Chapter 460
“Hadley!” Eric crouched beside her, his voice thick with urgency as he tried to get her attention. “Think about Wilma. It will never work between you and Denver!”
But Hadley didn’t so much as glance at him. Her focus was on finding Denver’s number and dialing it.
Her strength was failing her, so she left the phone on the floor and set it on speaker.
The call kept ringing, but no one picked up.
Hadley froze. A chill ran through her as she murmured, “No… No…”
She redialed.
Still, no one picked up.
A sob ripped from her throat.
Tears spilled freely, hot and relentless, streaming down her face.
She knew deep down that she would never reach him again. “Ah!”
Hadley banged her forehead against the cold floor, her body trembling as she fought to choke back her sobs.
It was over. Completely over.
She had planned to tell Denver about Joy once he had gotten some rest. If he could accept Joy, maybe they could have a future together. Of course, she had considered the possibility that he wouldn’t.
And if that happened, she would understand.
They could part on good terms and go their separate ways without resentment.
But she had never imagined it would end like this.
What would Denver think of her now? He probably hated her now, didn’t he? He was the first person who had ever truly cherished her this much in her 24 years, and now, all that remained between them was his hatred.
“Get up.”
Eric bent down, lifted her off the floor, and placed her on the bed. With a rough swipe of his hand, he wiped away her tears.
“Enough! Stop crying. Face the truth. You and Denver are over.”
Hadley, still frail and powerless to push back, merely let her eyelids drift shut, opting to tune Eric out entirely.
Was this her way of quietly digging in her heels?
Eric let out a wry, self-mocking smile. “Do you despise me?” he asked softly. Of course, Hadley didn’t dignify that with a response, and he hadn’t truly expected her to.
“You’re well aware, more than anyone, that the mess we’re in today traces back to Wilma. I’m merely playing the hand I’ve been dealt. You and Denver would part ways one way or another tonight—Wilma would make sure of it. And trust me, had it not been for me, you would have been in a far worse state than you are now.”
Hadley kept her eyes squeezed shut, her lashes trembling ever so slightly, her fists balled up tightly as she remained mute.
A soft sigh escaped Eric’s lips. “Just… get some rest.”
Gazing at Hadley’s defiant expression, he thought to himself, “What’s the use? There was no sense in debating this further. Why tangle with a woman whose heart was still mending?”
When Hadley stirred from her slumber, the room was empty.