Renee's unusual behavior had ruined Xavier's plan. Helpless, Xavier chose to be frank with her. "At first, I wanted to use a trick to make him appear, but it seems like it's hard to fool you. It might not be that easy to fool him either, so... let's just forget it!" He shook his head and watched the rain slow down, then stop. Sighing, he turned to Renee. "It's late, let's go home. Lei is worried sick about you, and is hoping you'll come back soon." Renee frowned hesitantly. "I don't want to go back just yet… My messed up mental state will only trouble you all.""Where will you go then? Do you plan on running from reality for the rest of your life?" Xavier had heard from Leia that Renee was depressed and wanted to be alone, and as her friend, it worried him."There are some things you don't understand..." Renee didn't know how to explain her thoughts to Xavier. Carefully, she said, "Wounded animals will run away to heal on their own when they're hurt… It's the same with me. Don't wo
Renee was worried that there might be a misunderstanding or that Briar had used some tricks to get her way, so she was desperate to find Stefan for clarification. She spoke to a lot of people and searched many places, but it always ended with disappointment. She was exhausted physically and mentally. "I'm so tired, and my whole body is aching from going around looking for him. I don't care if he doesn't want to be with me anymore, I just want to see him and know that he's okay… but he never appears. I don't know if he's hiding somewhere and watching me make a fool of myself and get hurt over and over again, but even your lousy ploy couldn't force him to come out. So yes, of course I'm upset. Is this what you call sacrifice and love?" Renee demanded hysterically, helpless and agitated. She looked like she was losing her mind."Umm..." Xavier looked hesitant as he tried to comfort Renee. "Renee, calm down. I really don't think it's that simple. If Stefan is alive, he's probably going th
Xavier paused, frowning thoughtfully. "You know, it does seem possible. Is Stefan hiding because he's no longer a true man? After all, he jumped off such a high mountain. What if a branch or something hurt his private parts? That might be the only reason a man would give up his beloved woman."Renee rolled her eyes in exasperation. "If I were Stefan, I would poison you so you wouldn't be able to speak anymore.""I'm being serious! Sometimes the truth can be crazy!" Xavier rubbed his chin and said seriously, "I have to look into this.""And just how do you plan to do that?" "I'll get my men to look into all the fertility clinics in Beach City, especially the ones near that village. I might find some clues then." Xavier took out his phone to contact his men. Renee sighed deeply. "What a crazy man!" Based on Renee's understanding of Stefan, the most he would do is break up with her if he couldn't have kids, he wouldn't pretend to be dead and keep hiding like this. Xavier firmly bel
"Is that... Jeffrey?" Renee looked up at the bright and handsome youth in surprise, then sighed. "I guess the kid who always wore shorts and played with dirt finally grew up.""Hi, Renee!" Jeffrey Joyner smiled shyly, his eyes sparkling. "I thought I would never see you again!""Jeffrey!" Ava glared at Jeffrey. "Ren is happy and healthy, so why wouldn't you see her? Ignore him, Ren, he hasn't seen much of the world past this fishing village, so he's not that good with words. He's always admired you since he was a kid, and still has that group photo with you at home. He's always wanted to see you, but is too nervous to.""Mom, you're embarrassing me!" Jeffrey mumbled, covering his red face."What's there to be shy about? Ren is practically family, so why are you acting like a stranger?" Ava looked like she was about to whack Jeffrey, but Renee quickly stopped her. "It's okay, I understand. Jeffrey is all grown up now, so it's normal for him to feel shy." Jeffrey was a young man wh
Renee took the coconut from Jeffrey and sipped the coconut water, and the refreshing, sweet taste was like rain in the desert. She looked up and saw the sunrise lighting up the vast sea, and felt a happiness she hadn't in a long time. It was little things like this that brought color to people's lives, and at that moment, Renee finally felt her stress melt away.Jeffrey brought Renee to his house, which was a typical two-storey house. It was built near the sea and had been renovated two years ago. There were various kinds of flowers growing in the yard. "Renee, we managed to renovate the house last year because of your support. Dad and Mom made a room for you to thank you... I'll take you there," Jeffrey enthusiastically explained.Feeling touched, Renee went upstairs with him. There was a large room facing the sea on the second floor with many shells and beads hanging on the door, and it looked like an urban style from the 1980s or 1990s. Ava and her family had painstakingly decorat
Renee sat in the egg hammock in front of the window and watched the world gradually brighten. Surprisingly, she felt sleepy, which was a feeling that had evaded her for a long time. Soon, her eyelids slowly closed and she fell into a deep sleep."Renee! Renee!" After some time, Renee heard Jeffrey's voice. She opened her eyes and saw him standing before her, holding a tray with a grand seafood feast on it.Renee woke up and stretched, feeling relaxed. She hadn't felt like this in a long time. "Wow, it smells so good. Did you make this?" Renee looked at the delicious spread. "Yeah, they're not too hard to make. I don't know whether you'll like it or not…" Jeffrey pointed at a bowl of steaming porridge. "Eat this seafood porridge while it's hot. I added in a lot of nutritious ingredients which are good for your health." He had noticed Renee's pale and sallow face, so he had made her their village's secret seafood porridge to help her get back her energy,"Okay, thank you." Renee too
"What's the matter, Renee?" Jeffrey had never heard Renee curse before.However, Renee ignored him as she peered at her phone screen closely. She was pretty sure that she had seen Stefan like her post just now, maybe out of accident or for some other reason. However, it had only lasted for a second before he canceled it. Hope burned in her, and she suddenly felt alive again. That meant that Stefan was still alive, and he'd been watching her. After calming herself down, she texted Stefan.[Where are you? I saw you liked my post. Can't you say it to my face? Stop hiding like a tortoise!]A few minutes went by, but there was no response. [I'm very grateful to you for everything you've done for me. I know the disgusting things you did behind my back too, but it isn't important. I just want you to come back and explain everything to me, okay? We love each other. Are you trying to drive me mad? I can date someone else too as long as you make it clear to me. I'll leave and won't trouble
"Well, there's no point in trying to force him out to give you an answer. You should use some tricks to lure him out instead." Jeffrey racked his brain to come up with ways for Renee because he did not want to see her sad. "What kind of tricks?" Renee looked up at him. She always felt that she was an amateur in romance. She didn't know how to flirt or seduce someone—she was usually just straightforward and honest… which was probably why she always ended up hurt and disappointed. After so many years, Stefan was the only man she had loved. All her other experiences were failures. "In relationships, exclusivity is always a must. Everyone wants to be the one and only for their partner, and if there's a third person in the relationship, things will get messy. Anyone who gets cheated on will surely go mad and do irrational things," Jeffrey said slowly. It was the kind of romance he understood at his age. "So?" Renee asked, still baffled. She had to admit that she was a fool in romance.