Renee frowned; she keenly caught something unusual in Francine's words.She looked around, and purposely lowered her voice as she asked Francine, "So Stefan has done such a humiliating and bad thing, but it isn't what we think? Was he in a tight spot?"At first, Renee felt that her choice to divorce was right. The man she fell for wasn't an irresponsible scumbag who indulged in his desires.She believed firmly that Stefan just wanted to cover up his difficulties, especially given how he suddenly turned so cold and ridiculous. He just wanted to make her hate him on purpose, then separate with her.Despite trying her hardest for a long time, Renee failed to find whatever it was that troubled him and was deeply disappointed. She once had high hopes for him, so she was unwilling to believe that he had a change of heart.Francine might be the one who knew Stefan best since she was his mother. Given her words, something that Renee wasn't aware of probably happened. "Um, well…" Francin
Of course, there might never be an objective truth. Renee was simply trying to save face, since she was reluctant to accept things as they were. "Don't say that," Francine said icily, her face serious. "I know you. You aren't that kind of person. If you are, my son wouldn't love you so deeply. Adie and Abby wouldn't be raised so well either.""Stop flattering me. I won't say bad things about him in front of the kids, but I won't glorify him either. I'll just tell them what I know. What I saw was that he insisted on leaving the kids and me for another woman. Isn't that bad of him?" Renee said. She approached Francine, her tone overbearing. She hoped Francine would tell her the truth, especially considering the latter's bad temper and straightforward character."No, you're wrong! My son isn't that kind of man! He did that for you and the kids. He was worried all of you would be sad, so he endured it all on your own. He cares about you and the kids, and he just wants all of you to
Being straightforward, Francine was about to expose the truth when a cold voice came from behind them."You woke up so early today, Mother?" Stefan looked icy and dangerous, as if he were about to fly into a rage. He seemed quite frightening.Francine, despite her boldness, immediately became timid. She pursed her lips and said, "Of course. You know I'm older now. I can't sleep much. I just happened to wake up early today." She breathed in, feeling some lingering fear. Fortunately, Stefan interrupted her in time before she blabbed about the truth.If she revealed the whole truth, he would hate her! That, and everyone would suffer. Renee might even take revenge on the Hunt family, given her temper. Francine might never get to meet Adie and Abby. In comparison, the current superficial peace was better despite there being some regrets. Renee didn't stop them from taking Adie and Abby to Hunt Manor, either. Maintaining the current situation was probably the best ending for Renee
When Francine suddenly left, Stefan felt ridiculous and awkward. He looked at Renee awkwardly, and explained, "You know my mother. She always speaks nastily, and doesn't watch her tongue. It gets worse now that she's older. Don't take it to heart.""Don't worry. I've heard things worse than that from her and I was fine with it. Plus, I think she's reasonable.""Where?" Stefan curiously whispered a question."The thing between men and women." Renee nodded in agreement. "It doesn't sound nice, sure, but it's full of simple knowledge." Stefan was speechless. "You two are insane. You should stop spending time with her." Francine's madness knew no limit. If Renee spent a long time with Francine, Francine's bad habits would rub off on her. Renee couldn't stop herself from asking, "Anyway, what am I doing here?" She remembered leaving the restaurant first, but she was dizzy since she was drunk. She had no idea where she had gone to. Later, she remembered accidentally walking i
Stefan's words brought silence to the two of them.Stunned, Renee moved her lips. She wanted to say something, but in the end, she decided against it. "Mrs. Hunt was right. I should leave. If not, things will get more troublesome when Grandpa wakes up," she finally said. From Stefan's words, there was a possibility they would get tangled up again. If he was afraid of recalling their past and feelings, he must still harbor affection for her. However, Renee was exhausted by it all. She wanted to stop feeling conflicted about such things. It was fine whether he still had feelings for her or not. All she wanted was a safe and peaceful life. If she kept getting mixed up with him, it wouldn't do any good. They would just get hurt. Hence, it was unnecessary. Renee stood up straight, acting like an emotionless robot. She brushed past him and went downstairs.Stefan stood rooted to the spot, silent and poker-faced. One step, two steps, three steps… Their backs were faced against
Had Renee been the one who learned the truth that day, Stefan was sure that the situation would be even more painful. "I don't know what you're trying to hint at. If it were in the past, I would have gotten to the bottom of it. But now, I'm exhausted. I don't want to get tangled up with you again. You know what? I'm exhausted!" Renee said.She looked torn and agitated, and was trembling slightly. She was trying hard to not break down on the spot. "It's like you're fishing. When you got me by the hook, you let me go. But when I swim away, you put out some fish feed. Do you think that's fun? Does making me a fool out of me satisfy you that much?" Renee couldn't take it anymore. Her eyes turned red as she vented her true feelings in front of Stefan, as if she had been suppressing them for quite a while. She had appeared casual and straightforward the entire time. She parted with him on good terms, and was even willing to begin a new relationship. She also wished he could choose a
They spoke as if they were going to stay apart forever. It sounded melancholic. Renee, however, found it amusing. She turned around and kept going downstairs without pausing. As she almost walked out of the entrance of Hunt Manor, she happened to bump into Timothy. "Ren?" Timothy was exercising, clad in sports attire. He stretched his neck and rubbed his eyes, repeatedly trying to ensure he wasn't mistaken. "It's morning. I'm sure this isn't an illusion. What are you doing back home?" "Grandpa…" Renee had tried all means to avoid Timothy, but she still failed to do so. She simply walked over and greeted him generously. "I got drunk last night. It was Stefan who took care of me and brought me home. I was about to say hello to you when you woke up.""So you were the woman last night. I knew it! Stef wouldn't be so stupid and bring another woman home." When Timothy learned that Renee was the woman Stefan brought home last night, he wasn't very surprised. Besides, he had gue
"Stop lying to me! I know you've drawn a line and regarded my family as outsiders, haven't you?" Timothy said.Being a smart person, he could see the change in Renee's emotions. Although he was sad, he had to accept it."I don't blame you. Everyone is entitled to their choices. You chose to keep some distance between us because it might set you at ease. That's very normal," he said. "Thank you, Grandpa. I'm glad that you can understand me." Renee stopped pretending. She admitted that her feelings toward the Hunts had changed. There was now a rift between them."You don't have to worry about the kids' upbringing. I won't give them the wrong idea. I'll tell them their father, grandparents, and great-grandfather are very good people. I'll encourage them to come and visit you, too," Renee promised sincerely. She wasn't a petty woman, and would never manipulate the children to vent her dissatisfaction toward Stefan. On the contrary, she always regarded the children as individuals i