"You seem eager to have her dead." Stefan shot Renee a dirty glare, carrying Briar bridal-style and laying her down at a resting area nearby.Renee had almost died because of Briar's sudden outburst, and a panicked Stefan had no choice but to hit Briar on the back of the neck to knock her out for a while. Renee might not have survived otherwise.Briar would probably be better after resting, so Stefan didn't try to wake her up. Instead, he turned to Renee, who was still in the children's section, and pointed at the clothes on the ground. His eyes narrowed as he asked, "Why are you buying so many children's clothes?"Renee and the employee were busy putting the outfits on the ground back into her bags. She scoffed dismissively, "Why do you care? Am I not allowed to buy cute things?"Stefan squatted down and picked up one of the striped socks near him, observing it curiously. The sock was pink, soft, and no bigger than his hand. He couldn't deny it was cute, and it softened his heart
"Come on, hit me! Aren't you a great fighter? Beat me till I bleed, or you can always return the favor and choke me to death!" Stefan declared as he shifted her hand to his neck, his expression serious to show her he wasn't joking."A-are you insane?" Renee was utterly stunned by the man's actions, and her anger morphed into confusion. She tried to pull her hand away, scowling. "There are cameras here, so don't you dare try to get me in trouble!""Then I'll just let them see that I allowed you to hit me! If you kill or cripple me, I'll take full responsibility for it.""You've definitely gone mad!" Renee was finally able to escape his grasp, and quickly stepped away from the man like he was a rabid animal.'Ugh, as expected from the madman Stefan Hunt—he's actually willing to get beaten up! It's pretty creepy, honestly…''"I wronged you four years ago, so now I'm giving you the chance to take revenge! You're the one who refused the opportunity, so let's not bring this up anymore.
After Stefan made sure Briar took her medication, he ordered her to stay in the resting area next to them.Briar didn't object to this, and merely headed back to the resting area with a blank stare. She sat down on one of the benches quietly, as if she was a mindless zombie.The man then turned back to Renee with a cold glare. "How can you ask me that? Do you really not know why she's acting like this?"Renee instantly became angry. "Can't you just be direct, Stefan? If you really think I'm such an evil person, then feel free to take revenge on me! Don't act like you're on some kind of moral high ground to punish me."Stefan continued to look into her eyes, his gaze clouded with sadness as he asked softly, "Do you really feel no pity towards the child whose life you took, or the woman you destroyed? Do you really believe you don't have to be held accountable for all this?""I…" Renee was speechless, and thought miserably, 'How could I possibly not feel any regret or pity? I've bee
Stefan looked pained. He had sealed those memories away already, and didn't want to bring them up anymore. He told himself that he would use the rest of his life to repent for his sins.However, Renee had returned now, and he just couldn't pretend that she didn't exist in his heart."You said that I hated you, and I admit that I did for a while. But the truth is… I hated myself the most, since I couldn't manage our relationship well. I idealized everything, and in the end, I was too late. I couldn't stop this from happening…" Stefan trailed off, unable to continue. He turned away, shaking, as if he was forcing himself to suppress his emotions.Renee had rarely seen him be vulnerable like this. He was always cold and conceited, but now… he looked like a lost child. She had only ever seen him like this one other time - at his brother's funeral. Her heart was breaking for him, and she couldn't stop herself from wanting to hug him…Suddenly, a voice inside her mind reminded her, ‘You'l
"I'll come with you. No matter what, the child was innocent." With that, Renee chose to head to the cemetery with Stefan and Briar. It was located on the west side of Beach City, and was surrounded by a large forest. With the tombs built within such a secluded area, it seemed rather eerie from the outside.Renee was sitting in the backseat at the time, watching as the car drove by the woods, her expression rather gloomy. She knew that the child had been the victim here, and whatever was going on between her and Briar had to be put aside for now. She couldn't deny that she had harmed an innocent life.The atmosphere in the vehicle was extremely tense, with the only sound in the car being Briar's sobbing. Although Renee hated Briar, she understood how painful it was for a mother to experience such a thing."Here." She handed Briar a piece of tissue.Briar turned to look at her with teary eyes, and shook her head. "Ms. Everheart, I'm not trying to put up a pitiful act in front of yo
"So, you do know the difference! How about you let me decide whether I want to have children, and who I want to have children with? There's no need for you to get involved!" Stefan said angrily and stopped the car.Renee figured that she was being too overbearing as well. Stefan Hunt had always been a prideful man, and was used to having everything under his control. If she were to take charge of something as important as having children, he would surely get upset."Ah, I'm sorry, I was too impatient… I don't have bad intentions. I just wanted to recommend this procedure to you both, since you and Ms. Desrosiers-""Get out," Stefan snarled suddenly, his expression dark."Huh? Are we here already?" Renee scanned her surroundings, but it was obvious they hadn't reached yet."Get! Out!" Stefan ordered once again, not explaining himself in the slightest. He was at his wit's end, otherwise, he would have never done something so discourteous."Fine then!" Renee snapped, and got out wit
The cemetery was rather remote. Not only were there large thickets around the area, the paths were quite rocky as well. The thick smog enveloping the area could easily affect one's sense of direction as well. If headed in the wrong direction, the forest would seem like a confusing maze, which would make the journey even more dangerous than it was.Renee was completely immersed in her phone, wondering if she should tell Leia about William's complicated past with Briar. Then, suddenly, she felt her entire body falling forward…Renee screamed as she tumbled down a cliff. She hit her head on a large rock going down, and instantly faded into unconsciousness.Meanwhile, Stefan and Briar had already arrived at the child's tomb. A small gravestone stood there forlornly, with the baby's name and death date engraved on it."Hi, baby! Mommy and Uncle Stefan are here to see you again. How are you feeling today? The weather's getting kind of cold, so I prepared lots of warm clothes for you. D
Looking around, Renee finally found her phone nearby, only to realize that it was broken. She couldn't turn it on at all."Agh, that useless Stefan Hunt! I knew he was bad luck!" Renee cursed as she scanned her surroundings. It was pitch black, with no one remotely near. Renee immediately felt scared. "Is there anyone out there?! Somebody, please help!" She screamed, her voice echoing alongside the caws of crows. The pain in her head and leg was overwhelming, and she was finding it difficult to even scream for help at this point."I won't die here, right?! That'd be too unfair…"-In Hunt Manor, the family had gathered around the dining table to have a nice dinner together, but the atmosphere felt rather odd for some reason.Francine was trying to ask Stefan over and over again if he had contacted Renee. She had just found out that Renee, who'd disappeared for four whole years, had returned to Beach City all of a sudden. The woman felt conflicted when it came to Renee. She c
Then, Stefan calmly placed the crab leg on the plate in front of Leia. Leia was flabbergasted. She did not dare to move. She wondered what he was doing, and if he wanted to sacrifice her."Why aren't you eating it?" Stefan looked at Leia, sounding composed. Yet, he was full of the dominance that could burn anyone.Leia swallowed and gnashed her teeth, asking Stefan, "How could you peel the crab for me? Isn't it inappropriate?" She was the most cowardly person. Usually, she looked fierce and indignant as if she wanted to punish Stefan severely. But when he came to her and looked at her, she would be very frightened. She would not dare to do anything."Why not? Someone said women shouldn't peel the prawns or crabs themselves. I'm just being a gentleman. It's nothing serious. It's just peeling the crab!" Stefan said. It was rare to see him speak so much. It was incompatible with his contradictory identity. However, it was clear that he was mocking Justin and saying how ridiculo
Both Stefan and Justin mocked each other, which made the atmosphere more awkward. Although Liam and Leia were simply watching the fun, they felt awkward, too. It made them restless.Renee was having a hard time, too. She smacked the table and said to Stefan and Justin, "You'd better stop eating. Go out and fight. The food got cold because of your endless fight."When she spoke, she sounded like a class teacher with absolute authority. Although both Stefan and Justin were dissatisfied, they fell silent and did not dare to say more. Everyone started enjoying the great food, but said nothing. It seemed a little gloomy.Renee was about to get a prawn, but Justin had already peeled it nicely for her. He dipped it in some sauce and put it in Renee's bowl. "I know you love prawns the best. I've peeled it for you. Of course, women can't peel the prawns themselves.""Oh, Mr. Baldwin. You're considerate. You're a role model among the men. Anyone who marries you will be very happy!" Le
Justin smiled and described the children's experiences, acting like a stepfather. When he talked about the children, he made it sound like they were his biological children. Stefan didn't look so good. He felt that the glass of wine was getting bitter."Well, I'm sure kids will find everything new and exciting when they go to a new place. But they'll get bored with it when time passes. They'll love their real home better." Stefan had wanted to act relaxed and casual, but he could not stop himself from refuting when he heard Justin's provocative words. "Mm?" Leia sat beside Liam and leaned against his arm, and whispered, "What are they doing? This is weird. Are they going to fight?""It's just a competition between men. They won't get into a fight." Liam kept eating and watching the fun. He merely found it amusing. As expected, Renee was greatly admired. Although she remained silent, she would always be in the limelight. Liam was amused to see people like Stefan or Justin
"How dare you!"Stefan's words instantly made Leia speechless. She had wanted to rebuke him, but he snatched the chance from her and struck her dumb.In short, he was an utter scumbag.After a moment, Leia finally managed to comment, "How shameless!" Justin had kept silent all the while. He looked at Stefan with a scrutinizing and mocking gaze. "Mr. Hunt, I admire your honesty and self-awareness. If that's the case, let's stop being reserved and have fun together!""Yes, let's have fun together. I'm shameless, too!" Liam joined in the effort to mock Stefan. He swayed his glass of wine and faked a smile. "I've known her a long time, so of course I know what shameless things Mr. Hunt has done. I think I'd better grab this chance to tell you all of them since everyone is here today."Standing at the door, Renee was worried that Liam might say more indecent things. She hurriedly stopped him. "Pipe down, Liam!" "Got it." Liam shrugged helplessly but obeyed her.Although he yea
"Do you want to leave?" Stefan saw Renee. He was calm, indifferent, and distant. His behavior stung Renee. Renee could easily recall their lovey-dovey memories. They had both risked their lives for each other and vowed to be together forever. They had two children, too. Yet, they ended up as strangers.Although Renee was heartbroken, she became competitive. She smoothed her hair and said in a similarly cold manner, "I'm going to the washroom." "Okay." Stefan did not have anything to say. He nodded and walked past Renee before heading to the dining table. "Hmph! I didn't expect you to come so boldly," Quinton sneered.At the sight of Stefan, Quinton subconsciously clenched his fists, acting like he was about to fight Stefan. On the surface, he wouldn't act aggressively because he knew Renee would stop him. "It's not easy for the few great families to get together. It's good and meaningful for us. If I refused to come, it would make me seem heartless."Stefan kept his co
Having said that, Renee lowered her head, about to leave. She didn't even have the time to bother about Adie and Abby, and told Quinton to take them home later. Her strange behavior filled Quinton with displeasure. He blocked Renee and said solemnly, "Are you afraid? Do you want to run away? People might think that you're guilty and have cheated on your husband!""No, I'm not!" Renee refuted him loudly, then explained seriously, "I'm busy. I need to handle something right away. Plus, I'm not guilty. I did nothing wrong. There's no reason for me to feel guilty." Quinton went straight to the point. "What are you afraid of since you know you're not guilty? Why do you want to run away? He should be afraid instead!""I told you. I'm not afraid of him. I'm just…" "What?" Quinton crossed his arms and looked at Renee coldly. He wanted to get to the bottom of it.Renee came up with a ridiculous yet normal excuse. "I… I recalled that the dessert shop that I want to head to is about to
Jovan called Stefan to sound the latter out. Anyway, it would be convenient for Stefan to rush over since they were both at the same spot. "I'll be right there," Stefan said. Then, he hung up.For a moment, silence washed over everyone, as if something terrible was about to happen.After taking in the new information, Leia said indignantly, "What's going on? Why does he want to come? Isn't he too shameless? How dare he come?" Although everything wasn't discussed openly, everyone knew why Stefan and Renee broke up all of a sudden, despite how lovey-dovey they were. The reason was that Stefan had cheated on Renee.Even if the adultery was faked, it was still the cause of their breakup. If Stefan were shameful or guilty, he wouldn't have agreed to come. He was going to face Renee there with their friends and family around. Certainly, it was embarrassing. "Hmph! Why not? He impersonated me, seized my business, and snatched away my woman. Plus, he led a steady life, got married
Jovan's words made the atmosphere quiet and bizarre. "Are you out of your mind, Jovan? It's already very annoying to have someone like you here. Do you have to get another annoying guy?" Leia frowned, crossing her arms. She kept scolding him.Initially, the atmosphere was considered harmonious. It was still considered fine even if there was an annoying person like Jovan. Unexpectedly, he wanted to call another, more terrible person to come here. Things would certainly go wrong. "Ms. Osborne, you're famous for talking harshly, too. You're just like me. I love it." However, Jovan was not mad at all. He grinned while waiting for Stefan to answer the call. Generally, Stefan would not answer Jovan's call. Surprisingly, he picked it up that time."What's the matter?" Jovan purposely put it on speaker mode. Stefan sounded aloof and emotionless.Jovan sounded wicked as he calmly asked Stefan, "Do you want to join a gathering, Stefan?""I'm going to hang up if you don't say anythi
In the past, Jovan had always regarded Stefan as a coward. Stefan couldn't forget about Renee, but he kept pushing Renee to another man. It seemed like Justin was more responsible, considerate, and gentle. Of course, Renee would lead a very happy, steady, and comfortable life with such a man. At the very least, Jovan felt that he could not be that meticulous and considerate. He would only drive Renee mad just to get her attention. "Hmph! Are you trying to humiliate me or yourself?" Justin didn't find that a compliment. Instead, it sounded like smockery. Jovan made it sound like Justin was a nice guy, but would not be picked by Renee. Usually, people like that had to suffer and would not end up well."I'm praising you." Jovan was helpless because of his reputation as the villain. Although he had said a lot of annoying things, he did want to compliment Justin. His love was probably as deep as Justin's, but his and Stefan's ways of loving Renee were much inferior to Justin's.