?Chapter 1568:


    Marc’s heart jolted. “Stel, do not talk like that. I failed to protect you, but—”


    She cut him off without hesitation. “Marc, you disgust me more than the people who actually hurt me.”


    Color drained from his face at once. He stared at her unfamiliar eyes, realization crashing down on him as shock and disbelief flooded his expression. “Stel, you… you remember?”


    His voice shook. A fragile hope flickered in his eyes, praying she would deny it the way she had so many times before.


    This time, she did not.


    A cold, mocking smile curved her lips. “Thanks to you — that kick brought back everything from those two missing years. Marc, you make me sick.”


    She remembered now: how he and Nina had worked together to drag her away from her own wedding, how he had exploited her amnesia to y the role of a devoted lover. Her eyes gleamed with icy rity as her voice dropped further. “Marc, the milk drinks you kept giving me back then — there was something in them, was there not?”


    She had once believed it was simply milk — a gesture of care. Now, with her memories fully restored, she understood. He had pushed her to drink it deliberately. There had been drugs in it meant to suppress her memories.


    “No, Stel, listen to me—”


    Panic overtook him. The Ste standing before him now was no longer someone he could manipte. Whatever feelings she had once held werepletely gone.


    Listen. The thought almost made herugh. “I am done listening to your lies. Save your excuses for the moments when you are alone and need to fool yourself.”


    Nina, who had been watching from the side with cold detachment, suddenly burst outughing. Seeing Marc broken and humiliated while Ste fixed him with undisguised hatred — there was a twisted thrill in it.


    Marc scowled and snapped at her. “What are youughing at, Nina?”


    Nina pped her hands and strolled over to Ste, malice and smug delight in on her face. “I amughing at the two of you, obviously. When she lost her memory, it was all love and devotion. Now that she remembers, it is nothing but sharp words. Is that not fascinating?” Her gaze swept over Ste’s disheveled appearance, lingering on the fresh blood trickling from her forehead.


    “Ste, do you even know who you love? Or does your love really change that easily? You loved Marc when you forgot everything, and now you hate him after remembering. Does that not feel ridiculous to you?”


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    Ste met Nina’s gloating stare with icy calm and shot back without missing a beat. “That is still better than you. At least I have been loved before. You never have.”


    The words hit their mark. Nina’s face twisted. She raised her hand and pped Ste hard across the cheek, her expression ugly with rage. “You are a bitch, Ste!”


    Ste barely reacted to the sting. In the next breath, she swung her own hand and pped Nina right back.


    “I do not see it that way. What is truly pathetic is never being loved at all.”


    Nina had plotted for years — all to win William’s attention and secure her ce in the Carter family. She had spent her entire life chasing love, only toe up empty every time. Fury burned through her as she raised her hand again, but the presence of the mercenaries nearby forced her to stop.


    She circled Ste slowly, clicking her tongue with mock pity. “It does not matter. You can talk tough all you like right now. Do you honestly think you are getting out of here today?” She gestured toward the mercenaries behind her. “They were sent by Arlo to take you. As for Marc — he is finished. My dear cousin, once you are in Arlo’s hands, you will finally understand what a nightmare you cannot wake from truly feels like.”


    Once, she and William had tasted despair under Arlo’s control. Now it was finally Ste’s turn. The thought alone made her eager to watch her break.


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