?Chapter 1168:


    Yvonne’s fingers froze on her phone, her heart plummeting as she stared at the screen. The loan repayment date red back at her, days past due.


    Panic wed at her throat. The trip with Norton—the beaches, theughter, the fleeting escape—had swept her so far from her troubles that her debts had slipped her mind entirely.


    The absence of debt collectors at her door these past weeks baffled her.


    A sharp rap at the door shattered her thoughts. When she eased it open, Norton stood there, a ss of milk in his hand.


    “Here, drink this,” he said, brushing past her with a casual stride.


    Yvonne’s lips curved into a faint smile. She took the ss and settled at the table. For a moment, she pushed her fears to the corners of her mind.


    Norton leaned against the counter, watching her with a quiet intensity. When she drained thest of the milk, he tilted his head, a grin tugging at his mouth.


    “That’s my wife,” he murmured, his voice low and warm.


    Heat crept up Yvonne’s cheeks. She was not ustomed to this side of him.


    Her fingers fidgeted with the edge of the bowl, and she ducked her head, muttering a shy, “Goodnight.” She shuffled to her room, her heart a strange mix of flustered and fond. As she sank onto her bed, she resolved to return to work soon.


    But sleep betrayed her. In the depths of her dreams, shadows of her past closed in.


    She sat in a darkened living room, the air thick with dread. The pounding of fists on the door echoed like a drumbeat in her skull.


    Faces materialized through the wood—grim, hollow-eyed debt collectors, their voices a chilling chant. “Why have you not paid us? Why have you not paid us?”


    Their hands reached for her, cold fingers grazing her throat…


    Yvonne’s brow furrowed in her sleep, her body tensing as she battled the specters in her mind.


    In the quiet of the night, Norton slipped into her room, part of his nightly ritual to check on her.


    The sight of her troubled expression stopped him cold. He knelt beside her bed, his hand hovering before gently resting on her shoulder.


    Your next chapter awaits g?lnσν??ls?c?m


    His touch seemed to reach her, and the tension in her face eased, the nightmare’s grip loosening.


    By morning, the dream’s shadow lingered.


    Yvonne sat at the table, hesitating as she searched for the right moment to ask Norton for help with her debts.


    Before she could speak, her phone buzzed, a flurry of notifications lighting up the screen. She frowned, puzzled.


    Her colleagues had been silent during her leave, so who could this be?


    Unlocking the phone, she scanned the messages, her breath catching.


    The first read, We owe you thanks for having Mr. Burke settle our loans. It pulled us out of a bind. We are sorry for how we acted—desperation got the better of us. Please ept our apologies. And thank you again for Mr. Burke’s payment, which covered our shortfall.


    Another message read, I knew you were someone we could trust. Thank you and Mr. Burke. Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness.


    Message after message poured in, each from the numbers that had once sent Yvonne spiraling into panic.


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