Chapter 2900:


    “Joy’s ready. We’re leaving.”


    After hanging up, he lingered, uncertain.


    “Can I stay here?” he asked, almost cautiously.


    “Joy might want me when she wakes.”


    “Okay.” Hadley’s tone was calm, distant.


    “Stay.”


    The weight of her anger pressed on him, and Eric thought he understood why.


    He frowned. After a long silence, he tried to exin himself.


    “Earlier… I didn’t mean to interrupt you and Ellis on purpose—”


    Hadley’s head snapped up, eyes zing.


    “Enough. Don’t say another word. Joy’s asleep. Don’t wake her.”


    Eric stiffened, silenced instantly.


    The vehicle rumbled forward, pulling out of the mountains with the rest of the convoy.


    Hadley leaned back against the headboard, closing her eyes. Her own behavior unsettled her.


    Why was she so conflicted?


    This—Eric stepping back, letting go—was what she had once prayed for. Yet now that it hade, she found no satisfaction, only a gnawing disquiet she couldn’t exin, not even to herself.


    The convoy wound its way down the twisting mountain road, eventually merging into the familiar bustle of the city. By the time they arrived, Phillips had already seen to every detail. A private jet was waiting at the airport, ready to take them back to Srixby.


    This time, however, Ellis would not be apanying them. Before their departure, he made a point of finding Hadley.


    “You, Eric and Ernest, and the kids—head back to Srixby first,” he exined.


    The human trafficking case was now in his hands, and Andrea’s capture had cracked open a case that had lingered unsolved for years. Ellis needed to coordinate with local colleagues to investigate Andrea’swork in the area before escorting her to Srixby for a more thorough interrogation.


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    “I’ll be busy here for a while,” Ellis said.


    “And even when I return to Srixby, I may not have much free time. I’ll contact you once things settle.”


    “Alright.” Hadley nodded gently.


    She didn’t press for details—she already understood he would be tied up.


    As for the matters between them… those could wait until his hands were free.


    Still, a shadow of helplessness crossed her expression.


    “Take care, then…” She pointed to the back of his head.


    “And make sure you get that follow-up at the hospital. Let me know the results.”


    If anyplications remained, the Flynn and Scott families would certainly have to take responsibility.


    “Got it.” Ellis smiled, oblivious to the deeper meaning behind her words. His mood lightened.


    “I won’t forget—I’ll let you know. I’m off now.”


    “Okay…”


    As Ellis turned to leave, he nearly collided with Eric, who was holding Joy and hade searching for Hadley.


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    Message from Noa: Today we have a new novel release dear readers. God loves you and Noa wishes you all the best. ????(? ?? ? – ? ) ?


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