?Chapter 1335:


    They traded venom like bullets. But neither of them felt any satisfaction.


    William hated uncertainty. He only felt satisfied when Ste broke—when she admitted defeat. So when he spoke again, it carried an almost yful cruelty. “On the cruise,” he said lightly, “guess who I saw?”


    Ste froze. Something flickered in her eyes—hope, fragile and aching.


    “I saw Marc,” William continued. “Funny thing though… the deck isn’t that big. You said you were bullied like that, so why didn’t hee save you? Was it because he didn’t see… or because he saw everything and decided you weren’t worth stepping in for?”


    That was the final crack.


    “Impossible!” Ste snapped, turning toward him. “Marc would never do that to me. You’re lying!”


    Hearing her defend Marc again—clinging to the man like he was some kind of saint—made something ugly twist inside William.


    He stepped closer, bracing his hands on either side of her and caging her in on the hospital bed. There was nowhere left for her to retreat.


    “Maybe,” William murmured, leaning in, “he realized we’ve been intimate. Maybe that’s why he’s keeping his distance now. Maybe you’re tainted in his eyes.”


    Ste’s breath hitched. Her pupils shrank. Despair washed over her like a tide.


    William drank it in. He lowered his head, lips brushing the shell of her ear before biting the lobe just hard enough to make her gasp.


    She tried to pull back, but his hand slid to the back of her neck, keeping her still. “Ste,” he whispered, “you know he’s done with you. If Marc were the kind of man who’d stay no matter what, why are you so scared all the time?”


    Deep down, she knew the truth.


    Feel the magic on gα?ησν????s


    Marc’s love had always felt… conditional. Soft, warm, yes—but also distant. Easily shaken.


    She never admitted it. William wanted her to.


    She pushed at his chest, but he easily pinned her wrists down against the sheets. “You and I,” he said, eyes darkening, “we’re the same. A perfect match. Tell me you didn’t feel itst time.”


    “Stop,” she cried out. “Just stop.”


    He didn’t. He kissed her instead—her tears salty between their mouths, a twisted mix of anger and something unnamed.


    His gaze deepened, and she barely had time to breathe before he pushed her back onto the bed.


    Realizing what he intended, Ste grabbed his hand mid-descent. “No—”


    This was a hospital. Anyone could walk in. He couldn’t possibly—


    But William brushed her grip aside with ease.


    His palm covered her eyes, plunging her into darkness.


    Everything after slipped out of her control.


    She fought, at first—tense, terrified—but under the slow, deliberate way he touched her, all her defenses cracked.


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