?Chapter 1740:


    Steven and Jewell kept their focus on Ste, ignoring Sharon entirely. Frustration burned through her, but she couldn’t physically force two grown men out of the house. She turned helplessly toward Ste. “Ste, don’t listen to a word they say.”


    Ste regarded the two men with visible fatigue, releasing a quiet sigh. “Sit down. You have ten minutes.”


    “Ste!” Sharon protested.


    Ste met her worried gaze and offered a gentle reassurance. “It’s alright, Sharon. Some matters need to be settled once and for all.” Dragging things out any longer would only waste everyone’s time.


    She sat on the sofa and motioned for them to do the same. “If you came to talk, then say what you need to say.” Her tone was courteous but distant, like a hostess receiving strangers rather than people she had once known well.


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    That subtle distance made Steven’s and Jewell’s hearts sink. When she and William had still been close, her warmth toward them had been something else entirely.


    Steven spoke first, his voice earnest and careful. “We came because of William. We know you’re angry, but the truth isn’t exactly what you believe it to be.”


    Ste looked at him steadily, her gaze calm yet piercing. “Then what is the truth? Is Alisha imaginary? Or did nothing happen between her and William, and she’s simply delusional?”


    Her sharp response left Steven momentarily at a loss. “No — that’s not what I mean…”


    Ste gave a faint nod. “Then what she said is real. And if it’s real, why shouldn’t I end things with William?”


    The words felt almost ironic as they left her lips. William had stopped acknowledging their rtionship long ago. In his eyes, she was the betrayer — unworthy even of the title of girlfriend. Calling it a breakup was already being generous.


    “But the situation might bepletely different from what you think,” Jewell interjected quickly, urgency edging into his voice. “William was framed. That night, he was drugged — his awareness wasn’t clear. Alisha intentionally entered his room. The blood evidence might not even be genuine, and the child… there’s no certainty it’s his.”


    Ste studied them quietly for a long moment before speaking. “And? What does that change?”


    Steven and Jewell exchanged stunned nces. After everything they had exined, that was all she had to say?


    Jewell drew a slow breath, steadying himself. “Ms. Russell, you’ve been with William for years. You know who he is. How could he ever betray you with someone else?”


    “Know him?” Ste’s reply came sharp and immediate. “The man I thought I knew disappeared a long time ago. Even you admitted he’s changed — so tell me, how am I supposed to understand someone like that?” The William she had once trusted would never have looked at another woman. But now, certainty no longer existed.


    A heavy silence settled over the living room. Sharon and Josie stood off to the side, their expressions dark, clearly wishing the two men would simply leave.


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