?Chapter 1221:


    The picture he painted—so full of love and domestic warmth—slowly smoothed out the wrinkles of doubt in Ste’s heart.


    Resting in his arms, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, she let a small, contented smile appear on her face. Maybe those strange dreams, those vague feelings of loss that had haunted her since waking from hera, really were nothing but remnants of that trauma.


    Still, somewhere deep inside—buried far beneath all thefort—a tiny prick of unease remained.


    Like a fine thorn lodged in her heart, invisible until something brushed against it, sending a faint sting through her chest. But Marc’s vision of their future was so tender, so convincing, that she pushed that feeling away.


    She let herself drift—like a boat on calm waters, lulled by the warmth of his love—choosing not to see the reefs hidden below the surface.


    Marc noticed her asional distance, the moments when her gaze would drift somewhere else, but he never brought it up.


    Then, three nightster, the package arrived. The medication.


    That night, after Ste went upstairs to finish her report, Marc opened the box. He squinted at the white powder, then poured it into a bowl of thick yogurt. He stirred carefully until it blended inpletely.


    “Stel,” he called softly as he stepped into the study. “Still working? I brought you something—yogurt with fruit on top. Try it.”


    He had decided not to use a liquid. Any residue might settle at the bottom.


    The yogurt was perfect.


    “Thank you,” Ste said with a smile, ncing up from herptop.


    His studio was doing well, and to secure more projects, she spent any free moment conducting experiments or reviewing partnership proposals for him.


    Marc pulled a chair next to her, holding the spoon out to her lips. “You’ve been working nonstop. Once the studio takes off, I’ll buy you a better house. I don’t want you suffering anymore.”


    Thinking about everything he’d lost—the Walsh Group, the mansion, the status—his chest tightened with regret.


    But he would rise again. Ste deserved the best, and he was determined to give it to her.


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    She took a spoonful and smiled softly. “It’s okay, Marc. Thepany’s still new—it’ll take time. I believe in you. I don’t feel like I’m suffering.”


    Actually, the house provided by the Carter family was quite nice already.


    Her quiet understanding hit him right in the heart.


    If he hadn’t been so foolish before—if he hadn’t let Haley into their lives—things would never have gotten thisplicated.


    But at least now, he still had a chance to fix it.


    “It’ste,” he said gently. “Finish this and get some rest. You can continue tomorrow.”


    Ste wanted to finish a few more documents first, but Marc insisted.


    He watched until she finished the entire bowl.


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