?Chapter 1689:


    That thought weighed heavily on her chest. Her voice softened. “Last time, when you injured her arm, the cut was so deep her face went ashen with pain. Even then, she told me you hadn’t meant it. She even asked me not to be scared of you. Mr. Briggs… Ms. Russell really cares about you.”


    As he listened, the color drained from William’s face. Every word Tasha spoke forced him to confront just how ugly his behavior had be. How could he have treated Ste like that?


    His throat tightened. When he finally spoke, his voice shook faintly. “That’s enough.”


    Tasha sniffed, her eyes glistening, but she pressed on anyway. “Mr. Briggs, I know you’re sick, but do you truly not see how much Ms. Russell loves you? You shouldn’t hurt her like this. A woman’s heart is fragile, and sometimes, once it’s broken, there’s no way to put it back together again.”


    Those words hit William straight in the chest, heavy and unforgiving. In that moment, every mask he had been wearing shatteredpletely.


    A wave of dizziness washed over him, as if the ground beneath his feet had started to spin. His chest tightened painfully, squeezing until the ache forced him to hunch forward. His brows drew together in raw anguish, his condition visibly worse than before.


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    Tasha was rmed and hurried over to steady him. William shoved her away without restraint, staggered into his bedroom, and mmed the door shut, locking it behind him.


    Alone in the silence, the memory of the look in Ste’s eyes shed through his mind, and the pain in his chest became almost unbearable. He was on the verge of going after her when those distorted memories rose up again, apanied by that dark, familiar voice from Arlo’s base. “She doesn’t love you. Everything she does is an act. You can’t believe her…”


    His breathing grew uneven and harsh. His vision blurred. The world in front of him trembled and wavered, as though nothing was stable anymore.


    Rage surged violently through him, driving a desperate need to tear everything around him apart. He gave in to it. With a sweeping motion, he sent everything crashing to the floor.


    He had long since lost count of how many times he had reduced his bedroom to ruins like this. He stood amid the wreckage, surrounded by broken objects and scattered disorder, uncertain of what to do next.


    Then a knock sounded at the door.


    “William, open the door!”


    A familiar voice called from the hallway — Jewell.


    William’s raised hand stilled, and a thin thread of rity crept back into his mind. The knocking grew faster and more urgent. “William, open up! Tasha called me!”


    After William had locked himself inside, Tasha had immediately sensed something was seriously wrong and contacted Jewell. He had been nearby and rushed over without dy.


    Momentster, William’s emotions eased just enough for him to walk to the door and pull it open.


    Jewell took in the chaos inside the room, at a loss for words. He couldn’t remember how many times he had seen William in this exact state.


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