?Chapter 739:


    She sat in silence for a long moment before shaking herself back to the present. Carefully, she put away the crucial document on her desk and reached for the bottom drawer.


    Inside, sealed in a clear bag,y the pocket watch she had found under the hood of the car.


    Its hands were frozen in ce—broken, useless. She didn’t know if it could ever be repaired.


    She studied it for a long while before tucking it into the drawer beside the document.


    Two pieces of her life—side by side—heavy with meaning she couldn’t fully name. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she closed the drawer.


    Oddly, with it shut, some of the weight on her heart seemed to ease. Then a sudden, insistent thought came to her—she wanted to see the old house.


    She had visited countless times over the years, but now, it felt different.


    Her experiments for the day were done; leaving now wouldn’t set her back. Once the thought took root, she didn’t linger.


    She slung her bag over her shoulder and headed for the door.


    Sandra was justing in, a bag of snacks in her hand. She paused mid-step. “Hey, Sylvia, heading out?”


    Ste gave a small nod. “Yeah, I’ve got something to take care of.”


    Sandra’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “Something to do with you and William?”


    Ste stopped mid-stride, caught off guard by the question, then gave a quietugh. “Sorry to burst your bubble—it’s not about him. I’m going to visit my adoptive parents’ old home.”


    Sandra blinked, then caught on quickly. “So that’s what’s had you in a mood thesest few days—because of that house?”


    Ste almost smiled. Whoever said Sandra wasn’t sharp clearly hadn’t seen her like this. She was quite perceptive.


    “Yeah,” Ste admitted. “But it’s sorted now. You don’t have to worry.”


    After bidding farewell to Sandra, Ste drove toward the west side of the city.


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    The city thinned out, high-rises giving way to older neighborhoods worn by time but alive with their own kind of energy. The further she went, the more the air changed—dustier, but tinged with theforting scents of street food and damp stone.


    Half an hourter, the familiar courtyard wall came into view, its wooden gate weathered but standing firm. Her pulse quickened involuntarily.


    She was just about to pull over when her gaze snagged on a figure leaning against a sleek ck car. Her stomach dipped. She knew that car—and the man leaning on it. William. Why was he here?<fnda4b> Find the newest release on Find1Novel</fnda4b>


    He hadn’t noticed her yet. His head was slightly bowed, an unlit cigarette loose between his fingers, eyes fixed on the old house as though lost in thought, unaware of her presence.


    The nting sunlight caught him just right, painting him in gold against the peeling paint and faded bricks.


    Her brows drew together.


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