Too Late, Mr. Billionaire: You can’t afford me now

Chapter 896:

Hadley gave a small nod. “Sure.”

“Alright, let’s go with that.”

He handed the menu to the waiter and reached for the water pitcher, pouring her a glass with practiced ease.

Watching his calm, almost too-casual demeanor, Hadley couldn’t help but speak. “Denver… do you know something?” His sudden message today had caught her off guard.

Denver had always known when to keep his distance. Ever since she’d started dating Eric, he’d barely reached out.

“I do,” he said, setting down the pitcher. There was a familiar warmth in his tone, his cheerful spirit impossible to hide. “I know you and Eric broke up.”

The words landed heavily. Hadley didn’t ask how he knew—she understood immediately.

She pressed her lips together, then reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Unlocking it, she brought up a photo and slid it across the table toward him.noveldrama

“Look.”

“What is it?” Denver picked it up, confusion flickering in his eyes.

The picture showed Hadley holding a little girl. Their cheeks were pressed together, their features so alike it was unmistakable—even their smiles curved the same way.

“She’s my daughter,” Hadley said quietly. “Her name’s Joy. She’s three.”

Denver’s head snapped up, his eyes wide with disbelief.

“Three?” His voice faltered. “Then she’s…”

Full updat3z h3r3: g𝒶lnoνels.𝓬𝓸𝓶

Hadley nodded slowly. “She’s Eric’s. I got pregnant the year I left Srixby.”

He sat there, stunned, lips parted but unable to form words.

No one had ever told him—not Eric, not Marshall.

So Eric hadn’t known either?

“You raised her on your own?” he finally asked.

“I did.” Hadley’s tone was steady, almost serene. She had already lived through the storm.

Denver, by contrast, looked shaken to his core.

“Eric only found out recently,” she added.

On the way here, she had already decided to tell Denver everything—and she did.

“That’s how it is,” she concluded after her narrative.

He fell silent, digesting it all.

The moment stretched, still and heavy.

Then Hadley spoke again, gently retrieving her phone and slipping it back into her pocket.

“Denver, you have to understand—we’re not right for each other.”

“Hadley.”

He reached for her hand just as she pulled back, grasping it firmly.

His voice was low and filled with regret. “Back in Blathe, you said we could talk after I’d had some rest. You were going to tell me about Joy, weren’t you?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

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