?Chapter 1690:


    He guided William to sit on the bed, switched on all the lights, and reached into the first aid kit for gauze. William had injured his hand again while smashing things. After quickly wrapping the wound, Jewell picked up the medicine Tasha had left outside and brought it in. “Didn’t I tell you to take your meds on schedule? Where’s Ste? Why isn’t she home today?”


    William said nothing. He let Jewell ce the pills on his tongue, then epted the ss of water and swallowed them down. He shut his eyes, his throat raw when he finally spoke. “Ste’s gone. She won’t being back.”


    Jewell froze, a sudden realization dawning on him. His tone darkened as he asked quietly, “What did you do to her this time?”


    William didn’t answer right away. He bent forward, head lowered, and after a long moment of silence began recounting their argument in fragments.


    When he finished, Jewell didn’t respond. The room grew unbearably quiet, broken only by William’s uneven breathing. He looked like someone standing in a courtroom, waiting for judgment — and Jewell was the one holding the gavel. If even his closest friend believed he had crossed a line, what justification did he have to go looking for Ste again?


    Atst, Jewell spoke, his voice tired but firm. “William, you know you went too far. You have to see that.” He refused to believe William hadpletely lost his sense of right and wrong.


    William mped his lips together. His shoulders gave a faint, involuntary shake.


    “Your memories being distorted and your mental health struggles exin why you’re in pain,” Jewell said. “But they don’t excuse hurting her. You know the truth. At your core, you know the difference between truth and illusion. You’re fully aware those memories were altered — you just haven’t been able to stop them from shaping you. But you’ve already hurt her more than enough.”


    William had never been this quiet. He was usually the one who spokest, dismantling arguments with rity, guiding others through problems with calm logic — especially with Ste. He had always been the steady one. Now he was the one lost, the one being spoken to instead of speaking.


    Jewell let out a slow breath. “William, you keep pushing her away because you’re scared, aren’t you? You hurt her first because you’re afraid of what might happen if you don’t.”


    William’s breathing hitched. He turned toward Jewell without thinking.


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    Jewell held his eyes, unflinching. “You’re afraid she won’t be able to ept this side of you. You’re afraid she’ll leave once she truly sees it. So you choose to drive her away yourself — because that way, at least, you’re the one making the decision.”


    Each word pierced cleanly into the ce William had spent years guarding. Jewell hadid his fear bare, exposing a weakness he had never allowed anyone else to touch. William tried to deny it. When he opened his mouth, no sound came out.


    In that moment, he genuinely felt stranded — like a creature ripped from its element, struggling to breathe somewhere it didn’t belong.


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