"Stef, what's happening?! Don't scare me! Say something!" Seraphina just realized Stefan's condition had worsened, with all color draining from his face. It seemed he had fallen unconscious as well."His heart rate is going up! Call the doctor! Now!" Renee looked towards the heart monitor, whose lines were dancing, as if indicating that the man was in a very unstable condition.The chief doctor quickly rushed over and started providing emergency care. "Please wait outside, ladies. The patient's blood pressure is unstable, and he needs urgent treatment!"Renee and Seraphina didn't dare to stay any longer, immediately cooperating with the medics and leaving the ward."You unlucky bitch! Look what you've done to Stef?! Haven't you caused enough harm?!" Seraphina wailed as she hit Renee harshly. "Nothing happened when you were gone! The doctors even said his condition had stabilized! He only needs a few more days of rest before he can get discharged! "But as soon as you showed up, hi
She had no idea Stefan's condition was so critical.'So… he really did forget about me? And he's not putting up an act just because he resented me?'"Yeah, brain surgery. I did tell you about this the moment you woke up, that the surgery might induce partial memory loss. If you keep forcing him to remember things, it would increase the pressure on his mind. So I'm guessing… that's why his condition suddenly worsened."Renee was stunned, unable to say anything as she stood there frozen. Jovan's statements were enough to prove her doubts right. 'Stefan really forgot about me.''Like every cliche drama out there, he remembered everyone else but me.'"Yeah, yeah! That's the reason! I told you not to trigger him, but you wouldn't listen! Are you happy now, you vicious witch?!" Seraphina finally found a proper reason to scream at Renee.However, she immediately stopped when she noticed Jovan's indifferent glance. "I'm terribly sorry. I really didn't know that my appearance would br
"You? Help me and Stef?" Seraphina froze in disbelief as if she had just heard the most ridiculous myth. She then scoffed. "Do you think I'm dumb, Renee Everheart? Do you think I'd really believe your fake empathy?"Renee's gaze was cold and retorted. "Do you really think that I'd waste my energy to lie to you?" "W… What do you mean?""Meaning, even if I really wanted to compete with you, you wouldn't even get the chance to go against me. I don't need to play these mind games with you.""You!" Seraphina was speechless.Despite her rage, she knew that Renee was right and was unable to mount a reasonable comeback.Jovan stared at Renee with a conflicted gaze and asked coldly. "What do you mean by 'till he gets better?' How much better does he have to be?" "That's hard to say." Renee turned to Jovan. As if the two were playing a tug of war, she continued. "At the very least, I have to make sure he won't get taken advantage of."Seraphina took a deep breath and reached her ha
With eyes darkened, he grabbed her by the chin and mocked her. "Now you're pretending to love him unconditionally, huh? Why weren't you considerate of his condition when you decided to make him go through brain surgery to wipe his memories about Renee? Why didn't you think of that when you substituted his memory of her saving him with yourself?" "I…""Both you and I know that the surgery was just a facade. Your main goal was just to replace Renee in Stefan's memories! Now that you've become the person he loves and trusts most, what else do you want?! Why do you have to get her involved?!""I'm sorry, I was wrong. I… I wasn't thinking," Seraphina admitted to her faults anxiously.The woman used to be a prideful rich lady. She was so arrogant that she looked down on everyone but Stefan, as she was in love with him. However, now, when faced with Jovan, she couldn't help but feel a natural fear arising within her heart. The man knew too many of her secrets, and she was afraid that
That day, Renee had just finished brewing some medicinal tea. She pushed open the door to Stefan's ward.Inside were Seraphina and Stefan, cuddling each other lovingly. The two looked glued to the hip, unwilling to separate at all."Seraphina, I thought about it. Let's get married once I get discharged!" Stefan said, his arms wrapped around her and his chin placed on top of her head. His expression seemed longing. "I hope we can have our wedding in Tahato. I hear they have the bluest seas and the softest sand. Since you love the sea so much, that will be the most suitable place for our wedding."Seraphina's blissful expression was instantly replaced with fear. "Marrying right after you've recovered?! Isn't that… too soon?"'Besides, when have I ever said I liked the sea?''I hate it! It's too sunny out, it's boring as heck, and it's the worst when it gets too windy!'"How is that too soon?" Stefan's face turned serious. "I love you so much that I want to put a ring on you right
Seraphina immediately tried chasing Renee away.Stefan, who was silent the entire time, furrowed his brows as he spoke frostily. "You got injured the same day I did?""Uhm…" Renee froze, her expression stiff.'Shit, I misspoke.'"How did you get hurt?" The man continued questioning."I… I tripped and fell by accident." Renee came up with a simple excuse and rushed out of the room.She actually didn't intend for him to notice her. She wanted to do as promised. She acted like she was mute and only took care of him quietly. She only wanted to see him recover fully and leave with no regrets.However, she knew that it would now be difficult for her to hide away, especially with her previous mess up…"She left?" Stefan seemed rather disappointed."What? Did you not want to leave? And you just said you love me so much you wanted to marry me right away!" Seraphina huffed out of jealousy, feeling quite anxious.She then wrapped her arms around the man's neck and voluntarily kissed him
Renee stayed quiet, not uttering a word the whole time. However, this only piqued the man's interest further."Is your identity classified? Why won't you even tell me your name?" Stefan continued questioning, persistent to get an answer.Renee bit down on her lips. After a few moments of hesitation, she replied clearly, "No, not classified. My name is Renee Everheart. Do you know me, Mr. Hunt?""How could you go back on your word, Renee Everheart!" Seraphina shoved Renee aside, visibly agitated.She felt as if Renee was about to snatch her precious toy, which gave her the urge to fight the woman right there and then."Renee Everheart…" Stefan repeated the name over and over again, trying his best to look through his memory but to no avail. His expression was cold and solemn.Renee was disappointed, but let out a sigh of relief. She responded lightly, "Don't waste your energy, Mr. Hunt. You definitely won't remember anything, we don't know each other at all. I only know of you bec
Since Renee was able to keep a safe distance from him, she left the room nonchalantly.They had to admit that Margaret's recipe was almost miraculous. Despite merely having had one cup of the tea, he noticed that his wounds were much less painful the next morning. The effects were quite obvious, as he seemed more energetic as well."Stef, have some water." Seraphina poured Stefan some warm water carefully. As she stared at the steam coming from the glass, she looked for a reaction when she asked, "Do you remember you said the other day that we could get married once you are discharged? Is that offer still available?" Feeling the warmth of the water around the glass, Stefan raised an eyebrow at her question. "Of course. Why do you ask?""You've been so distracted for the past few days! I just feel kind of insecure!" Seraphina whined softly, then started picturing their future. "I've been thinking for a while, and I think it's best we change our wedding venue.""Why? I remember you
After a long pause, Stefan finally admitted honestly, "That wasn't a lie." He turned to look at Renee. He knew what he had to do, and heaved a long sigh."But life isn't just about love.""Why not?" Renee became teary as she stared at him like a child who failed to get what she wanted. "To me, that's already enough. As long as we love each other, we can conquer everything. Without love, it'll be hopeless.""If loving each other is already enough, there wouldn't be the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Didn't they love each other deeply? They loved each other a lot, but they ended up dead!" Stefan shot back.He could not stop himself from getting impulsive. Heartbroken, he turned around to look into Renee's eyes. "Compared to love, I'd rather you lead a steady and happy life. But I'm not the one who can give you that. I'll only bring you pain and death!""Romeo and Juliet?" Renee found that preposterous and bizarre. "What a lousy excuse! Did I kill your parents, or did you kill my p
"How could you…" Stefan looked at Renee in disbelief. For a moment, he was struck dumb. Renee quietly removed the oxygen mask and the needle. She calmly sat up in bed. "I thought you'd never be honest with me.""When did you wake up?" Stefan finally regained his wits. Because of his guilt, he was too scared to look into Renee's eyes. "I had long woken up." Renee was very calm. She looked weak because she had lost too much blood, but at the same time, she still looked firm like a rose blooming in winter. "So, you purposely lured me here, didn't you?"When Stefan learned that she had long woken up, he realized with shock that he might have stepped into the trap she and Jovan set up.Naturally, he was uneasy, given the proud man he was. He could plot against others but could not tolerate others doing the same to him, let alone the fact that it was his beloved woman."Hmph! Did I lure you here?" Renee laughed sarcastically and disappointedly. She looked at Stefan as he tried
"Can I wake her up?" Stefan seemed to be asking them and himself. He shook his head in self-hatred. "I'm afraid I'm the reason why she wants to escape this world. She must hate me to the core and refuse to see me. She might know that I'm here, so she's avoiding me and refuses to wake up."He recalled how much he had harmed her. He was not confident to wake her up, let alone face her."Yes, you're sinful, ut you must be held accountable for it!" Justin could not bother to waste his time talking to Stefan. He pushed Stefan into the ward instead. "You made her so angry, she's in a coma now. So, you have to wake her up. If she doesn't, you can't leave the ward!""Agreed!"Jovan was standing on the other side. He and Justin seemed to have formed a barrier and refused to let Stefan back down.After some contemplation, Stefan decided to face the music. He closed the ward door and quietly went to Renee's bed. It was the first time he was alone with her after a long time."You're tr
Unsurprisingly, Renee remained irresponsive. Justin gradually grew depressed. Before, he was confident. Seeing that he was getting no response from her, his confidence waned. Undeniably, he was probably not that important to her. If not, she wouldn't remain indifferent. She would have sensed that he was around. "I got it. You don't need me." Justin smiled helplessly. He felt pathetic too. He took a deep breath and finally stood up to exit the ward."How's it going?" Stefan asked.He kept waiting outside the ward, paying close attention to it in hopes that Renee could wake up. He also felt that Justin could bring Renee wonderful things and hope. She would wake up when she sensed that Justin was calling for her. "Hmph! Isn't it obvious? Of course, he couldn't wake her up!" Jovan casually leaned against the bench in the corridor, not even looking up. He sounded vicious. "He's just a backup guy. Of course she doesn't care about him! She's not in love with him." Justin glared at J
Stefan remained quiet as he calmly watched Renee. He extended his hand to touch her face but retrieved it before he could.She used to be the woman he was familiar with and the one he had hugged and kissed countless times, but now, he didn't even dare to touch her. "I think she doesn't even want you here. She must hate you so much and is disappointed in you. She'll be even more pressured if you stay here, and it'll push her further from this world. So please, get the hell out of here if you want the best for her!"Justin could not hold himself back from scolding Stefan. If Jovan was telling the truth, Stefan must be aware of the fact that Jovan was holding Renee hostage. Yet, he remained indifferent and feigned ignorance. He didn't even care if Renee was fine. What a cruel bastard! Justin was disappointed in Stefan. He wanted nothing more than to see what was really on Stefan's mind."Take good care of her." Stefan did not want to defend himself. He glanced at Renee, relucta
"What did you do to her?!" Stefan interrogated Jovan coldly, his eyes teary. "She isn't the kind to kill herself! What the hell did you do to her?" "Try to wake her up if you want to know." Jovan was pale. His previous sickness, coupled with his recent blood donation to Renee, made him very weak. Despite that, he refused to stop infuriating others. "Do you think I can't do anything to you? Do you really think that?" Stefan could no longer hold himself back and strangled Jovan. "I'm going to kill you! Repent for the terrible things you've done!"He couldn't imagine the kind of thing that could force the strong and stubborn Renee to resist by using such a desperate means. "You obviously won't go easy on me! I'm sure of that!" Jovan sneered. His pale face turned flushed as he suffocated from Stefan's powerful grip. "But you'd better kill yourself first if you want to avenge her! She ended up like this because of you." "What?" Stefan's face was frosty. He strengthened his grip a
Jovan slowly got up from the ground, looking incredibly weak. He whispered, "She lost too much blood. The doctor claimed she's out of danger, but…she hasn't woken up.""What did you say?" Stefan and Justin were bewildered. They couldn't process his words."So, she was the female college student who tried to kill herself?" Stefan said. He staggered after linking the information he had heard from a nurse with the things that Jovan had said."Stop acting dumb! You're so smart, how could you have missed that?" Jovan glared coldly stared at Stefan, scrutinizing him in disdain. "You were just too scared to face the truth and your woman! You're such a coward! You're an embarrassment to your family!""Agreed!" Justin added; he suddenly found Jovan useful, especially when the latter started insulting Stefan. It felt just right."Although I'm a fallback guy, I'm braver than you. I accept that she doesn't love me, and I'm willing to give it a try with her. And although this guy's a vill
Stefan frowned, doubtful. He looked vigilantly at Jovan, who had collapsed on the ground. "What do you mean by this?"Jovan kept coughing and said nothing. His lips grew pale as he sneered.Justin's eyes were cold, and he held back his urge to beat up Jovan. "Hmph! Obviously, this is a scam!"He demanded condescendingly, "How dare you barge into my territory and take away my woman! Don't you fear my family and me at all?"Jovan, filled with disdain, looked at Justin as if he was a fool. "Stop talking. You don't even have the right to join this battle."To Jovan, only Stefan was qualified and powerful enough to be his enemy."How dare you say that!" Justin was infuriated. He got down on one knee and grabbed Jovan. "Your family always says nasty things! You two are the same. If we start fighting, I'll make sure to cut your tongue first!""Did I say something wrong?" Jovan sized Justin up, ridiculing Justin with mock compassion. "Don't you have any self-awareness? You're just a fal
Stefan frowned and asked solemnly, "Aren't you a top hacker? Hack into this hospital's inpatient system. Then, we'll know where she is.""Yes, you're right." Still, Justin wanted to challenge Stefan. He said indifferently, "But you're Jovan's cousin. It's more convenient for you to make a call instead of me hacking into their system."Yes, Justin could hack into their system, but calling Jovan would be quicker. And what they needed the most was time."He and I…" Stefan sneered, flexing his fingers. "The fact we didn't kill each other is considered peaceful. He's not as obedient as you think.""You'll know by calling him."Justin had heard about the complicated internal fights of the Hunt family, but he felt that Stefan was exaggerating."Jovan is a Hunt no matter what. Plus, he's still working at Hunt Enterprise. Just call him," Justin said. "Fine." Stefan found Justin logical. His private grudges with Jovan were not important because finding Renee immediately was the most impo