Chapter 1613:


    Ste had been wounded by him once more. This time, there was no blood — but the damage was no less severe than before.


    That night, Stey in bed and texted Jewell, filling him in on everything that had happened.


    Jewell’s reply came quickly. “William’s episodes keep getting worse. He needs to stay on top of his medication.”


    Ste’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I’ll remind him to take it, but he won’t talk about Arlo and won’t stop the transfers.”


    The typing indicator blinked on Jewell’s side for a long moment before his response appeared. “One step at a time, okay?” There wasn’t much else they could do.


    In the dead of night, William jolted awake from a dream. His head throbbed with a dull, persistent ache — nothingpared to the searing pain that ripped through him during an episode, but enough to keep sleep at bay. He opened his eyes. Darkness stretched beyond the windows, and the vi sat in eerie silence. Moonlight slipped through gaps in the curtains, painting a thin silver line across the floor.


    William sat up, rubbing his temples as fragments of memory surfaced — disjointed pieces from his episodes. Without warning, he threw off the covers, got out of bed, and pushed open his bedroom door.


    The hallway stretched before him in silence. He walked to Ste’s door, hesitated for a heartbeat, then eased it open.


    ??оn’?? m?????? n???? ??e??????sе? ???? ????ln?????????.сo??


    Shey in bed, already lost in sleep, her breathing slow and even. William’s heart lurched. He moved closer, his steps careful and measured. Standing beside her, he took in the bandaged arm, the furrow between her brows that hadn’t smoothed even in sleep. Guilt twisted through him, and his throat felt parched, as though he hadn’t tasted water in days.


    His gaze dropped to her other arm. The loose sleeve of her pajamas had slipped down, exposing a section of forearm marred by an angry purple bruise. He knew, without asking, that he had caused it.


    William stood there for what felt like an eternity before finally retreating from her room with the same careful silence he’d entered with, making sure not to wake her.


    Back in his own room, he stared out at the darkness beyond the windows, his emotions knotted into something he couldn’t untangle. His phone buzzed on the nightstand. At this hour, the caller could only be Arlo. William let it buzz, making no move to answer. Eventually, the buzzing stopped.


    Meanwhile, across the ocean, Arlo stared at the “Call Failed” notification glowing on his screen. His expression darkened. He had already called William seven times. Every single one had gone unanswered. A dangerous glint shed in his eyes as he switched to another chat and typed out an encrypted message: “Head to Briggs Group tomorrow. You know what needs doing.”


    The reply came almost instantly. “Understood.”


    Arlo set down his phone, a cold sneer curling at the corner of his mouth. William shouldn’t have disobeyed him.


    .


    .


    .<hr>


    Message from Noa: Dear readers we got today two new novels that you requested for, enjoy them. God loves you and Noa wishes you all the best. ( ? ? – ) ?


    .