?Chapter 1505:


    Ste whispered, “Does it have to be this? I can make amends another way, I…”


    William cut her off impatiently, bored with her excuses. “You’re the one who provoked me, which means I decide how to settle this. Ste, is this concept tooplex for you, or are you just ying dumb?”


    Ste’s heart felt squeezed by an invisible fist. She turned back toward the tform’s edge, staring at the nauseating drop, her stomach lurching.


    Her palms started sweating. Her breathing came faster and faster.


    Ste forced down the lump in her throat. “If I jump, will you let this go?”


    William waited a few beats before answering, his tone dripping with scorn. “I’ll consider it.”


    The vagueness of his response made Ste close her eyes and draw in a long breath, epting her fate.


    Valley air flooded her lungs, carrying the clean smell of wild spaces, and she found herself thinking about the time they’d spent together.


    When her eyes reopened, something resigned had settled into them.


    If this was the only path to his forgiveness, she didn’t seem to have much choice.


    And refusing him… Would he even permit that?


    Finally, Ste gave a quiet assent. “Okay.”


    Her voice was so faint the wind nearly imed it.


    Hearing this, William gestured to the instructors, who moved quickly to secure her harness, checking every sp and rattling off safety instructions.


    Ste stood stiffly, seeming to follow along, but truthfully she absorbed nothing.


    Her entire awareness centered on that cliff edge—stepping off would be like stepping into the void itself.


    Even without any medical condition, she irrationally feared her heart might race too hard during the plunge, that she might choke and die.


    She nced sideways at William.


    He lounged against the railing,pletely unfazed by the altitude, wearing no safety equipment whatsoever. He observed her with that samezy amusement as always.


    Ste couldn’t help wondering if her death here might actually please him.


    An instructorpleted his final inspection of her safety lines. “Ready, Miss?”


    Ste nodded.


    “When you jump, pitch your body forward and keep your eyes off the ground.”


    The instructor positioned himself behind her, his voice sounding oddly distant in her ears. “We’ll count down from three.”


    Ste sensed someone adjusting the ropes at her back—whether the instructor or William, she couldn’t tell. In that moment, she didn’t dare look.


    The instructor called out the first number.


    Her heart hammered wildly, threatening to burst through her ribs.


    Then the second number.


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