Chapter 5

Renee thought she was about to fall flat on her face.

Just then, a man wrapped his strong arm around her waist, catching her fall. The fresh scent of peppermint filled her senses, entrancing the woman entirely.

"You're burning hot… Do you have a fever?" Stefan asked her with a hint of concern in his voice.

The urge to protect her sprang up in his mind, accompanied by the following thought.

'She's so thin and frail, like a feather.'

"This doesn't concern you!" Renee hissed through her teeth as she regained her balance. She stubbornly tried to free herself from his arms.

After the procedure was done, she intended to walk away elegantly, leaving Stefan in the dust. She wanted to avoid casting the impression that she was using her illness to gain sympathy.

However, no matter how tough she tried to act, her body was simply exhausted. Even after gaining her footing, she staggered backward.

Seeing this, Stefan lifted her bridal style and said, "I'll take you to the hospital."

"What are you doing… Let go of me!" Visibly upset, Renee wriggled in his arms with all her might. "Do you not remember that we've separated…"

"You're still considered my wife during the waiting period." The man insisted firmly.

Seeing them leaving together, Briar went into a state of panic. This was not what she wanted to happen.

She immediately planted one of her hands on her hips feigning sickness. "Fan, wait up! I can't walk that fast when I'm pregnant…"

"Stay here, I'll have Elijah pick you up later," Stefan said in a deep voice before turning back towards Renee. "I can't stand back and watch when she's clearly ill."

Hearing this, Renee nearly rolled her eyes to the back of her head.

'What the hell is he doing?! First, he knocks up his mistress and forces his wife into a divorce. Now he's acting as if he still cares for me?!'

'Who does he think he is? Is he trying to string me along? This jerk… Turns out he really is a perfect match for Briar Desrosiers!'

'If that's how you want to play it, don't mind if I do too!'

Renee decided to switch up her strategy and she wrapped her arms around Stefan’s neck. While batting her eyelashes flirtatiously, she said "Thank you, my dear ex-husband."

Stefan's eyes darkened as he was left speechless. No one could tell what was running through his mind at the moment.

On the other hand, the color drained from Briar's face as she was consumed by sheer anger.

At the hospital, Stefan stayed by Renee’s side throughout the entire process. He even went as far as waiting for the blood test results with her.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for the hospital to get back to them.

"Her temperature is currently 39.3 °C. You do realize that she has a viral infection, on top of a bacterial infection, right? If she got here any later, you'd find her a cold corpse rather than diagnosed with a fever."

After going through the report, the doctor adjusted his glasses and lectured Stefan sternly. "What kind of husband are you? How could you let your wife wear such thin clothing in this cold weather, with a fever no less? How heartless can you be?"

Just as Stefan was about to explain, Renee started speaking in a sickeningly sweet tone, choking on fake tears. "Doctor, please don't blame him for this. He may have starved me and left me out in the cold… He may be very temperamental and takes out his anger on me… He may have cheated on me and forced me into a divorce, but… I'm willing to endure this much for him. He's just way too handsome, I couldn't possibly hold a grudge against him!"

Stefan was absolutely confused. 'What is she saying? Why is she so different from what I remember?'

The doctor seemed very taken aback as well, looking at the both of them in disbelief. 'Ah, the younger generation… Always full of… surprises.'

"Your condition should stabilize once you've taken the pills I've prescribed. You may rest here till the IV bag is emptied," said the doctor before leaving the ward.

With that, Stefan and Renee were the only ones left in the ward, which created an odd tension.

Despite being married for four years, the two rarely spent time alone together.

Stefan shoved his hands into his pockets and loomed over Renee, asking. "Are you done with the games?"

Renee cleared her throat awkwardly and replied, "Yeah."

She was now aware that she could’ve lost her life if she had fooled around any longer.

"Why didn't you reschedule today’s meeting when you realized you had a high fever?"

Renee's cheeks were flushed red due to the fever. She lay still on the bed and was back to being the defenseless little bunny that he was familiar with. Oddly enough, this made his heart ache for her.

"What's the point of rescheduling? It's inevitable anyway, isn't it, Master Hunt?" Renee replied softly.

Though she wished for Stefan's love, she knew she shouldn't let herself drown in that fantasy.

"Thank you for today. I'm fine now, you can leave now. Your pregnant lover is waiting for you, you know!"

Her statement seemed to have snapped Stefan back to reality as he responded. "Alright, I'll be off then."

Just then, a tall, slender figure entered the ward.

"Boss, how did you end up in the hospital over a divorce…"