Chapter 1812:
“Can’t you use anesthesia?”
The thought of her in pain was unbearable—worse than any torture he could imagine.
Jewell blinked in surprise, but nodded slowly. “I could, but it’s not usually necessary for something this minor.”
William opened his mouth to insist, but Stella cut him off gently.
“I’ll be fine. I can handle it. Just do it, Dr. Vance.”
Jewell worked efficiently, his movements careful and precise. Throughout the entire procedure, he couldn’t help but notice that William never once released Stella’s hand or looked away from her face.
Jewell had never seen William show this kind of raw concern for anyone.
𝗗i𝘴𝗰𝗈𝗏𝗲𝗋 ոе𝘄 𝘴to𝘳𝗶𝖾𝘴 𝗈𝗻 𝗴аlո𝘰v𝘦𝗅ѕ.с𝗼m
Ever since returning from abroad, all Jewell had witnessed was William pulling Stella close, then pushing her away—the behavior of a man whose memories had been twisted. This was the first time he truly understood just how deeply William had loved Stella before everything went wrong.
Once he’d tied off the last stitch, Jewell met Stella’s eyes.
“Be more careful this time. Don’t use this arm for at least a week—give it time to heal properly. I’ll prescribe antibiotics to prevent infection. Take them exactly as directed.”
Stella gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you, really.”
Jewell packed away his supplies and finally looked up at William, voicing the question that had been burning in his mind since he arrived.
“You took the antidote, didn’t you?”
William nodded slowly. “I took the first dose. All those false memories—they’re gone now.”
Which only made the guilt cut that much deeper. He could barely bring himself to look at Stella, drowning in shame over everything he had done. He still couldn’t reconcile himself with the monster he’d become—the version of himself that had hurt Stella over and over.
Relief and joy flashed across Jewell’s face. “I didn’t expect the antidote to work this well, this fast. It’s incredible that you’re yourself again.”
He hesitated briefly before adding, “I should call Steven and let him know. We’ve all been worried sick about you. He’s been working himself to the bone tracking down leads on Arlo.”
Something warm flickered in William’s eyes.
After all these years, Steven was the only person William could truly call a friend. So William didn’t object.
An hour later, Steven burst through the front door like a hurricane, his eyes scanning the room frantically.
“Where is he? Has William really recovered? Tell me it’s true.”
Steven charged into the living room, spotted William sitting beside Stella, and stopped dead in his tracks. He stared at William warily, studying him.
“William? Is that actually you in there? Are you really… back?”
The question came out hesitant, almost afraid of the answer.
William rose to his feet, a faint smile tugging at his mouth. “Who else would I be?”
The familiar sarcasm in William’s voice made Steven’s chest loosen with relief. He crossed the room in two strides and pulled William into a crushing hug.
“Christ, you’re actually back. You have no idea how terrified I’ve been.”
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