Chapter 576

Chapter 576:
William answered plainly, his expression open. “I acquired this apartment, purely coincidentally of course. Who would’ve thought you’d end up as my neighbor?”
Stella’s lips twitched in disbelief. For her, that couldn’t possibly be coincidental.
No further words passed between them. She walked inside, shut the door behind her, and made a beeline for the bathtub.
The warmth of the water surrounded her as she tried to make sense of William’s move.
In her mind, he had gone out of his way to live so close. Someone with his resources could easily track down her address. That was the only way he could have landed right across the hall.
Sometimes, he seemed more like a shadow, impossible to shake off.
A headache threatened to settle in as Stella mulled over the situation. Moving out crossed her mind.
Quickly, she dismissed that option. Her finances wouldn’t allow for a new place, and selling her current home would mean taking a loss.
Annoyed, she raked her fingers through her hair, certain that William was a puzzle she’d never solve.
A long sigh escaped her lips as she reasoned, “It’s not the end of the world. He’s only in the apartment opposite mine, not sharing the same space.”
Sunlight streamed into Marc’s villa the next morning as he checked his messages. One update from a friend revealed news that William and Stella had shared a kiss last night. Rage flared, and Marc hurled his phone aside.
Restlessness forced him to pace his living room, his agitation plain.
Insults came easily when he talked about Stella. He’d always accused her of being a gold digger, of chasing after William’s wealth. The truth, however, was that every moment they spent together lingered in his mind.
Up to this day, he had never once imagined marrying another woman. Stella remained the only woman he ever pictured as his wife.
He sometimes managed to convince himself that she was just trying to make him jealous, or maybe she only wanted what William could offer.
As soon as he reached William’s level, he had imagined Stella would surely come back to him.
That fantasy was now shattered.
There were rumors of a kiss, and even blurry photos as proof.
A bitter jealousy took hold, leaving Marc with no peace.
Was Stella really starting to care for William?
How could she possibly fall for someone else? Hadn’t she promised him he was the only one she’d ever love?
Marc wandered through the villa, hunting down every forgotten piece Stella had left behind.
Each item seemed to hold a trace of her, and he gathered them up with a wild determination. Settling in the living room, he sat surrounded by these reminders, his eyes fixed on them as memories of happier days washed over him, each one sharper and more painful than the last.
Soon, Marc reached for his phone and made a call. “Hi, I need you to restore the wedding photo of Stella and me. It must look exactly as it did before.”
That photograph, once cherished, had been burned by Stella. In a moment of rage, he had told himself that if it was destroyed, he never wanted to see it again. Now, the longing for that single photo was overwhelming.
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