?Chapter 1311:


    There were plenty of women out there. She refused to believe her son couldn’t do better.


    Marc stared at his mother’s unyielding expression and knew arguing was pointless.


    Swallowing the bitter mix of shame and fury, he shoved up from the sofa and stormed to his room.


    He paced like a caged animal until a sudden spark of an idea stopped him cold.


    William hade back from overseas with Nina in tow. Which meant… maybe Nina could help. Of course—how had he forgotten her?


    Nina was obsessed with William. She’d once worked with Erebus just to try to im him. No way would she be happy with Ste glued to his side.


    The thought lit a reckless fire in Marc’s gut. He snatched his phone, scrolled to the number he almost never called himself, hesitated only a second, then hit dial.


    The phone rang and rang before someone finally picked up. Nina’s voice came through, cold and clipped. “Marc, what do you want?”


    Marc took a breath, trying to keep his tone steady. “I know how you feel about William. Now he’s taken Ste… and it’s not looking good. I’m worried…”


    He stopped there, letting the silence hang, baiting her. And right on cue, he heard it—the hitch in Nina’s breathing. Got her.


    He kept going. “William’s got her locked up. He won’t let anyone near her. And the way he’s acting… it’s not normal. There’s something obsessive going on. If this keeps up, it’s not good for either of us. Maybe it’s time we worked together.”


    He tossed out the offer like bait and waited.


    Marc knew exactly what kind of woman Nina was. If there was one thing that would push her over the edge, it was the idea of William and Ste getting close again.


    Marc’s words sent a fresh wave of fury and contempt through Nina’s chest.


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    William had locked Ste up?


    She already knew he’d dragged Ste away from the wedding. The Carter family had tried to get him to let her go—but he hadn’t.


    What she didn’t know was that after all this time, he was still holding on.


    That news hit hard.


    Jealousy boiled in her chest, bubbling over into something toxic. Why?


    Why was it always Ste? Even with no memory, even without love, Ste still had William’s full attention.


    And she—Nina—after everything she’d sacrificed, after giving up her pride, her dignity, after ying every card she had… still couldn’t get him to really look at her?


    Hadn’t Arlo altered his memory? Wasn’t he supposed to hate Ste now?


    So why was he treating her like this?


    Keeping her locked away like some kind of forbidden treasure? Obsession, even twisted, was still attention. And that made Nina furious.


    She bit her lip hard and curled her fingers into tight fists.


    No. She couldn’t ept this.


    If she couldn’t have William, then Ste shouldn’t either. Not even as someone hated. Not even as someone imprisoned. Ste didn’t get to win.


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