?Chapter 1738:


    “Why would you say that? You’re the only one it could possibly be — you know that. That night was my first time. How could this baby belong to anyone else?”


    A trace of scorn flickered across William’s eyes. “Alisha, not every woman is worthy of having my child. You insist this isn’t some calcted stunt. Do you honestly expect me to believe that?”


    The light of hope that had filled her eyes moments earlier shattered into visible pain. For Ste’s sake, he would actually deny a child that might be his?


    Alisha pressed a hand protectively over her abdomen and shook her head in panic. “No. I won’t terminate it. This is my baby — part of me. You don’t have the authority to force me.”


    William’s face hardened, his tone turning cold. “You’re in no position to bargain with me. Steven, escort her out.”


    At the order, Steven stepped forward. Fear shed across Alisha’s face as her eyes darted around the room, searching frantically. Without warning, she turned on her heel and bolted out of the house, not daring to look back.


    She couldn’t let them catch her. If they did, the truth about her fake pregnancy woulde out.


    Steven froze, caught off guard by her sudden dash. He cast a quick nce at William, uncertain whether to pursue her.


    Jewell, who had witnessed the entire chaotic scene, stood speechless, his mind reeling. There was far more happening here than he had ever realized.


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    William raised a hand, signaling Steven to stand down. If she wanted to run, she wouldn’t make it far beyond Choria anyway. The child she imed to be carrying was never going to be kept.


    For the moment, however, something else upied his mind. “Have the test resultse back yet?”


    Steven shook his head. “Probably not until the day after tomorrow.”


    By then, they would know whether Alisha’s story was true or fabricated. But those two days of waiting would feel unbearably long.


    In the past, no matter how coldly William had treated Ste, she had never once spoken about leaving him. Now, simply because Alisha had imed to be pregnant, Ste was ready to walk away without hesitation. Having known Ste for years, Steven understood her well enough to know she never made decisions impulsively. Unless it was proven beyond all doubt that William had never slept with Alisha, nothing in the world would persuade her to return.


    Once Steven confirmed that William had regained some degree of emotional stability, he and Jewell finally departed together.


    Out in the cool night air, the two men stood in silence for a moment, neither quite sure what to say. The night carried the lingering chill of recent rain, the air damp and cold.


    “Should we go talk to Ste?”


    The Carter family was already working on an antidote. Once William took it, it was supposed to ease both his bipr symptoms and the tangled, unstable memories clouding his mind. Even though things between him and Ste had fallen apart, she likely wouldn’t stop caring about whether the antidote waspleted.


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