"You're crazy, Jovan! You know full well how you got your eyes. She sacrificed her future so you could see again, and you'd be a horrible excuse for a human being if you tortured her like this!" Stefan snarled. He had tried his best to accept it, but no man would be okay with their lover giving up her eyes to another man who now refused to let her go. If Stefan thought about it any more, he was worried he would fight with Renee again."I know my eyes are hers. You should know why she gave up her eyes to me..." Jovan stared at Stefan's eyes and sneered. "What right do you have to order me around and demand things from me since you're the one benefiting from all this? Return my eyes to me if you can then!""How dare you!" Jovan's words struck Stefan like lightning. Stefan wanted to say he would… but he couldn't. He didn't want to live in that endless darkness again, and he needed to take care of Renee. If he behaved impulsively and returned his eyes to Jovan, no one could take care of
"Is there anything else?" Stefan stopped and turned to look at Leia wearily. His talk with Jovan had tired him out, and he had to worry about Renee and the children. Even if he was energetic, there were times he wanted to rest too. For now, he just wanted one night where he could rest quietly. "You left early and came home late. You didn't spend much time with Ren, and now you want to go straight to bed. Have you ever thought that Ren might be waiting for you? Wouldn't she be disappointed if you just went to sleep?" Leia asked meaningfully. She wasn't usually a busybody, but today was a special day. She knew Renee well, and figured she was probably still awake and waiting for Stefan to comfort her. If Stefan went to bed now, Renee might be mulling over the news the whole night."You're right. I wasn't being considerate enough." Stefan nodded and took a deep breath before he headed upstairs quietly. "Hey, you..." Leia's heart ached as the sight of his lonely figure heading up the s
"Silly, that day will never come. You'll be the one getting sick of me." Stefan kissed Renee lovingly. His wife might never realize how attractive she was and how many people were coveting her, so he had to be alert all the time.After a while of kissing, Renee said rather bashfully, "Umm... There's something I want to tell you.""What is it? Why are you being so mysterious about it?" Stefan was curious because both Renee and Leia had been acting strangely. "Open the drawer—there's something in it. I'm sure you'll know when you see it." Renee kept her head ducked, as shy as a schoolgirl. It was not the first time she had gotten pregnant, but she was more nervous and excited than before. Renee felt that the both of them would look forward to this child's arrival. "I'm looking forward to it!" Stefan could not suppress his eagerness as he pulled open the drawer. When he saw the test strip and two lines on it, he became nervous. "Dear, umm... is it positive?" "What?""Why didn't y
"No, of course not!" Stefan immediately covered Renee's lips. "Shush… Don't say such things. If our baby hears that, he or she may hate me, and that would be unfair for me." "What? The baby is just a small cell that can't even be seen at this point, of course it can't hear us." Amused, Renee moved his hand away, feeling relieved at his joy. Of course she had been worried— she was blind, and Stefan was busy gaining a firm foothold in Hunt Enterprise. Besides, they had Adie and Abby. Even if Margaret, Leia, and the others were around, it would still be quite exhausting. If they had another child now, their life would be more chaotic. "I'm serious, darling. I can get rid of it if you think it's not the right time for us to have another child." Leaning into Stefan's arms, Renee said sadly, "We can have another child in the future; I don't want to see our lives get too chaotic, and I don't want to see you stressed." It was already tough taking care of a blind person, and if that person
It was better to communicate instead of making assumptions if there was an issue."Nothing. It's getting late. You should sleep early." Stefan didn't want to tell her because he didn't want her to worry."No, there has to be something going on. Tell me!" Renee said urgently. "I said that there can't be secrets between us. I don't want you to go to bed worrying about whatever that is."Stefan sighed deeply, knowing Renee wouldn't let it go until he told her. "Hurry up. We can sleep after you tell me!" Renee complained. "Okay, I'll tell you." After some hesitation, Stefan explained, "Grandpa talked to Jovan alone again tonight, and I talked to him too. Can you guess… what we talked about?""Control over Hunt Enterprise?" Renee asked instantly. "Isn't that why he constantly fights with you? Doesn't he find it tiring?" Although she had been staying at home recently, she did listen to financial news. She was aware of Jovan making vast changes to Hunt Enterprise that had been pretty
Renee swallowed, her face pale. After a long silence, she whispered, "Then... he must be out of his mind." For some reason, she felt guilty. It wasn't that she had feelings for Jovan, but she now realized that Jovan's feelings for her were deeper than she thought. It made sense though—he would not have risked his future and given up his blood and eyes to Stefan for her otherwise. When she heard that he was willing to give up Hunt Enterprise which he had coveted for a long time just so he could pursue her... she felt very uneasy. "Tell me the truth. I know you both left Beach City and went abroad for half a year. You guys spent days and nights in each other's company. Did you—""No!" Knowing what Stefan wanted to ask about, Renee firmly responded. She hugged him from behind and leaned her head on his large back. "Promise me you won't ever doubt my love for you. I've never loved anyone else. If I did, I wouldn't have started over with you.""I know." Stefan's voice was hoarse as tear
Hurriedly, Stefan promised Renee, "I hold no affection for Seraphina. She's just my childhood friend. Plus, I know what she's done to you and me, so I'll never be friends with her again.""Hmm? Why do you sound regretful?" Renee asked coldly, "Be frank with me. You lived under the same roof as Seraphina when I was away from Beach City. How far did you both go? Did you ever sleep with her? Do you still miss her? Is that why you sound regretful?" "No, I swear! There's nothing between us!" Stefan protested desperately. Immediately, he raised two fingers and said loyally, "The most intimate action between us was kissing. I never slept with her.""Not even once?" Renee frowned suspiciously. "You guys were pretty lovey-dovey back then, and you both had even planned out your marriage. Wasn't it natural to have slept with each other?" She patted his shoulders reassuringly, acting like she was cool with it as she smiled. "Calm down. You lost your memory, didn't you? Even if you had slept wi
After Stefan and Renee had confided in each other that night, Stefan felt a lot more relaxed, like a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Early the next morning, he booked the best private obstetrics hospital for Renee's pregnancy check-up. However, Renee took her sweet time to wake up, and she seemed absent-minded."What's the matter?" Stefan realized something was wrong and asked gently."Well, I've just gotten pregnant. Isn't it too soon to get a check-up?" Renee asked hesitantly."Too soon?" Stefan frowned in confusion. "Shouldn't people get a full check-up right after they learn that they're pregnant? I actually wanted to get you an appointment with a specialist last night." "No, it's too fast. Why don't we wait a little..." Renee reached out, feeling the warm sunlight on her palms. "The weather is nice today, so why don't we go sunbathe in the garden?"Stefan looked out of the window and saw that it was indeed bright and sunny outside, but he felt like Renee was purpo
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