"Is my body really that magical?" Renee asked in surprise, and Stefan came to mind again. I must be because of those precious herbs he had risked his life for. She felt grateful to him, and her resentment slowly ebbed away. Although they couldn't be together, they peacefully separated with love and respect for each other. It was considered a good ending too."Yeah, that's right!" Damon looked at Renee excitedly. "If we experiment on your bones or blood, it'll be a huge breakthrough for the medical field!" Quinton immediately stood in front of Renee protectively, glaring at Damon angrily. "What kind of crap is that? My sister is a human being, not a lab rat. How can you even think of using her for experiments? If you dare to try it, I'll experiment on you!""Calm down, sir, it was just a theory. I wouldn't do experiments on people." Damon hurriedly smiled and explained himself. "That's not the issue right now. You should get Tiffany hospitalized first. The doctor said she needs to
"She was kidnapped…" After hesitating briefly, Renee decided to tell Damon the truth. "The kidnapper was your wife.""Oh, I see..." Damon frowned, not looking surprised at all. "I figured as much since she and Tiffany went missing together. I was waiting for her to get in touch with me, but I didn't expect her to go crazy and kidnap my daughter. She's really lost her mind... By the way, where is she?" He looked around. "S-She's dead!" Renee admitted. "She took the kids to a deserted island, but there was a hurricane, so they hid in a cave. We got away, but she didn't…" Renee told Damon everything, hoping he would resolve things. "She's dead?" Damon's expression changed briefly, then he shrugged indifferently. "She's been wanting to die for a long time now. Maybe this was what she wanted.""What?!" Renee's eyes bulged in disbelief. Damon's wife had died such a miserable death, but he was so calm. What kind of family was this? "She was your wife. Aren't you sad at all? Don't you wa
"We can't do anything about it anyway." Quinton sighed deeply. He could tell that Tiffany's family was strange, especially Damon. But even so, they were just outsiders. The most they could do was pity Tiffany. "You're not Tiffany's guardian, so the most you could do is advise Damon, but it's his business how he wants to raise his child. You can't meddle in that." Quinton frowned and continued, "You'd better worry about your child instead. I think something's wrong with Adie. He seems to be going through something he doesn't want to tell us about. Why don't you try to talk to him?" "Yeah, I noticed that too." Renee forced herself to look away from Tiffany. "That boy is distancing himself from me. I was planning to talk to him anyway.""Do it well. Don't let your anger get in the way and don't threaten to beat him up. He looks strong, but is actually quite fragile and sensitive. You can't be too harsh with him," Quinton instructed Renee. Many parents felt that they could be rough with
Renee arrived at Adie's wards with those doubts in her mind. Leia and Abby were in the ward with Adie, but Adie was lying in bed listlessly without interacting with them much. He also seemed more aloof with Abby. Abby tried to hold his hand a few times, but he shook her hand off. "Adie, why are you sad? Just smile—you look the best when you smile. Can you smile?" Abby wasn't upset even though Adie ignored her. She tried to make funny faces at him to make him laugh."I told you I don't want to. You're annoying. Get lost!" Adie looked more unhappy and pushed Abby away. Renee happened to see that scene when she opened the door, and immediately shouted at Adie, "What are you doing, Adie? You're her elder brother!" She walked to Abby and hugged Abby, trying to pacify her. "Are you hurt? It's okay, I'm here now." "No, I'm not." Abby shook her head and whispered, "Adie is just playing. I'm sure he's scared because someone bullied him, that's why he's not smiling." "I'm not scared!"
Adie's expression became pitiful when he heard that, and he shook his head. "No, I'm not. I like you the most, Mommy. You're the best in the world. I won't be mad at you no matter what happens.""Then, why didn't you want to come back? You've always been very sensible, so you should have known that everyone was worried about you, right?" Renee asked in frustration. She didn't mind him being naughty sometimes or having his own opinions, but he shouldn't play around with his life or trouble people who loved him."I didn't come back because I thought that maybe… you didn't want me to!" Adie finally admitted. "I'm sure you love Abby and Daddy more than me, and I'm not that important to you either. You won't be sad even if I'm gone.""What are you talking about, Adie?" Renee asked in surprise, not expecting her open-minded son to be so delicate. "You're my child. Of course, I love you. I would risk my life for you!" The one thing that mattered most to her was her children's safety. Her c
Renee sincerely apologized to Adie, hoping he would give her another chance. "You know, this is my first time being a mom, so I'm quite inexperienced. If you think I'm wrong, you should tell me, and I'll try to rectify it.""Mommy, don't do this..." Adie got scared seeing Renee being so gentle with him. "You're not acting like yourself. It's like you're possessed…" Renee was stunned, and she tried to suppress her urge to grab a feather duster and hit him. She forced a smile onto her face. "What do you mean? It's still me… but gentler. I'm usually very tender but I've got to be strict sometimes so you both will listen to me. Since you don't think that's good, I'll be sweeter to you. What do you think? Is a gentle mommy the kind of mommy you like?" Her whole face was stiff trying to maintain her smile. She hoped she could be the kind of mother Adie wanted."No, Mommy, please act normal. I was wrong to ask for too much—your past self was already good," Adie begged. Renee was never thi
"W-What did you say?" Renee's smile immediately disappeared, and her expression turned fierce. "I'm not sure I heard you. Be clear.""Mommy, you said you wouldn't get mad or hit me." Adie knew Renee was about to lose her temper, and calmly continued, "If you're mad, I'll stop. You can hit me too if you want, you don't have to hold yourself back.""Hey, no. I'm not mad!" Renee touched Adie's head forcefully, almost hurting him. She gritted her teeth and said, "I promised that I wouldn't get mad. I won't break my promise!""Okay!" Adie nodded and started explaining his plan. "Honestly, I'm not happy here in Beach City. I loved the free life we lived on Sun Island. I miss the ocean, the beach, the manta ray I fed, and my mysterious small house… Beach City is so boring, and the kindergarten is so childish. I've already learned the entire elementary school syllabus, and everything is so boring. What's the difference between staying in a classroom every day and going to jail?" Adie had wa
It was not the first time Adie had wanted to return to Sun Island. He had seriously considered the pros and cons of living there, and felt like it wouldn't be too difficult at all. "I can buy the things I want at the market, and if I really miss being around people, I'll come back on a plane. But I don't really like crowds." Although he could get along with people, he preferred being alone. It took so much effort to socialize, and it wasn't even fun at all. He preferred being in a quiet environment doing whatever he wanted to do, which was why he was best friends with Tiffany."Do you want to go back there?" Renee asked hesitantly. Since Adie had considered a lot of things, it was clear that this was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. "It's possible for you to go back there."Adie's eyes lit up. "Really? Are you willing to let me go back to Sun Island?" Adie didn't expect to get Renee's approval at all—in fact, he had been prepared to get beaten up by her."Yeah!" Renee nodded casua
They danced for around ten minutes. Renee danced to the song heartily. Her initial gloomy mood also improved.Renee drank some water and took a few deep breaths. Then, she sincerely praised Leia, "Alright. Your welcome ceremony is bizarre, but it helped relieve my stress. I like it very much!"She could tell that Leia had painstakingly prepared that gift for her. After all, it was not easy to ask the Zambawi people from primitive tribes to sing an English song. "I'm glad you like it. I did this because I wanted you to relax and stop taking things seriously. You need to stop being so hard on yourself and get rid of all the pressure!" Leia said honestly. The Zambawi hand-drum dance came with the charms of a primitive dance. Its goal was to set people free. Of course, it was suitable for Renee to relieve her stress."Yeah, your stress is relieved. From now on, you'll start afresh. This is for you. I'm sure it'll be one of your happy memories." Liam handed the previous Polaroid to
"This is your welcome ceremony. This hand-drum dance is to help eliminate bad luck." Leia held Renee's arm, satisfied with her arrangement. She said happily, "Listen to their song! It's a great song!""Is there a song?" Renee frowned; she felt that Leia was always doing bizarre things. She wondered how Leia could come up with such a preposterous welcome ceremony."Mm, listen carefully! It's English. You can understand it." At that point, Leia said to the Zambawi people, "Put on your microphone. And sing louder."The Zambawi people gave their cooperation. They used their typical Zambawi singing to sing the English song. While listening to the song, Renee found it very familiar. "The flowers will bloom in spring, and the birds are free. I'm still waiting, waiting for my love to come back. Hurry home!""Isn't that Spring Flowers by Curtis Harrett?" Renee finally recalled what song it was. It was a song with a happy beat. It could make people happy. The Zambawi people made th
"I don't know, either. All I ever remember from when I was young is that I led a very painful life. I once tried my best to make the Garcia family accept me. I did all the dirty and tiring jobs. I went out to work at an early age to get money for them. I also did all the house chores. "But my foster parents were never nice to me. They would always beat me up or scold me. My elder foster brother also saw me as an eyesore. He always tried to get me killed…" Quinton calmly described his past. He no longer seemed to be in pain. All that was left in him was numbness, as if he were talking about someone else.However, Renee was always in pain whenever she heard him talk about his past. She felt like she had returned to his past with him and experienced those painful things. It was normal for her to feel that way because they were twins. A lot of their thoughts and feelings were synchronized. "I suddenly recalled that I would inexplicably become gloomy many times when I was young. I
"I'm sorry." When Renee heard that from Quinton, she realized the conflict between him and Stefan had yet to be resolved. It was temporarily put aside because of her. She occasionally saw him and Stefan talk to each other and drink together, but they merely put on a show to ease her mind. Their hatred for each other hadn't been eliminated. Instead, it was growing secretly. If Renee were Quinton, she might never forgive the person who had snatched away her beloved and seized her identity. That person even ruined her face."Why did you say sorry to me? It's the resentment between him and me. It has nothing to do with you. Plus, I didn't know he was my brother-in-law then. If I knew, I wouldn't have fought him." When Quinton recalled those affairs, he realized that people were nothing but the sport of fate. If there had been no resentment between him and Stefan, Renee might not have broken up with Stefan. Their families might even get closer. "Stop bringing up the past. It's
During these days, Renee was under pressure because of her affairs. She had no chance to ask Quinton about it. Now, the long flight gave them a chance to have a deep conversation. They could talk about their woes and seek consolation."Me?" Quinton lowered his head and shook his head helplessly. "I'm still the same old me. Nothing is troubling me. I've been busy with Carmine Pawnshop. I have no time to think about other stuff.""You have no time?" Renee touched her chin and smiled naughtily. "Then, you must have been dwelling on other stuff. Let me guess… Is it the thing between you and Joanne?" "Stop asking so much." Quinton did not deny it but refused to talk much about that. "It looks like I made the right guess. You fell out with Joanne, didn't you?" Renee knew Quinton well. Generally, his work would not affect his mood. The only person who could affect his mood was Joanne, who shared a complicated relationship with him. Before Renee left Beach City, she had created a l
After a long while, Quinton turned around. He looked at Renee, who was across from him, and heaved a long sigh."We're about to go home soon. Why do you look this gloomy? What's wrong…? Are you reluctant to part with this place?" Quinton said. "No, I'm not." Renee poured herself a glass of orange juice and sipped it. She frowned and dwelled on it before she said, "I feel empty inside. I don't know if I made the right choice.""Empty?" Quinton asked curiously."I think I've said goodbye to a steady life since I decided to leave. Maybe I'll keep on wandering from now on," Renee said melancholically. The reason why she chose to give it a try with Justin because she was tired. She was exhausted from leading a wandering life and wanted to settle down with someone. Others could not give her the sense of security like Justin. When she saw him, she inexplicably wanted a home. At that time, she thought she could forget about everything and start a new life with him. Unexpectedly, she
Adie was still a child, but he acted like a smart person and could see through a lot of things. He could guess why Austin took them to the Baldwin residence. He had also heard the servants of the Baldwin family rebuking Renee in secret. After combining various situations, he learned about what had happened between Renee and Justin. Despite everything, Justin could forgive Renee under such circumstances. He also treated Adie and Abby nicely. It proved that he was a very compassionate man. A small regret gripped Adie. He wondered why Renee didn't date Justin right from the start. If Renee were with such a kind man, she might be very happy. She wouldn't have to suffer through so many hardships either. "No, you don't know me. I always sweat the small stuff."Justin was displeased since Adie had claimed that he was a good guy, like Renee had. He heaved a long sigh and said, "But it's useless even if I sweat the small stuff, so I stop trying. It all comes down to fate. We can't forc
Renee turned and found Jovan unscathed. Relief washed over her. She said grumpily, "It's none of your business!""Tsk! How cruel!" Jovan clutched his chest and pretended to be in deep pain. At the same time, he teased, "I know. Your soulmate is better. I'm so jealous of him, though he's still a fallback guy.""Go to hell, Jovan!" Jovan's nasty words drove Renee mad. She grabbed a piece of napkin, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it at his face. "If I knew you'd talk so badly, I wouldn't be bothered to save you. Maybe you'll get reborn in Ulria. Then, you have to watch your tongue!""Hey! Yeah, I was wrong. You don't have to curse me like that!" Jovan raised his hands to surrender, but felt quite moved. He poured himself a glass of milk and devotedly toasted to her. "Thank you for caring about me and trying your best to save me. I'll toast to you. And you can do whatever you want.""You're so childish." Renee rolled her eyes and was amused.Justin was quite jealous to see them
"What's that?" Justin frowned and said with disdain, "That's something to fool naive women like you. Only lovestruck fools will believe that." As a materialistic person, he never believed in things like horoscopes and fortune-telling. At most, they were mixed with some psychology. They weren't trustworthy at all.If Renee wanted to use those things to talk about their relationships and destinies, it would seem very childish. "Don't be so extreme. Those things are real and logical." Renee acted like an experienced salesperson and gradually eliminated Justin's prejudice. She said patiently, "If you believe those things, they can guide you and help you to see things through. If not, you can use them to kill time. Just try to get to know them. Isn't that nice?"Finally, Justin was convinced. He had some milk and asked her leisurely, "Fine. Tell me what kind of relationship we have based on those things." "I learned that our relationship is a declining friendship based on our birt