?Chapter 1526:


    The men Arlo had dispatched — illegal entrants, all of them — watched William reject their demands and turn to leave, rage igniting instantly. One barked out, “Hey, who gave you permission to walk away? Stop where you are!”


    He reached out and grabbed at William’s clothing. His hand bore the evidence of his illegal entry — filthy, with grime packed beneath his fingernails.


    William’s expression turned cold and dangerous. In one fluid motion, his leg shot out and sent the man crashing to the ground.


    Witnessing this, the others erupted. “Who the hell do you think you are? We operate under Arlo’s direct orders!”


    A sneer twisted William’s mouth. Arlo had nevermanded his respect. “If you possess even minimal intelligence, disappear now. Otherwise, don’t me me for whates next.”


    Provoked beyond restraint and watching theirpanion lying motionless on the ground, the men lunged toward William. The result was entirely predictable. Even united, they were no match for him. Only after reducing all of them to defeated heaps did William turn to leave.


    Then one man, refusing to ept defeat, produced a dagger from somewhere and drove it toward William’s lower back.


    And so it was that William returned to the vi, showered, and found himself discovered by Ste.


    During his departure, the men hadunched parting threats — nopliance would provoke Arlo into employing other methods. They had reminded him that everything he currently possessed existed solely because Arlo had permitted his return.


    Those words clung to his consciousness, refusing to dissipate, flooding him with a restless agitation he could not shake.


    By the time awareness fully returned to him, Ste had already retrieved the first aid kit from downstairs and begun disinfecting his wound. Whether the pain was stimting his nerves or those men’s words were still disturbing him, his hand rose instinctively and struck Ste’s arm with considerable force.


    A sharp gasp escaped her, but she refused to relinquish the cotton swab. “Endure just a bit longer. This will finish soon.”


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    Her voice drew his attention instantly. His gaze dropped to her arm — she wore a short-sleeved shirt, and the climate-controlled room held no chill. A vivid red mark now decorated her skin where he had struck her. Yet not a singleint escaped her lips as she maintained her focus on treating his wound.


    In that moment, something within William’s chest softened.


    Immediately afterward, however, memories of her betrayal crashed over him in a devastating wave. The image surfaced — her in that white wedding gown, smiling radiantly at Marc during the ceremony.


    He surged upright abruptly, his arm sweeping the first aid kit from its ce and sending it crashing to the floor. “Leave!”


    The sudden movement caught Ste unprepared, and she tumbled to the floor. Hurt and confusion flooded her eyes, tears gathering but stubbornly refusing to fall.


    She saw no point in remaining. She pulled herself up, let her gaze linger a moment on his wound, then met his cial stare. “I am leaving now,” she said quietly. “Please try not to remain angry.”


    His vtile temperament genuinely frightened her.


    Back in her room, Ste eased the door closed behind her. Her gaze fell upon the dim floormp as a long sigh escaped her.


    She had not finished treating his wound — had not even applied bandaging. Given how violently he had knocked the first aid kit over, his wound had likely torn open again.


    She climbed beneath the covers. Cold moonlight filtered through the sheer curtains, washing over her and carrying with it a profound sense of istion. Here, away from William’s presence, all the fear and anxiety she had felt dissolved — reced by an overwhelming surge of raw, wounded feeling.


    He seemed to perpetually use her as a target, whether shouting abuse or venting frustrations she had no part in. She understood that his behavior stemmed from his anxiety disorder, from something beyond his control, and yet helplessness consumed her all the same.


    Shey against the soft mattress, eyes burning with unshed tears that would note. She pressed her lips together and let her eyelids fall.


    She had no sense of how much time had passed before her eyes opened again. The moonlight outside looked exactly as it had before. She reached for her phone on the bedside table and checked the time. A mere ten minutes had psed since she had closed her eyes — yet it had stretched into what felt like hours.


    William’s back injury had appeared severe. She had seen the exposed tissue clearly. Without proper treatment, infection would set in easily. His voice, saturated with rejection, continued echoing through her mind — and yet concern for him persisted despite everything. Ste drew herself into a tight ball beneath the heavy nket, her nails pressing unconsciously into her own arm, leaving pale crescent impressions in the skin.


    She could not understand it. Why did his injury leave her so miserable she could not sleep? Had he not shown her nothing but coldness?


    Several minutester, Ste switched the floormp back on, pushed herself out of bed, and left the room. She needed to see how he was.


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