?Chapter 1698:


    Desperation contorted his features as he made one final plea. “If you don’t believe me, I’ll get down on my knees and plead with you.” True to his word, Shaun’s knees buckled, and his imposing frame crumpled to the ground.


    Tracy’s face hardened into marble as she yanked him upright and struck him across the face with a resounding crack.


    Shaun’s fingers found his stinging cheek, his mind reeling as he gripped her shoulders with desperate intensity. “You don’t believe me, do you? You won’t even let me beg for you. You must not believe me.”


    Something snapped in Tracy as she struck him again, harder this time. Twin marks zed crimson across Shaun’s handsome features. The sharp sting of those ps finally pierced through his frenzy, bringing rity.


    His eyes, rimmed with red, sought hers as he fought against the bitter truth. “What do I have to do for you to leave with me?”


    Tracy crossed her arms, her demeanor as cold as winter frost. “I won’t leave. I’ve said it before—I want to bring down the Ruiz family. I won’t stop until they’re gone.”


    Raw anguish filled Shaun’s eyes as words spilled from his lips. “I can help you. I can find a way to bring them down. I can do these things. You don’t have to do it yourself, especially relying on your pregnancy!” His gaze dropped to her belly, eyes swimming with a mixture of pity and heartache.


    Tracy tilted Shaun’s chin up, studying the man before her. Gone was hismanding presence, reced by something fragile and lost. A soft, knowing smile yed across her lips as she spoke with gentle venom. “Shaun, do you feel heartache for me?”


    His nod carried the weight of mountains.


    “Then why don’t you help me?” Tracy’s hands cradled his face with false tenderness, fingers tracing the marks she’d left behind.


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    Her voice dropped to a seductive whisper. “Since you care so much, why not help me achieve my goal? Don’t you want me to go with you? If you help me seed in my revenge, then I can leave with you.” Her words dripped like honeyced with poison.


    “Once everything is settled, we can sit down and talk about our unresolved issues.”


    Shaun stood very close to Tracy, enveloped in a scent he found bothforting and familiar. It evoked a profound sense of longing as he breathed it in, remembering times past when she was within reach but not cherished as she should have been.


    He looked up into her eyes, his expression softening as he nodded.


    “Alright, I’ll help you. But afterwards, you muste with me.”


    Tracy responded with a soft chuckle, her hand still on his cheek.


    She teased him after a brief pause, “You’re being unusually kind today. It feels odd.”


    Shaun’s voice carried a weight of regret. “I was advised never to hurt those who care for me. Unfortunately, I realized its truth toote—after you had gone.”


    “It’s okay. There’s still hope for us, right?” Tracy responded, pulling away slightly after a few hollow promises.


    She noticed Shaun’s puzzled look and offered a reassuring smile. “I’m not leaving you behind. It’s just time for you to go. You shouldn’t linger here indefinitely. Return to work and put your focus there.”


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