Stefan smacked away Xavier's hand coldly and glared at Xavier and Owen fiercely. "Is this all an act so Shirley doesn't have to give up her eyes?" "Are you kidding me?" Xavier huffed exasperatedly. He had always admired Stefan, but now he found him shameless and insensible, attacking everyone without reason. "I know I can be a jerk sometimes, but even I won't go that far. Why would I ask Shirley to come here to take the test then? You're not thinking straight!"Owen quickly chimed in, "And I'm just a doctor. I don't want to meddle in anyone's relationship. If it's a match, I would have told you. There's no need for me to pretend."Stefan closed his eyes and covered his face, looking troubled. He felt like he had lost the courage to face the world… and Renee. "What should I do? What about… Ren?" Stefan asked hoarsely. When things were dire, he was optimistic because he felt things would definitely get better. However, having his hope snatched away was too painful. He had thought tha
Stefan watched Owen leave the study with a frown, then glanced at the stack of thick medical reports on the floor. Anxiety gripped him, and after a brief hesitation, he bent over to pick them up. He scanned through the documents. Although there were many medical terms, he could understand some of them. It was reported that the fetus had stopped developing, and Renee had a painless miscarriage. She was also suffering from heavy metal poisoning and nerve damage. Stefan's face became deathly pale and his mouth went dry."What… How?" Stefan couldn't believe his eyes. His hands were trembling, and his eyes turned bloodshot.Xavier was upset by Stefan's accusations, and had secretly decided he wouldn't be his friend anymore, but when he saw Stefan's reaction, he felt worried. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and barked, "Hey, what's going on? Is it good news or bad news?"However, Stefan looked like he hadn't even heard Xavier. The reports fell from his hands, and he kept muttering, "N
Stefan stormed up the stairs, livid."Mr. Hunt, there you are. How are the test results? Can I help... Ah!" Stefan pushed Shirley away rudely. He had no patience to be polite or talk to anyone—all he wanted to do was see Renee.Meanwhile, Renee was lying in bed, suffering both physical and psychological pain. Her slim body was curled into a tiny ball, and she was as pale as a ghost.Stefan sneaked into the room quietly, holding his breath as he neared the bed. As he watched her tremble and writhe in pain, tears filled his eyes. He didn't dare to speak because she might pretend she was okay if she knew he was there. She would force a smile even if she was in pain.What a failure of a husband he was.His wife had been suffering so much, but he didn't even know it. When she laid on the cold surgery table to remove their child, he hadn't been with her."Ugh!" As the anesthesia wore off and the pain of the poison returned, Renee's stomach and body ached. It was a gnawing pain that g
Renee did feel that her pain had diminished a little, though she didn't know why. As the days went by, Stefan stayed by her side as her eyes and her support, describing the world to her every day. Meanwhile, Owen was working hard to find treatments to detoxify Renee. "The most important thing now is to find the components of the poison, then, I can make the antidote for it..." Owen frowned anxiously. This might be the most difficult case of his career. "We're running out of time. Did you find out anything about the poison?" Stefan grasped his hands together, his gaze fierce. "We can only find the person who poisoned her if we want to know what poison it was. I'll get the news very soon." Then, he glanced at his wristwatch. "Give me half a day. I'll tell you the answer by tonight." He got up and left the study in a hurry.Elijah had started the car and was waiting for Stefan outside Everheart Manor. "Mr. Hunt, I found her. Should we go there now?""Let's go." The car drove fast
Stefan didn't complain as he kept his head low and climbed up the rugged and winding cliff. He would not hesitate to climb the cliff as long as he could find the answer. He'd even kneel with every step up the cliff if he was asked to. The climb wasn't an easy one, and it would usually take more than an hour, but since Stefan was only given half an hour, he ran to the top. There was a small flat area on the top of the cliff, and the only thing that could be seen was the blue sea ahead. The woman was standing at the edge of the cliff, and dug her nails into her palms when she saw Stefan. "Mr. Hunt, I'm sorry. I've ruined your peaceful life with Ms. Everheart. I… I actually came here to end things. I want to atone for my sins." Tess' face was full of tears, and she looked very pale. In just a few days, she'd become haggard and thin as if she was being poisoned too, but it was just her guilt and stress weighing on her. Stefan calmed his rapid breathing and asked Tess calmly, "Don't ste
After that, Tess closed her eyes and spread her arms, falling backwards off the cliff."No!" Stefan lunged forward and grabbed her arm.Tess opened her eyes and looked at him in shock. She sobbed as she shook her head. "Mr. Hunt, I'm a sinner. Why did you save me? I should die. Let go!""I believe that you didn't harm her on purpose, so you can't resolve this by ending your life..." Stefan frowned and forcefully tried to pull Tess up. Sweat rolled down his face as he hissed, "Come back and make up for it!""No, I can't... I really can't. If I don't die, she won't let go of my family. My family will become worthless to her if I'm dead, and only then will they be safe!" Tess had decided to die before she climbed up the cliff. She wanted to fix her mistake, so she had called that woman over so Stefan could confront her. Then Tess would die, and everything would be okay again. "Cut the crap! I can't hold you any longer… Come up!" Stefan had no energy to talk as he struggled to pull
"Of course I know who you are." Stefan's gaze was cold, his tone vague. "I thought you were dead." Previously, Seraphina had threatened Renee with a video of Renee accidentally pushing Briar off a cliff. Thanks to that, Renee and Stefan had lost so much time with each other. Stefan had thought that Briar was dead given the surging waves below the cliff, but he was ultimately relieved to see her.Briar cried under the mask. She looked at Stefan and asked, "How did you feel when you saw that I'm alive?""I was thankful." Stefan didn't hesitate. "I'm thankful that you're alive and that I can still talk to you." "Do you mean it?" Briar was surprised. "I thought you hated me and wanted me dead." "Yes, I do hate you. Ren and I wouldn't have wasted so many years if not for you, but... I'm thankful that you're still alive. It means that Ren doesn't have to carry all that guilt. She doesn't have to turn herself in," Stefan said honestly.Briar staggered back, feeling like she had just be
"So, you're not that stupid after all—you know that my brother was the best man you've ever met. Unfortunately, you were never sincere towards him. You're unworthy of his love!" Stefan snarled, his fingers digging into Briar's neck. He took a deep breath, trying his best to hold himself back. If his deceased brother knew that his beloved woman turned out to be such a wicked and hypocritical witch, he might not rest in peace. "I admit that I've wronged your brother, but who do we blame? You, of course!" Briar didn't flinch even though Stefan almost broke her neck. She held his arms, tears in her eyes from the pain as she stared at him. "If it weren't for you, your brother wouldn't have died. I would still be with him, and I might have even fallen in love with him as time went by. What right do you have to criticize me?"Stefan's heart skipped a beat. That was Stefan's sore point, and something he had hidden from others. Yes, Briar was not a nice person—she had never loved Tristan and