Renee's heart clenched the moment she heard those words. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she carried Tiffany in her arms, resting her hand on the little girl's pale face. "Don't be scared, you're safe now."However, Tiffany shook her head and kept crying. She tried her best to raise her hand to point at the cave. "Save my mommy… please!" Her small body trembled and she was scared, but she still hoped that someone could save Madelyn.Stefan checked Adie's breathing and realized he had fainted from exhaustion. He gently laid Adie on a boulder to rest, then turned to Tiffany and said, "You're too kind. That woman wanted you to die with her, but you're still begging to save her. You're very silly!" He had seen Madelyn's insanity the night before, and didn't feel it was necessary to save her."Is there another person in there?" Renee asked in shock. When she entered the cave just now, she hadn't seen anyone else. She had assumed that Adie had gotten rid of the kidnapper, but surprisingly
Stefan looked away as he said emotionally, "He doesn't want us to fight anymore... He wants me to take care of you and protect you, and he wants our family of four to live happily ever after!" He had been given a second chance at life, and he wanted to treasure it. He didn't want them to take unnecessary risks."I know Adie—he would want me to go in there and rescue her. Plus, if that woman really was crazy, Adie wouldn't be alive right now, and the girl wouldn't be asking me to save her. I think there's more to this story, and she's not as wicked as you think she is. We can talk about it after I save her!" Renee said, about to crawl into the cave."Why are you so stubborn?" Stefan grabbed Renee's arm. "Think of the kids! This girl doesn't want to lose her mother, but do you think Adie would want to lose his? You should at least think of his feelings.""Adie..." Renee looked at Adie hesitantly, her heart clenching as she stared at the unconscious boy. Stefan was right—one careless m
Time seemed to have stopped at that moment."Mommy!" Tiffany screamed, trying to crawl to the cave."Don't go there!" Renee quickly stopped Tiffany. "It's too dangerous. Your mommy… Maybe she's already…""No, I want to save Mommy. She's still alive, I'm sure of it!" Tiffany shook her head stubbornly, her face wet with tears. "Mommy is still waiting for me to save her. I can't leave her behind. It's my fault… If I hadn't said all those things, Daddy wouldn't have given my brother up… It's all my fault. I want to say sorry to Mommy. I want her to forgive me!" Tiffany kept crying as she spoke, her love for Madelyn clear. However, it was too late. The landslide had covered the entire cave, and Madelyn's chance of survival was very slim. Holding a compass, the captain looked around before glancing at the cloudy sky. He turned to them and urged, "Mr. Hunt, Ms. Everheart, we have to go. If we don't leave now, we might not be able to get out of here!" Renee bit her lip and carried Tiffa
Stefan placed Adie on a bed, then Renee laid Tiffany down beside him. Stefan's clothes were wet and smelly, so he instinctively took them off and started wiping himself with a towel.Renee gently tucked the two children in bed. When she turned around, she saw Stefan standing there, wearing nothing but underwear. She staggered back in shock, her eyes bulging as she stammered, "W-What are you doing?""I'm just changing my clothes!" Stefan said innocently. "My clothes are wet, and if I wear wet clothes, I could get rheumatism.""Ugh!" Renee turned around. "Don't you have clean clothes? Put them on now. It's unsightly."Stefan smirked at the sight of Renee blushing, and said indifferently, "I don't think so. I've been working out, so I'm sure my body doesn't look that bad."Renee gripped the bedsheets and opened her mouth to argue, but couldn't find the words. She knew that Stefan could easily fluster her, and if she argued with him, he would easily trap her. It was best if she kept q
Stefan stood there with a towel tied around his waist, water droplets running down his attractive figure."Ahem!" Renee instinctively wanted to cover her eyes, but couldn't look away from his exposed body. "You've taken good care of your body. Which gym do you go to? Send me the contact later.""I can but..." Stefan looked at Renee awkwardly, who was lying on his body. "Can you get up first?""Oh, I'm so sorry!" Renee finally realized she had been lying on his body. Although she was wearing clothes, she could feel the heat of his skin, and she jumped to her feet like it had burned her. "I didn't mean it. The captain suddenly started the yacht, so..." Renee stammered anxiously, her back to Stefan as she smoothed her hair. Although it was the truth, she sounded guilty as she said it."It's okay." Stefan sat up and smirked seductively at Renee. "I can understand if you did it on purpose." Renee's cheeks turned red, and she immediately took the night robe from the doorknob and threw
"I've never misunderstood you." Stefan avoided Renee's fierce gaze and whispered, "You've always been perfect to me... I'm the one with the problems. I'm not a good husband or a good father.""I don't need your flattery..." Renee's eyes turned watery, and she punched his chest. "What are you hiding from me? Even after all this, why are you still unwilling to tell me... Stefan, I chose you, so I know and trust your character. You're not the kind of guy who would abandon your wife and family for another woman. There must have been another reason for it, right?""No, there wasn't." Stefan grabbed Renee's wrist and stared at her coldly. "You're very confident in yourself. I'm not a good guy. If I were you, I would stay away from men like me. You only ever got hurt when you were with me." "I don't think I was hurt..." Renee raised her head and said stubbornly, "I've got two cute kids and a memorable romance, and you saved my life. I wouldn't be here if you didn't risk your life to gathe
At that moment, both of them abandoned their facade and embraced each other tightly. They could feel the other's love; Stefan understood Renee's fragility, and she understood his helplessness."Daddy, Mommy..." After some rest, Adie finally woke up. He sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes, looking at his parents in confusion. "Have you made up with each other?" Stefan and Renee immediately jumped away from each other. Renee blushed as she hurriedly wiped her lips and smoothed her clothes. "Ahem… Adie, why didn't you tell me you had woken up?" Stefan pretended to be calm as he walked to the bed and touched Adie's head. "You look much better. Are you feeling sick?""It was just a small hurricane, it's not my first time getting caught in one. I'm fine," Adie said maturely. He glanced at his solemn father and flustered mother, then said bluntly, "There's no need to be shy—it's very normal for a couple to show their love by kissing." Renee froze at the bathroom door, speechless. Althou
It felt quite reassuring since Renee now had nothing else to lose.Adie, however, wasn't as understanding as Renee. He couldn't figure out why his parents didn't want to be together even though they loved each other. "Daddy, did you make a mistake? Are you being punished for it?" Adie scrutinized Stefan, his eyes narrowed. "Why can't you be with Mommy? Isn't it more painful to be away from the person you love?" Although he was just a child, he knew that being together with your loved ones meant happiness. For example, he loved to spend time with his parents, Abby, and Tiffany, and would miss them when he didn't see them. It didn't make sense to him that Stefan wanted to suffer such misery when he could just live happily with Renee."Yeah, I made a mistake, so I have no right to be with her." Stefan smiled regretfully as he looked at Adie. "If I only bring her harm, would you still want me to stay with her?" "What do you mean?" Adie pouted, refusing to give up. "You should adore Mom
Leia couldn't understand it. Both Renee and Stefan once loved each other passionately. They had soldiered through a lot of difficulties. But when everything became better, they stopped seeing each other. Such separation brought a fatal blow to her views on love. Suddenly, she found herself too timid to give up her heart. After all, it was nothing. People could break up with each other easily."No wonder Xavier refused to come. If he was here, I would have hated him because of Stefan. I'd beat the crap out of him!" Leia was furious, but she couldn't find someone to vent her anger on.The Stuart family was invited to the party too, but Xavier refused to come. He claimed that he would have betrayed Stefan if he had come to the party.However, Stefan was the greatest betrayal of his romance since he remained silent and indifferent. While Leia was still angry, everyone in the hall suddenly fell silent. They stretched their heads to look at the entrance of the hall."The Hunt famil
"I… I don't know what you're talking about," Liam muttered guiltily, avoiding Leia's scrutinizing gaze. "You must know what I'm talking about!" Leia refused to let Liam go and went straight to the point. "Look! Because of such a bind, you probably fell in love with Amber, who isn't related to you. Why can't Ren fall in love with Justin after spending a long time with him?""So, what's your point?" Liam didn't refute Leia. He was curious about what she was trying to say. Leia reasonably explained her opinion, "I'm trying to tell you that things might not be as bad as you imagine. Even if you take Ren away and stop this ceremony, things might not be better either."She was too timid to tell Liam that she regarded Renee and Justin's marriage in a favorable light because she found them similar. Similar people could at least lead a stable life though it might not be very passionate and exciting.After leading a wandering life for such a long time, Renee needed steady happiness. It
Liam was impressed while looking at Justin's calm expression. He had always thought that Justin was cunning and full of schemes. He was even worried that Justin might plot against Renee in the future.However, Justin was quite open and generous. He was considering things from Renee's angle. He could be Renee's haven, but if he stepped down, he could willingly grant Renee's wish to be with the one she loved. It seemed that Justin was selfless, and Liam felt that he was worse than Justin. No wonder Renee would choose to spend the rest of her life with Justin. It seemed like he was a reliable man.Justin pocketed his hands and asked casually, "Is there any other problem now?""Not at the moment." Liam frowned in defeat. Since Justin had made such a big compromise, he would seem like a fool if he was too arrogant and refused to give up. A long sigh escaped him as he let go of Renee's hand, but he was still hopeful. He boasted to Justin, "Wait and see! I'll make Stefan appear.""Go
"Let go of her!" Justin turned cold and grabbed Renee's other hand. He said darkly to Liam, "You don't have the right to take her with you!""Hmph! I don't have the right to take her with me? Well, you don't have the right to marry her. I must take her with me today. Worst comes to worst, I'll fight your family!"Though he was too weak to fight the powerful Baldwin family, Liam was never a coward. He would fight the whole world alone for the sake of Renee's happy and stable life."Calm down…"In comparison, Justin was calmer. He was probably more confident since it was his territory and he could affirm Renee would not leave with Liam. He started mocking Liam. "I'm not the kind of person who will force others to do things they refuse to do. If Ren wants to leave, I'll let her go even if my family disowns me. But I know that she won't leave. At the very least, she won't leave with you.""What do you mean?" Liam could tell that Justin was mocking him, and it annoyed him. "Why are
Liam felt that his situation at the fort was almost the same as Renee's current situation. He had thought that the marriage was just for show. If he was unhappy, he could get a divorce. Even then, things were not that easy when he wanted to get out of that mess. If Amber had not protected him, Benjamin would have long gotten him killed. He knew better than anyone else how unfair it was for the other party when one tolerated and went through with the marriage.Amber was naive and was willing to be treated unfairly, but Justin was no fool. He would not be able to take it if it lasted for a long time. It was easy to imagine what Renee would face when Justin stopped taking her side."Let's go! I'm not afraid. You don't have to be afraid, either." Liam made up his mind to support Renee, who was standing behind him.Renee bit her lips and started to waver; not because she did not want to be with Justin, but simply because she was not confident in herself. She was afraid she would neve
"Liam, what are you doing?" Leia looked at Liam, unable to understand his sudden excitement."I'm going to meet Austin or Justin. I want them to cancel this engagement ceremony." Liam held Renee's wrist and tried to drag her out of the suite.He was certain Renee didn't want to marry Justin, so it was very likely that she would regret it in the future. It would be hard to settle if she regretted it after the engagement party. Liam felt that he had to try his best to put everything under control while he still could. Feeling helpless, Leia complained, "Stop making a scene… This is Ren's marriage. You can't make all this fuss!""You don't know. I'm doing this for her. I want the best for her." Liam knew the consequences of resisting Austin, given the man's position. He was also ready to be punished by them. Even though he would be beaten up vigorously, he would not hesitate as long as he could stop the ceremony and help Renee avoid such risks. "If you want the best for her, just
Leia felt so awkward that she wanted to run away. "Hey, can you stop flattering yourself? You haven't settled your messy romance, so please don't get Ren involved. You shouldn't joke like that!"Similarly, Liam found his joke impudent and admitted to his mistake. "Yeah, I was wrong. Don't take my joke seriously."Both Renee and Leia were amused. It helped relieve their tension. "But have you thought it through? After this ceremony, you'll be a part of the Baldwin family. You can't regret it by then," Liam said; he was worried about Renee. Everyone knew the Baldwin family's style. They had such a grand ceremony today. If anything went wrong, the Everheart family might be ruined for the second time. Although nobody knew who would win the battle, the trouble could be avoided. Liam was clueless as to why Renee wanted to take such a risk."Yes, I have." Renee nodded and added firmly, "I'd thought it through the moment I boarded the plane with Justin to fly here."It was the last c
Renee was done getting ready. As her closest friend, Leia came to North City with Liam immediately.The engagement ceremony was held in a magnificent hall of a top hotel. The guests arrived one by one and chatted among themselves. It was a luxurious and grand scene. "Ren, I'm sorry I'm late!" Leia arrived at the hotel suite where Renee was waiting. She put her hands together to express her apology. "It's Liam's fault! He was out of his mind and insisted on not coming here, but I forced him to and took some time. Please don't be mad at me!""Silly, I won't be mad at you. Plus, this ceremony doesn't carry much meaning. The Baldwin family just needs this as an assurance. It doesn't matter even if you're absent."Renee looked indifferent and was not at all happy and eager like a bride-to-be. The engagement ceremony was held to announce to the world about the relationship between her and Renee. In all honesty, Renee was resistant to it. She did not want her family or friends to at
Margaret decided to be frank since Renee had said so. "I can tell that you don't sincerely love Mr. Baldwin. Your marriage is just a way to avoid reality. Why are you so harsh on yourself if that's the case? Now, you're making such a big fuss about moving here. If you fail to get along with him and have to return to Beach City in the future, many people will gossip about you. They'll say nasty things about you. Why do you have to put yourself in such a condition?""Margaret, you don't understand…" Renee looked at herself in the mirror. She looked very charming, like a bride in ancient paintings. Everyone would be charmed by her—including herself. She knew very well that she was the one taking the lead in her romance with Justin. They could go on forever as long as she didn't end it. She was just afraid she could not hold on and wanted to stop, and the only reason that she wanted to stop was probably because of Stefan. "If I stay in Beach City, I'll come across Stefan. I know t