?Chapter 1663:


    Josie had the distinct feeling there was more to the situation than met the eye. “Stel mentioned that William’s been going out of his way to antagonize hertely. What if he has zero interest in this woman, and the whole thing is just a calcted move to get under Stel’s skin?”


    The moment those words left Josie’s mouth, heavy silence nketed the room. Sharon turned the idea over in her mind and gradually had to admit that Josie might be onto something. It seemed far more usible that William was intentionally trying to provoke Ste’s jealousy than that he’d genuinely developed feelings for someone else after a single encounter. But regardless of his motivations, they had absolutely no power to stop him.


    After several minutes of weighted silence, Sharon exhaled slowly and turned back to Ste. “So what’s your n?”


    Ste reached for the wine bottle and refilled her ss. The deep red liquid swirled inside it, casting a rich, quiet glow.


    “What choice do I have except to wait and hope he recovers his real memories? As for Alisha — now that we know she’s not working for Arlo, I’m not going to interfere with her. As long as she doesn’t harm William, I can act like she doesn’t exist.”


    Josie felt a pang of sympathy and cautiously asked, “But what happens if… he actually does fall in love with someone else?”


    Ste didn’t respond. The silence stretched so long that both Sharon and Josie assumed she had no intention of answering. Only then did she slowly lift her head. In her eyes was a shattered yet still radiant light.


    “Then I’ll let him go. If he recoverspletely and tells me he doesn’t love me anymore, I’ll ept it without fighting.”


    She and William had endured more together than most people experienced in a lifetime. She needed this uncertainty to end, one way or another — even if the conclusion was that he had stopped loving her entirely.


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    She lifted her ss to her lips and emptied it in a single swallow. Tomorrow remained a mystery she couldn’t solve. But tonight — tonight she just wanted to drink herself numb. If she could get drunk enough, maybe she wouldn’t have to think about the pain for a few hours.


    Sharon and Josie exchanged a nce of silent understanding. Neither moved to stop her. Instead, they both reached for their own sses.


    Sharon clinked hers against Ste’s. “Then we’re drinking with you. Tonight, we’re not stopping until we can’t stand up straight!”


    Josie raised her ss to join the toast. “We’re not leaving until we’re absolutely wasted!”


    William didn’t return to the vi until two o’clock in the morning.


    The moment he pushed through the front door,plete silence and darkness rushed out to meet him. He flipped the entryway light switch. The weak yellow glow illuminated only a small corner of the vi, leaving the rest wrapped in shadow.


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