?Chapter 1697:


    As Ste reached the bottom of the stairs, Sharon and Josie shared a quick nce before Sharon spoke up. “Stel, William stopped by this morning. He wanted to see you.” After a brief internal debate, they had decided honesty was the best approach.


    Ste stayed quiet for several long moments before giving a small nod. “I know. I heard him.”


    Before either of them could respond, she abruptly shifted topics. “I’m starving. What are we doing for dinner?”


    The evasion was obvious, and Sharon and Josie immediately understood and yed along. “What are you in the mood for? Should we cook something here or go out?”


    ??е ????e ????r???? tо ??е???? ???? ??а??nov?????.??o??


    Ste considered briefly. “Let’s stay in. Something simple would be perfect — even just a sandwich.” She had barely eaten anything substantial in days and felt hollow with hunger. At this point, anything would work as long as it filled the gnawing emptiness.


    Sharon and Josie quickly made her a sandwich, and the three women settled around the small dining table inpanionable silence. Golden afternoon light poured through the windows, and the warmth of it managed to lift Ste’s dark mood just fractionally.


    Meanwhile, across the city, Alisha hunched over the counter of a dimly lit bar with three empty sses lined up in front of her. She looked up at the bartender, her words already starting to slur. “Another one!”


    The bartender’s expression turned worried. “Miss, you’ve already had quite a few. Maybe I should get you some water instead?”


    “I said give me another drink!” Alisha’s palm hit the bar top hard enough to make heads turn throughout the establishment.


    The bartender sighed in resignation and started mixing another Long Ind Iced Tea. Alisha seized the ss and emptied more than half in one go. The alcohol seared down her throat, bringing a wee numbness that made the room seem to float and blur at the edges.


    She hade here specifically to drown her sorrows because nothing made sense anymore. She was young, attractive, and had fallen for William the moment sheid eyes on him. So why wouldn’t he give her even the smallest bit of attention? His entire heart belonged to Ste — a divorced woman. What was so remarkable about her?


    As she sat there in her alcohol-soaked haze, frustration and hurt pressing against her ribs with nowhere to go, an amused male voice cut through her thoughts.


    “Drinking alone is pretty depressing, don’t you think?”


    Alisha swiveled her head to find a young man upying the stool beside hers. He wore a tailored suit jacket with no tie, and his handsome face carried an expression of yful mischief. But when she looked more carefully at his eyes, something about them reminded her faintly of William.


    Alishaughed inwardly at herself. She must be drunker than she’d thought if she was seeing William in random strangers. William was far too distinctive — no one could actually resemble him. She was clearly imagining things.


    .


    .


    .