Chapter 188

Chapter 188:

When he arrived and knocked, Hadley was already in the kitchen, making herself some soup.

The soup was the only thing she could manage. Her throat ached severely, making swallowing solid food nearly impossible. The consistency of the soup was important—it couldn’t be too thick, or she would struggle to eat.

At the sound of the knock, she approached the door and opened it to find Eric, his arms laden with several bags.

There he was again.

“Step back,” he ordered, barging past her as he entered. He dropped the bags on the entryway cabinet and turned to look at her puzzled expression.

“What?” His brow furrowed. “Why that look?”

Hadley gestured toward the bags.

Eric cleared his throat, slightly uncomfortable. “These are from Grandma. You think I came here by choice? It’s so cramped, there’s hardly room to move!”

Despite his grumbling, he made himself comfortable on the sofa, sprawling out. He grabbed a cup of water from the table and took a large swallow. Hadley meant to intervene, but it was too late—he had used her cup again.

When he set the cup down, he realized his mistake. Rather than showing embarrassment, he simply raised an eyebrow at her. “What? There aren’t any other cups. Did you expect me to visit and not have a drink of water?”

Hadley lowered her eyes, choosing to remain silent.

“You—”

Suddenly, another knock interrupted Eric, reverberating through the room. Both turned their heads, their expressions mirroring confusion. Who could it be?

Hadley approached the door and opened it, revealing Duran standing on the other side.

She opened her mouth to speak, her voice raspy and weak. “Mr. Murray…”

𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘁 gⲁ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀⧽ⱼ𝗰𝗈𝗺

“Hadley.” Duran managed a strained smile, his eyes immediately catching sight of the medicinal patch on her throat. “This is my fault. I’m sorry you were hurt.”

Instinctively, Hadley touched her throat, shaking her head slightly. She moved to let him in.

“No, that’s fine.” Duran caught her intention and offered a weak smile in return. “I won’t come in. I just need to say a few things, and then I’ll leave.”

Hadley paused, then nodded slightly. She had an inkling about what was coming.

Their secret relationship couldn’t remain hidden much longer, especially after his daughter’s outburst. It was only a matter of time before his son would take action as well.

“Hadley, I’m truly sorry.” Duran’s voice was somber. “We need to pause our arrangement for now.” As she had expected.

Hadley froze briefly, her eyelashes fluttering as she absorbed his words. “Okay.”

She knew he didn’t have to make this visit. Their relationship was strictly business; there were no emotional debts. Though things hadn’t worked out in the end, she still held deep respect for Duran. And he had always respected her in his way.

Hadley gently touched her throat again, mustering the strength to respond. “It’s… okay. I don’t… hold this against you.”

“Hadley…” Duran gazed into her eyes, his own betraying a hint of reluctance to part ways. Attempting one last time, he asked, “Could you… possibly wait for me”

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