?Chapter 258:


    William’s breath grazed her cheek, making her hand tremble as she tried to keep steady.


    His eyes swept over her face, lingering on the sweep of hershes, while the pad of her finger—soft and warm—smoothed ointment over his lips. Inside the car, the tension crackled, thickening the air between them.


    Ste’s heart drummed wildly in her chest.


    Once she’d finished, she quickly turned away, pressing back into the passenger seat as she wiped her finger clean with a tissue.


    “All done. We can go now,” she murmured, her voice barely steady.


    William sent her a long, unreadable look before finally starting the car and pulling away from the hospital.


    Ste tried to calm herself, mentally chastising her nerves.


    It was just ointment, she told herself. Why did it feel so intimate?


    When they returned to the dorm, Rita greeted them in the entryway. “Mr. Briggs, you’re back! How did it go? Did the doctor say it’s anything serious?”


    Since speaking was still ufortable for William, Ste stepped in. “The doctor said it’s just a bit of inmmation and a mild allergy. Some ointment and he’ll be fine—it’s nothing to worry about.”


    Rita visibly rxed, relief softening her features. “Thank goodness. Ms. Russell, I’ve tidied your room.”


    “Thank you, Rita,” Ste replied with a grateful smile.


    When they departed, Ste couldn’t help ncing at William again. Her eyesnded on his lips—still faintly swollen—and guilt pinched at her. She tore her gaze away, cheeks burning.


    That night, her thoughts reyed the afternoon on a continuous loop, until her dreams tangled into something even more reckless. In the dream, she found herself pressing her lips to William’s, and she was jolted awake, heart pounding. Ste rolled out of bed and sshed her face with icy water, ring at her reflection in the mirror. Obviously, it was the ointment episode that had nted such ridiculous ideas in her head.


    Once she’d regained herposure, Ste changed into a fresh set of clothes and made her way to theb.


    As she walked through the familiar halls, she offered her usual greetings, but her colleagues’ nces felt more pointed than usual—curiosity and unease simmered just beneath the surface.


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    An uneasy prickle crawled up Ste’s spine. Something was clearly off. Before she could reach her desk, Lainey hurried over and blocked her path, eyes wide with rm.


    “Stel, thank goodness you’re here. We’ve got a mess on our hands! Everyone’s talking—they say you and Marc have been married for years but never had kids because you were out partying too hard, and supposedly made yourself unable to have children.”


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