “Yes,” Eric echoed quickly, eager to pacify her.


    “It’s just a surface wound. Post-surgery fevers aremon for a few days.”


    “Exactly.” Phillips nodded, siding with him.


    Hadley gave them both a sharp look, as if to say their little alliance didn’t impress her in the slightest.


    Turning back to Phillips, she asked, “The car I took a picture of and sent you—Joy was in it, wasn’t she?”


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