?Chapter 1595:


    Ste registered the tension in his body but pressed forward with unwavering conviction. “William, we can’t rewrite the past, but the future remains ours to shape. Think of it as giving us a chance — let me stay beside you. Whateveres, we’ll face it together.”


    She held firm faith that Jewell and Steven would eventually extract information from Arlo and secure the antidote.


    William stared into her eyes — zing with fierce, unshakeable intensity — and something seared through his chest. His breathing stuttered to a halt before an even more powerful wave of irritation crashed through him.


    Arlo’s imnted memories had destroyed William’s ability to separate truth from fabrication. Was the Ste standing before him now spinning lies, or did genuinemitment drive her words about staying forever? He couldn’t untangle the truth, and he despised this sensation of control slipping through his fingers. His expression darkened.


    He yanked his sleeve forcefully from her grip, his voice cold and unyielding. “My problems belong to me alone. You’re nothing more than a prisoner I dragged back here. I won’t swallow your lies a second time.”


    After delivering that dismissal, he redirected his attention to theputer screen, fully intending to ignore her until she retreated on her own.


    But the Ste standing before him now — memories restored and backbone reinforced — wasn’t someone who fled when the stakes ran highest. She bore no resemnce to the timid,pliant woman from two years ago. Watching William withdraw into himself, she understood with crystalline rity that only she possessed the ability to guide him through this darkness.


    She nted both hands on his desk and leaned forward until she hovered close, locking her gaze onto him. “William, I need you to answer one question. Just one. After you answer, I’ll leave.”


    One question traded for hours of silence afterward struck William as a reasonable bargain. His eyebrow lifted skeptically. “What’s your question?”


    Most read this week on


    Ste drew a deep breath, blinked once, and released the words. “Do you… still want to marry me?”


    The day Marc and Nina had abducted her was supposed to have been her wedding day with William. If catastrophe hadn’t intervened, they would already be husband and wife.


    William’s entire body went rigid. He snapped his gaze up to her, disbelief written across every feature. For several heartbeats, he convinced himself he had misheard her. After everything that had transpired between them, she was actually asking whether he still wanted to marry her?


    The shock crashed into his already fractured mind with devastating force, colliding violently with the imnted memories of her hypocrisy and betrayal and sending his thoughts spiraling into chaos. Reason screamed that this was impossible — likely just another borate lie. Yet somewhere deep in his chest, his heart trembled violently in response to those few simple words.


    She had somehow located the key to the door he’d locked and barricaded, and she stood poised now to unlock the heart he’d wrapped in heavy chains.


    Tear tracks still glistened on her cheeks, yet her gaze remained clear and unwavering — no trace of humor, no shadow of calction, only raw and undiluted sincerity.


    Finally, his voice returned, rough and damaged. “Do you understand what you’re saying, Ste? Don’t push your luck.”


    .


    .


    .