?Chapter 1599:


    None of these changes escaped Ste’s attention. She recognized his growing instability with sharp rity and responded by moving even more carefully around him. During one of his extended absences, she quietly contacted Jewell to ask whether William had continued attending his therapy sessions. Jewell confirmed his attendance but delivered discouraging news — every session produced results that fell devastatingly short of ideal.


    One weekend afternoon, after nearly a week of unbroken rain over Choria, warm sunshine finally broke through the clouds. William surprised her by remaining home that day. Rather than barricading himself in the study as usual, he sat in the living room wearing a somber expression, staring out the window as though lost somewhere far away.


    Ste slipped into the kitchen to confer briefly with Tasha, then returned with a te of sliced fruit and ced it gently on the coffee table within William’s reach. Her voice came out soft, as though afraid to disturb him. “The weather’s beautiful today, and you have the whole weekend ahead. Would you like to go outside for a walk?”


    He had spent weeks existing solely between thepany and his study, consumed entirely by work. Now that the weekend had actually arrived, she hoped fresh air and a change of scenery might lift some of the darkness weighing on him. She had braced herself for rejection before even posing the question, which allowed her to maintain a natural, rxed demeanor.


    Her innocent suggestion struck William like nails dragged across his already frayed nerves. What gave her the audacity to think he’d permit her to leave the vi grounds? Just because she had recovered her memories, she believed she could simply erase her betrayal with Marc as though it had never urred. Even confined here as his prisoner, she had the nerve to act as though their history carried no weight.


    William found himself questioning who suffered more from her captivity — Ste, or himself. The moment the answer crystallized in his mind, rage flooded through him with violent intensity. The voice in his head kept screaming, warning him again and again never to trust Ste.


    “William? If going out doesn’t appeal to you, we could barbecue in the garden instead. Maybe invite Jewell and Steven to join us?”


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    She continued nning their weekend as though nothing were wrong, apparently oblivious to how his expression darkened with each additional word.


    He exploded upward from the sofa without warning, his voice cold and vicious. “Shut up!”


    Ste instinctively fell silent at William’s outburst, her gaze lifting to meet his.


    In one swift motion, he swept the fruit tter from the table. It struck the floor with a sharp, resounding crack, shattering into pieces and sending fruit tumbling in every direction while droplets of juice sttered across her pants.


    The sudden explosion of rage drew a sharp gasp from Ste, draining the color from her face even as she fought to hold herself together.


    William’s eyes burned as he surveyed the room, his attention snagging on a heavy crystal ornament perched atop the nearby decorative cab. Ste had discovered it online just days earlier — an exquisite piece. Confined to the house, she had enlisted Tasha to retrieve it from the delivery station. The knowledge that she had chosen it, that she had wanted it, only fueled the fire of his uncontroble temper.


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