Chapter 1663:
Josie had the distinct feeling there was more to the situation than met the eye. “Stel mentioned that William’s been going out of his way to antagonize her lately. What if he has zero interest in this woman, and the whole thing is just a calculated move to get under Stel’s skin?”
The moment those words left Josie’s mouth, heavy silence blanketed the room. Sharon turned the idea over in her mind and gradually had to admit that Josie might be onto something. It seemed far more plausible that William was intentionally trying to provoke Stella’s jealousy than that he’d genuinely developed feelings for someone else after a single encounter. But regardless of his motivations, they had absolutely no power to stop him.
After several minutes of weighted silence, Sharon exhaled slowly and turned back to Stella. “So what’s your plan?”
Stella reached for the wine bottle and refilled her glass. The deep red liquid swirled inside it, casting a rich, quiet glow.
“What choice do I have except to wait and hope he recovers his real memories? As for Alisha — now that we know she’s not working for Arlo, I’m not going to interfere with her. As long as she doesn’t harm William, I can act like she doesn’t exist.”
Josie felt a pang of sympathy and cautiously asked, “But what happens if… he actually does fall in love with someone else?”
Stella didn’t respond. The silence stretched so long that both Sharon and Josie assumed she had no intention of answering. Only then did she slowly lift her head. In her eyes was a shattered yet still radiant light.
“Then I’ll let him go. If he recovers completely and tells me he doesn’t love me anymore, I’ll accept it without fighting.”
She and William had endured more together than most people experienced in a lifetime. She needed this uncertainty to end, one way or another — even if the conclusion was that he had stopped loving her entirely.
𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀.𝗰𝗼𝗺
She lifted her glass to her lips and emptied it in a single swallow. Tomorrow remained a mystery she couldn’t solve. But tonight — tonight she just wanted to drink herself numb. If she could get drunk enough, maybe she wouldn’t have to think about the pain for a few hours.
Sharon and Josie exchanged a glance of silent understanding. Neither moved to stop her. Instead, they both reached for their own glasses.
Sharon clinked hers against Stella’s. “Then we’re drinking with you. Tonight, we’re not stopping until we can’t stand up straight!”
Josie raised her glass to join the toast. “We’re not leaving until we’re absolutely wasted!”
William didn’t return to the villa until two o’clock in the morning.
The moment he pushed through the front door, complete silence and darkness rushed out to meet him. He flipped the entryway light switch. The weak yellow glow illuminated only a small corner of the villa, leaving the rest wrapped in shadow.
.
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