?Chapter 1235:


    Marc’s studio flourished, his name spreading fast. When he secured his first major investment, it gave him enough to reim the house he’d once shared with Ste.


    Once the ce was redone, he held Ste’s hand and smiled.


    “Stel, I want to show you something special!”


    Ste shot Marc a curious nce. “What kind of surprise are you talking about?”


    A teasing grin crossed his face. “You’ll find out soon enough.”


    He slipped a blindfold over her eyes and guided her to their destination, steadying her as she stepped out of the car. “Stel, ready for this?”


    His enthusiasm was infectious, and Ste couldn’t help but smile. “Why so secretive? What exactly are you hiding from me?”


    Marc untied the silk scarf covering her eyes, and before her stood a grand three-story vi gleaming in the sunlight. For a moment, Ste was speechless, unable to process what she was seeing.


    “Well? What do you think of it? This ce will be our home from now on. Come, I’ll show you the master bedroom.”


    Marc sped her hand eagerly and led her inside. Though he had owned the ce for years, he moved as if rediscovering it through her eyes.


    As they climbed the stairs, a mix of wonder and unease settled in Ste’s chest.


    When they reached the master bedroom, that strange feeling intensified. She hesitated, withdrawing her hand, and stopped at the doorway. Something inside her refused to step in.


    A strange sense of familiarity washed over her.


    And something troubling had taken ce here.


    Marc froze when she pulled her hand away. His eyes flickered with unease, the hint of fear barely hidden beneath his smile. He had changed everything—the paint, the furniture, every trace of the past. She wasn’t supposed to remember. Not now.


    Forcing a steady tone, he asked, “Stel, what’s wrong? You don’t like it?”


    Ste blinked as if waking from a dream. “No, it’s not that. I do like it.”


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    The tension left Marc’s shoulders, reced by a practiced smile.


    He showed Ste around the whole house, but when they arrived at the garden below, she stayed there quietly for a long while.


    The space was empty, yet her mind conjured a faint image—a lonely woman standing there, burning something in silence.


    Who was she? Was it… herself?


    What had she been burning? And why did the woman’s face look so full of sorrow?


    Marc noticed her distant stare and walked over, slipping an arm around her waist.


    The moment his touch met her skin, she froze. Her body tensed, and she instinctively pushed him away, her eyes wide with rm. It wasn’t the look of affection—it was fear.


    Marc’s pulse quickened. Panic rose in his chest as he reached for her shoulders, his voice shaking. “Stel, it’s me. It’s Marc.”


    Ste gazed at him as though she were looking at someone else through his face.


    After what felt like an endless moment, she blinked and returned to herself, her eyes clouded once more with bewilderment.


    “Marc, I can’t shake this feeling that this house carries a deep sadness, like someone once suffered greatly here. Are you sure this is really a new ce you bought?”


    Her words unsettled Marc to the core.


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