?Chapter 1287:


    Ste looked so thin, so breakable, like the wrong gust of wind could wipe her out.


    Tasha finally bent down slightly and whispered, “Miss Russell… please don’t cry like that. It’s not good for you. Maybe try to eat a little?”


    Ste hadn’t eaten anything all day.


    Tasha had already reported it to William. His response had been cold enough to scare her. He said that if she didn’t want to eat, she could starve. But watching Ste now, with her hollow eyes and shaky breath, Tasha felt something twisting painfully inside her.


    Ste slowly turned her head. Her vision was blurred, unfocused, like it took effort to recognize another person.


    It took a moment—then her expression cracked. The things she’d been swallowing for days finally spilled out.


    She grabbed Tasha’s arm, her grip weak but desperate. “Why can’t I cry?” Her voice rasped, raw from holding everything in. “Your boss kidnapped me. He won’t let me leave. He destroyed my wedding. He threatened my family and my friends. Tell me why I shouldn’t cry.”


    Everything she’d lost hit her in a wave—her choices, her freedom, her dignity. Now someone wanted to take away even the relief of crying?


    Her voice rose, trembling, carrying days of fear and humiliation.


    Tasha’s throat tightened.


    Her own daughter wasn’t much younger than this girl. Every time Ste cried, something in her softened despite herself.


    “Miss Russell…” Tasha said gently, “crying won’t change anything. Please try to calm down. Take care of yourself. Maybe one day Mr. Briggs will… soften, and let you go.”


    She didn’t believe her own words, but it was all she had to offer. She didn’t know what William’s obsession with Ste was, and she didn’t dare ask.


    New chapters now on .c?m


    Ste let out a brokenugh, messy and bitter. “He’s a devil,” she said, voice shaking. “A twisted lunatic. Does he really think locking me up, breaking me, will get him what he wants?” Her nails dug slightly into Tasha’s sleeve. “Impossible. I hate him. I will never… ever… forgive him.”


    Before William, Ste didn’t know what it meant to truly hate someone.


    Now she did. She hated him so much it burned. So much that if he vanished from the face of the earth, she wouldn’t flinch.


    Her chest rose and fell in ragged bursts. Emotions she’d tried to bury came crashing out, one after another. She couldn’t stop the tears anymore, couldn’t hold back the venom in her voice.


    “A man like him—so cruel, so obsessed with control—he’ll never be loved. Not truly. No one will ever care for him. He’s going to end up alone, and that’s exactly what he deserves.” Her voice cracked, but the words kepting, each one sharper than thest. “He’s doomed to be miserable. No happiness. No warmth. Not now. Not ever.”


    Tasha froze. Her face went pale. Ste’s outburst hade out of nowhere, and hearing her curse William so directly sent a jolt of fear straight through her spine.


    She tugged her arm free from Ste’s grip, stumbled back a few steps. “Miss Russell, please… don’t say things like that.” Her voice was tight, almost pleading. “You’ll get into trouble. I—I can’t hear this.”


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