?Chapter 1069:


    His eyes drifted to her reflection in the window, and he couldn’t bring himself to look away.


    Later, at the hospital, as a nurse cleaned her wound, Ste’s mind betrayed her again—William’s face slipping back into her thoughts no matter how hard she tried to push it away. Even she couldn’t fathom why thoughts of him kept creeping into her mind at this critical time.


    When the doctor finished wrapping her arm, he suggested she stay overnight for observation.


    Ste forced a faint smile. “Doc, it’s just a scratch. I don’t need to stay overnight, do I?”


    The doctor frowned. “If you want that arm infected and gone, be my guest.”


    Ste blinked, realizing there was no winning that argument.


    Jeff quickly stepped in, wanting to ease her mind.


    “Don’t worry about anything,” he said. “I’ll handle the paperwork—and I’m staying with you. Please. I need to make this right.”


    Ste met his earnest gaze. After a long pause, she sighed softly and nodded. There was no point arguing with him tonight.


    Late at night, Stey on the hospital bed, staring nkly at the ceiling. Sleep felt like a distant dream she couldn’t reach.


    Nina kidnapping Jeff had hit her like a punch to the gut. She had never seen iting. It was now clear—Nina hadpletely lost touch with reality. She would stop at nothing if it meant hurting her.


    Ste thought back to the first day they met—Nina had walked in with that confident, dazzling air, the kind that drew every eye in the room. Now, that memory felt like something out of another lifetime.


    When Nina’s image faded, William’s face filled her mind instead. She could still see the moment he burst through the warehouse doors, eyes wide with fear and worry. That raw emotion in his gaze—no one could fake that.


    A heavy sigh escaped her. Everything around her felt like one huge, tangled knot she couldn’t undo, and it was slowly wearing her down.


    Her phone buzzed, lighting up the dark room. It was a message from William.


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    “Nina’s been found. How are you? Does your wound still hurt? What did the doctor say?”


    As her eyes traced the words, warmth crept into her chest before she could stop it.


    After a pause, she typed back, “The wound doesn’t hurt. The doctor says I need to stay overnight for observation. Thank you for getting there in time today.”


    She had told him two hours, but he’d shown up in an hour and a half.


    She had no idea how he’d managed to track her down so fast, but she was grateful. Without him, she didn’t even want to imagine what could have happened to her and Jeff.


    His reply came almost instantly. “I’lle pick you up from the hospital tomorrow morning.”


    This time, she didn’t argue. “Okay,” she wrote simply.


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