?Chapter 1565:


    The jeep wound its way through bustling city streets, and Marc felt the tension in his shoulders begin to dissolve as everything appeared normal.


    But before long, the vehicle veered onto a narrow path and the surroundings transformed — growing increasingly isted as the road deteriorated into something bumpy and uneven. Initially, Marc lost himself in borate fantasies of a future with Ste. As time stretched on and the scenery beyond the window turned progressively deste, however, an unsettling unease took root within him.


    Was the safe house Nina had mentioned truly supposed to exist somewhere like this?


    He leaned forward, eyes finding the driver. “Where exactly are we headed? Nina told me it would be close to the city.”


    The driver nced back, revealing a mouthful of darkened teeth, and muttered, “This is the location the boss arranged. We will arrive soon.”


    Arrive soon? Thisndscape looked like the middle of nowhere. Where was thefortable ce Nina had promised?


    Marc’s heart plummeted as foreboding washed over him in cold waves. His mind circled back to Nina’s calcting nature and her longstanding conviction that Ste had stolen William from her. What if Nina had never intended to help him at all? Then why go so far as to help them leave the country?


    His gaze fell on Ste sitting beside him — eyes squeezed shut, brows drawn together in difort — and realization crashed over him like ice water.


    What if Nina’s true target had been Ste from the very beginning?


    The thought chilled him to his core. He whipped his attention back to the driver and snapped, “Stop this car right now. I am getting out!”


    The driver behaved as though the words had never reached him, pressing the elerator instead.


    The jeep continued bouncing along the dirt road for another agonizing ten minutes before swerving abruptly into an abandoned warehousepound concealed by towering trees. It screeched to a halt, sending up a billowing cloud of dust.


    The warehouse door gaped open, its interior swallowed in pitch-ck darkness. Only a handful of shadowy figures were faintly visible inside.


    Just as Marc pulled Ste from the car, the distinctive click of high heels echoed from within. Nina materialized from the dim interior, dressed in a sleek ck leather ensemble with wless makeup — looking entirely transformed from the disheveled state in which she had fled Choria.


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    Her attention bypassed Marc entirely, settling on Ste, who stood pale and uncertain behind him.


    Nina’s voice dripped with bitter sarcasm. “Well, my dear cousin — here we are again. You do remember me, do you not?”


    Ste felt a surge of revulsion at Nina’s artificial, condescending manner. Though she could not recall the past, her recent encounters with Nina had made one thing abundantly clear — she thoroughly disliked this woman. “Do not address me like that.”


    The contempt in Ste’s expression mirrored exactly how she had looked at Nina before losing her memory. It provoked Nina, who began to advance with slow, deliberate steps. Just as she prepared to strike, Marc immediately stepped in front of Ste, shielding her.


    “Nina, what is the meaning of this? What is this ce?” He kept Ste firmly behind him, frustration thick in his voice. This bore no resemnce to the safe haven they had discussed — it was nothing but remote wilderness. He had wanted to let Ste rest before exining everything, to slowly rebuild her trust. Not this.


    Nina’s gaze locked onto him, a sneer twisting her features. “Marc, did you honestly believe I was helping you and Ste build some happy ending together?” Ste’s existence had demolished her life. How could she possibly help them reconcile without a shred of resentment?


    Hearing Nina’s admission, Marc’s expression shifted dramatically. “You deceived me? What are you nning? I will not let you hurt Ste.”


    Ste remained behind Marc, genuinely moved by his deration. She studied his broad back — it looked as steady and reassuring as she remembered from fragments of the past.


    Had Sharon never revealed the truth about her lost memories, she would never have suspected Marc had been manipting her all along. Even now, she found herself struggling to determine whether his feelings for her were authentic, or simply one more borate performance.


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