"Is my body really that magical?" Renee asked in surprise, and Stefan came to mind again. I must be because of those precious herbs he had risked his life for. She felt grateful to him, and her resentment slowly ebbed away. Although they couldn't be together, they peacefully separated with love and respect for each other. It was considered a good ending too."Yeah, that's right!" Damon looked at Renee excitedly. "If we experiment on your bones or blood, it'll be a huge breakthrough for the medical field!" Quinton immediately stood in front of Renee protectively, glaring at Damon angrily. "What kind of crap is that? My sister is a human being, not a lab rat. How can you even think of using her for experiments? If you dare to try it, I'll experiment on you!""Calm down, sir, it was just a theory. I wouldn't do experiments on people." Damon hurriedly smiled and explained himself. "That's not the issue right now. You should get Tiffany hospitalized first. The doctor said she needs to
"She was kidnapped…" After hesitating briefly, Renee decided to tell Damon the truth. "The kidnapper was your wife.""Oh, I see..." Damon frowned, not looking surprised at all. "I figured as much since she and Tiffany went missing together. I was waiting for her to get in touch with me, but I didn't expect her to go crazy and kidnap my daughter. She's really lost her mind... By the way, where is she?" He looked around. "S-She's dead!" Renee admitted. "She took the kids to a deserted island, but there was a hurricane, so they hid in a cave. We got away, but she didn't…" Renee told Damon everything, hoping he would resolve things. "She's dead?" Damon's expression changed briefly, then he shrugged indifferently. "She's been wanting to die for a long time now. Maybe this was what she wanted.""What?!" Renee's eyes bulged in disbelief. Damon's wife had died such a miserable death, but he was so calm. What kind of family was this? "She was your wife. Aren't you sad at all? Don't you wa
"We can't do anything about it anyway." Quinton sighed deeply. He could tell that Tiffany's family was strange, especially Damon. But even so, they were just outsiders. The most they could do was pity Tiffany. "You're not Tiffany's guardian, so the most you could do is advise Damon, but it's his business how he wants to raise his child. You can't meddle in that." Quinton frowned and continued, "You'd better worry about your child instead. I think something's wrong with Adie. He seems to be going through something he doesn't want to tell us about. Why don't you try to talk to him?" "Yeah, I noticed that too." Renee forced herself to look away from Tiffany. "That boy is distancing himself from me. I was planning to talk to him anyway.""Do it well. Don't let your anger get in the way and don't threaten to beat him up. He looks strong, but is actually quite fragile and sensitive. You can't be too harsh with him," Quinton instructed Renee. Many parents felt that they could be rough with
Renee arrived at Adie's wards with those doubts in her mind. Leia and Abby were in the ward with Adie, but Adie was lying in bed listlessly without interacting with them much. He also seemed more aloof with Abby. Abby tried to hold his hand a few times, but he shook her hand off. "Adie, why are you sad? Just smile—you look the best when you smile. Can you smile?" Abby wasn't upset even though Adie ignored her. She tried to make funny faces at him to make him laugh."I told you I don't want to. You're annoying. Get lost!" Adie looked more unhappy and pushed Abby away. Renee happened to see that scene when she opened the door, and immediately shouted at Adie, "What are you doing, Adie? You're her elder brother!" She walked to Abby and hugged Abby, trying to pacify her. "Are you hurt? It's okay, I'm here now." "No, I'm not." Abby shook her head and whispered, "Adie is just playing. I'm sure he's scared because someone bullied him, that's why he's not smiling." "I'm not scared!"
Adie's expression became pitiful when he heard that, and he shook his head. "No, I'm not. I like you the most, Mommy. You're the best in the world. I won't be mad at you no matter what happens.""Then, why didn't you want to come back? You've always been very sensible, so you should have known that everyone was worried about you, right?" Renee asked in frustration. She didn't mind him being naughty sometimes or having his own opinions, but he shouldn't play around with his life or trouble people who loved him."I didn't come back because I thought that maybe… you didn't want me to!" Adie finally admitted. "I'm sure you love Abby and Daddy more than me, and I'm not that important to you either. You won't be sad even if I'm gone.""What are you talking about, Adie?" Renee asked in surprise, not expecting her open-minded son to be so delicate. "You're my child. Of course, I love you. I would risk my life for you!" The one thing that mattered most to her was her children's safety. Her c
Renee sincerely apologized to Adie, hoping he would give her another chance. "You know, this is my first time being a mom, so I'm quite inexperienced. If you think I'm wrong, you should tell me, and I'll try to rectify it.""Mommy, don't do this..." Adie got scared seeing Renee being so gentle with him. "You're not acting like yourself. It's like you're possessed…" Renee was stunned, and she tried to suppress her urge to grab a feather duster and hit him. She forced a smile onto her face. "What do you mean? It's still me… but gentler. I'm usually very tender but I've got to be strict sometimes so you both will listen to me. Since you don't think that's good, I'll be sweeter to you. What do you think? Is a gentle mommy the kind of mommy you like?" Her whole face was stiff trying to maintain her smile. She hoped she could be the kind of mother Adie wanted."No, Mommy, please act normal. I was wrong to ask for too much—your past self was already good," Adie begged. Renee was never thi
"W-What did you say?" Renee's smile immediately disappeared, and her expression turned fierce. "I'm not sure I heard you. Be clear.""Mommy, you said you wouldn't get mad or hit me." Adie knew Renee was about to lose her temper, and calmly continued, "If you're mad, I'll stop. You can hit me too if you want, you don't have to hold yourself back.""Hey, no. I'm not mad!" Renee touched Adie's head forcefully, almost hurting him. She gritted her teeth and said, "I promised that I wouldn't get mad. I won't break my promise!""Okay!" Adie nodded and started explaining his plan. "Honestly, I'm not happy here in Beach City. I loved the free life we lived on Sun Island. I miss the ocean, the beach, the manta ray I fed, and my mysterious small house… Beach City is so boring, and the kindergarten is so childish. I've already learned the entire elementary school syllabus, and everything is so boring. What's the difference between staying in a classroom every day and going to jail?" Adie had wa
It was not the first time Adie had wanted to return to Sun Island. He had seriously considered the pros and cons of living there, and felt like it wouldn't be too difficult at all. "I can buy the things I want at the market, and if I really miss being around people, I'll come back on a plane. But I don't really like crowds." Although he could get along with people, he preferred being alone. It took so much effort to socialize, and it wasn't even fun at all. He preferred being in a quiet environment doing whatever he wanted to do, which was why he was best friends with Tiffany."Do you want to go back there?" Renee asked hesitantly. Since Adie had considered a lot of things, it was clear that this was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. "It's possible for you to go back there."Adie's eyes lit up. "Really? Are you willing to let me go back to Sun Island?" Adie didn't expect to get Renee's approval at all—in fact, he had been prepared to get beaten up by her."Yeah!" Renee nodded casua
"What's that?" Justin frowned and said with disdain, "That's something to fool naive women like you. Only lovestruck fools will believe that." As a materialistic person, he never believed in things like horoscopes and fortune-telling. At most, they were mixed with some psychology. They weren't trustworthy at all.If Renee wanted to use those things to talk about their relationships and destinies, it would seem very childish. "Don't be so extreme. Those things are real and logical." Renee acted like an experienced salesperson and gradually eliminated Justin's prejudice. She said patiently, "If you believe those things, they can guide you and help you to see things through. If not, you can use them to kill time. Just try to get to know them. Isn't that nice?"Finally, Justin was convinced. He had some milk and asked her leisurely, "Fine. Tell me what kind of relationship we have based on those things." "I learned that our relationship is a declining friendship based on our birt
"I…" Renee paused. For a moment, she had no idea how to answer that question."Don't put yourself in a difficult position. Just follow your heart," Justin said calmly. "If you want to stay, my family will still welcome you readily. If you want to leave, I'll come up with a way to help you leave smoothly."After listening to Justin, Renee answered honestly, "Maybe it's better for me to leave, though I know this choice will hurt you."She could choose to stay to protect Justin's dignity and give Austin a good explanation. It would be more relaxing and steadier for her. However, Renee knew that it could only last briefly. She would cause Justin greater harm. She might as well be decisive and stop the damage in time. "Don't say that." Justin cracked a bitter smile and said with relief, "I've stopped taking things too seriously. If you like me, you won't stop loving me even if we're apart. Similarly, you'll think about another man if you don't like me, even though you're always b
Austin was having breakfast in the dining room. When he saw Justin and Renee walk over intimately, he finally believed that they had slept together. They seemed like a real couple."Good morning, Grandpa Baldwin!" Renee obediently greeted Austin just like before. She acted normally."Good morning." Austin nodded, unable to suppress his smile. After sizing them up, he calmly said to Renee, "We know how apologetic you are after you toasted to us last night. We'll forget about the past. You're still a part of my family." "Grandpa!" Justin interrupted Austin; he was very protective of Renee. "She's a woman, and we're not married yet. Please don't say that. A woman's reputation is the most important thing.""You…" Austin wanted to refute Justin, but their conflict was just resolved so it would be bad to pressure them more. He shook his head and said, "Fine. You two always have a bland romance. Finally, you've made some progress. I'll let you two decide what to do next.""Got it, Gr
"Hey, Haze! What are you doing? Get off of me!" Renee struggled in confusion."Hush!" Justin gestured and stopped her.In a while, someone unlocked the door of the room."Mr. Baldwin, let me help you and Ms. Everheart change your clothes." A kind middle-aged woman walked into the room casually. When she found them sleeping together intimately, relief washed over her. "Oh, you guys are still sleeping… Fine, I'll leave you be." Then, the woman exited the room.After that, Justin stopped hovering above Renee, looking awkward. "I'm sorry. It happened all of a sudden. If I hadn't done that, they wouldn't let us go. I just did a small thing to resolve the issue." Justin was fully aware of Austin's thoughts. Although Austin was still angry at Renee, he was satisfied with her and wanted to see her get into a real intimate relationship with Justin. If that did not happen, Austin might tie them up together since the drug had failed. Justin could only act with Renee to avoid the in
Renee grinned, satisfied after a long rest. "Why didn't you sleep a bit longer? This bed is comfortable and fluffy." While talking, she behaved like a fish as she extended her limbs and rolled around in bed childishly. In comparison to her calmness and ease, Justin behaved gingerly and did not dare to move as he lay in bed."Do you have any idea what had happened? We aren't dreaming. We're lying in the same bed," Justin said.He was certain that Renee was not fully awake. It explained why she was that composed. Otherwise, any normal woman would get out of bed with a start and keep screaming if they found herself lying in a man's bed."I know!" Renee said. After having a great time rolling around, Renee faced Justin with her head on her arm while lying on her side. "I wanted to drink wine to say sorry to you guys last night, but your family drugged the wine. You drank the same wine when you tried to stop me. We were controlled by the drug and were locked up in this room. T
Renee instantly understood what Justin meant by that. It turned out that the incident was just a part of the Baldwin family's plan. If she left, the Baldwin family would not easily let her off the hook.Justin still cared about her at a time like that, which moved her. "Thank you. You're great." Renee cried; she had no idea how to repay him. "You don't have to thank me. I'm not so great, either. I just hate that they always pester me." Justin purposely sounded relaxed. He finally calmed himself down as he casually grabbed some bandages to bandage his wound. Then, he lay in bed.He slept on one side of the bed and said to Renee, "It's late. You should rest early. This bed is large enough. If you don't mind, you can lie in bed too."The bed was large. It was more than enough even if Renee and Justin lay there."I…" Renee hesitated briefly before she finally got in bed. She trusted Justin. If he wanted to do something indecent to her, he would have long done that. He would no
"I don't know how to tell you. I'm sure you can understand." Renee could not bring herself to say more because it was a humiliating privacy. She might as well keep it to herself."Let me guess…" Justin's gaze grew sharp as he went straight to the point. "The man in your story is Stefan, isn't it?" Silence washed over Renee as she kept her head bowed. It was a silent approval.Justin burst into reckless laughter, which was scary. He looked down at his cut wound and laughed pathetically. "This is why he could make you fall in love with him, and I couldn't. I'm too cultured compared to him.""Don't say that, Haze!"Seeing how defeated Justin was, Renee became uneasy. "It isn't written in the stars for us. Plus, I've fallen in love with Stefan a long time ago before I even got to know you. I also rely on him physically and psychologically. I can't control my feelings. It's not something we can change. We…" "Stop!" Heartbroken, Justin pushed away everything in front of him and s
Time passed by. Gradually, the pain knocked some sense into Justin. He no longer wanted to take advantage of Renee."Let me get you some water." Renee had no idea what she could do for Justin. After some contemplation, she got to her feet and poured him a glass of water.Finally, she studied the room closely and found that it was a wedding room as Justin had mentioned. Everything was set up according to her preferences, which she had occasionally mentioned to Justin. For example, she loved keeping some ceramic ornaments on the bedside cabinet and hanging some seashell wind chimes at the windows. The entire room was painted in beige and green, which were her favorites, too. Beige gave a sense of warmth, while green gave a sense of gloominess. All of those details became the perfect wedding room for Renee.If everything went on smoothly, she would spend most of her time there, and he would be her life companion. Unfortunately, there were no ifs in the world.Renee handed the gla
Renee covered her lips, her tone filled with disbelief. "I…cut myself." Justin leaned against the corner and frowned deeply. He was in deep pain."Why did you cut yourself?" Renee was scared out of her wits and grew more sober. In her panic, she threw herself at him and tried to stop his bleeding.Justin reacted aggressively as he waved his dagger and warned fiercely, "Get away from me! Don't touch me!" "I…" Renee paused, too afraid to act recklessly. She pointed at his wound and said, "I'm just worried about you. You're bleeding. It must hurt a lot. Why did you hurt yourself?" "It's better to be in pain!" Justin gnashed his teeth and said in agony, "The pain will knock some sense into me, so I won't act like an animal and lose control of myself.""I see…" Stunned, Renee was moved to tears. She understood why he cut himself. Surprisingly, he wanted to stay sober and not be controlled by the drug in the wine.He could have used her to satisfy his desire, and she would never b