Chapter 302
It was clear that Eric’s hostility toward him wasn’t an act. He genuinely saw Denver as a threat.
As Denver watched Hadley’s reaction, things started falling into place. “Does this mean Eric’s making decisions on his own, and you don’t feel the same way?”
Hadley wasn’t expecting Denver to be this perceptive. She stayed quiet, but the look on her face told him everything.
“I was right, wasn’t I?”
Frustration surged through him. He slammed his hand against the steering wheel. “Eric has crossed the line!”
Feelings should go both ways. No one had the right to force another person.
“But…” Denver struggled to understand. “Why are you running away? Can’t you just talk to him?”
“Talk to him?”
Hadley let out a hollow laugh, the weight of her past pressing against her chest.
“This isn’t the first time…”
“What?” Denver froze. “Wait. Are you saying that you and Eric were…”
Hadley shut her eyes and gave a slow nod.
Her marriage to Eric had been nothing more than a carefully crafted scheme by the Flynn family.
At twenty, she had been too naive to see it. Now, four years later, the truth felt like an old wound that never healed. Did she resent them?
How could she not?
The forced vows. The humiliation in front of everyone.
And yet, despite it all, the Flynns had been kinder to her than her own blood.
Hadley was a woman abandoned by her own father. After losing her grandmother, Hadley had pleaded with him to take her in.
She had only been fifteen.
All she wanted was someone to call family.
But he had turned his back on her without a second thought.
In the end, Nyla had reached out to Hadley and brought her into the Flynn household. She gave her food, a place to stay, and sent her to school. Most importantly, she supported Hadley in continuing her dance. Without the Flynn family, how would a fifteen-year-old orphan have survived?
Hadley would always be grateful for their kindness. That was why, even when they hurt her, she had no choice but to endure it.
Thinking back on everything, she let out a soft, hollow laugh. Tears shimmered in her eyes. “Ernest is awake. I… I…” The words caught in her throat.
“I understand.” Denver’s voice was gentle. “You don’t have to explain. I already know.”
There was nothing left to question.
Earlier that day, he had gone to the hospital to see Ernest, who had just regained consciousness. That was when he found Hadley, running away in distress. The Flynn family…
Even someone as patient as Denver couldn’t stay calm. “They’re using past kindness as a way to demand something from you, without even considering what you want?”