?Chapter 1271:


    Drawing in a long breath, William forced the chaos in his chest to quiet down.


    He spun around and seized her without hesitation, dragging her upright from the sofa with a cold, unyielding grip. Without a word, he carried her toward the master bedroom upstairs and locked her inside.


    Ste didn’t struggle this time. Like a torn kite, her spirit had already drifted beyond reach.


    When William came back down, Ste’s phoney face down on the floor, its screen still glowing with Marc’s name. Irritated, he erased it without a second thought.


    The phone suddenly came to life, its vibration sharp against his palm as a shrill tone cut through the stillness.


    A name appeared on the screen, one that struck a faint chord of recognition—Josie.


    He stayed silent, staring at the phone as it kept ringing in his hand. One call followed another, each tone revealing the growing desperation of the caller.


    The sound grated on him, piercing William’s nerves like countless tiny needles.


    Were they trying to reach her? Or nning to send her back to Marc?


    The thought alone ignited something savage inside him.


    He would never again allow anyone to take her from him, nor let her reach out to Marc in any way.


    She was no longer free. She was his captive, his possession, bound to stay until his vengeance was spent and his anger soothed.


    The phone kept ringing until William’s hand shot up, his thumb pressing hard against the power button.


    The faint glow of the screen showed the shutdown prompt for a brief second.


    Without a flicker of hesitation, he swiped his finger across the screen.


    galnov??s keeps you updated


    The light vanished, the sound cut short, and the silence that followed was absolute.


    The world seemed to still. Even the air felt heavy, as if holding its breath.


    He slipped Ste’s phone into his pocket, and the vi sank into a suffocating quiet.


    Upstairs, Ste sat huddled on the cold floor, her wedding gown torn and wrinkled around her.


    Her arms were wrapped around her knees, her whole body trembling as if she could fold herself small enough to disappear.


    The marble beneath her was freezing, the chill seeping deep into her bones until she couldn’t tell if she was shivering from cold or despair.


    This was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, yet it had shattered into something cruel and unbearable.


    Everything that man had done felt like a nightmare she couldn’t wake from, something she would never forgive—not in this life, not in any.


    And even if Marc appeared now to rescue her, would he still look at her the same way?


    Would he still love a woman who had been touched, defiled, destroyed?


    The thought twisted inside her, sharp and unbearable. She stared at her arms—red, raw, trembling—and rubbed at her skin until it burned.


    .


    .


    .