Chapter 563

Chapter 563:

“Eric…” Linda hesitated before giving him a gentle nudge. “This is my fault—I’ve caused a rift between you two. Why don’t you go after her? She doesn’t have a car; she can’t have gotten far.”

“I’m not chasing after her!”

Eric’s jaw tightened as he spun around. Why should he pursue her?

Look at the havoc she had wreaked!

Even the bottle of ketchup he had dashed two streets to fetch for her lay toppled amidst the mess.

What was the point of treating her kindly? She was nothing but an ungrateful troublemaker!

Calling him pathetic?

Fine, so he was pathetic! Pathetic for bending over backwards to treat her well!

As Hadley boarded the bus departing Silver Villas, her racing heart began to settle.

She had to admit—she had acted on impulse.

Those two might be insufferable, but it wasn’t as though their nature was news to her.

For Joy’s sake, she should have bitten her tongue. Yet she hadn’t.

Eric hadn’t been entirely off the mark—old habits were tough to break.

She hadn’t changed one bit.

Her temper still flared too easily, a far cry from Linda’s poised demeanor.

A misstep on her part.

What now?

Was this truly the end for her and Eric?

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It would be a simple matter for him to find someone new, but for her, he was an indispensable asset, a tool like no other.

Did she truly have to return and attempt to mend things with him?

Humble herself and plead for his pardon?

She sighed, closing her eyes and reclining in her seat.

What was done was done, she reasoned. There would be no sense in dwelling on it anymore. Besides, she hadn’t exactly been in the mood to cater to his whims that day.

Upon her return to the city, Hadley made her first stop at her apartment.

Joy, who hadn’t laid eyes on her mother in days, was positively buzzing with excitement, her words tumbling out in a ceaseless stream.

“Mommy, mommy!”

“Yes, darling, yes,” Hadley replied with equal enthusiasm, not the least bit exasperated. Each time Joy called out, she responded with a warm smile.

All morning long, Joy trailed her mother like a shadow—even to the bathroom.

“Mommy,” Joy chirped, perched on a tiny stool just outside the door. “Why’re you taking so long?”

Hadley couldn’t help but chuckle, though she felt a touch exasperated. How could she explain that having her little one glued to her side made certain tasks… trickier?

“Be a good girl, Joy,” she said gently. “Go play with Melba for a bit. Mommy will be out in no time.”

“Okay, mommy,” Joy agreed with a nod.

After having lunch with Joy and tucking her into bed for a nap, Hadley left home and set off for the dance troupe.

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