LOGINStefan brushed the snowflakes off his shoulders. His handsome face was etched with exhaustion from the harsh wind and cold, but his eyes were still as focused as ever. When he looked at Renee, they remained just as intense and full of love."Ever since you left, I've been following behind you while keeping my distance." Stefan let out a soft sigh and confessed without holding anything back."What?" Renee was a little surprised.She had suspected that their encounter hadn't been a coincidence, but she never imagined that he had been traveling with them for so long. No wonder she'd kept feeling like someone was watching her throughout the journey.In fact, it wasn't just this road trip. For a long time, she'd had the feeling that she was being watched by someone. Every time she quickly turned around to look, there was nobody there.Renee had assumed she was simply too exhausted or too preoccupied with her thoughts, making her overly sensitive and causing her to imagine things.No
"Dad! It's Dad!"Renee hadn't even had time to open the car door when she heard the kids' excited voices.Adie and Abby were pressed against the windows, jumping up and down as they shouted."Are you two so scared you've lost your minds, or are you still day-dreaming?"There was no way Renee believed they could run into Stefan at this time, in a place like this. The odds were probably lower than her chances of meeting an alien."Mom, it really is Dad! Open the door!"Adie turned around and urged Renee to unlock the door."Yeah, right. Not only is your dad there, but aliens too!" Renee teased the kids before making them back away. She then cautiously opened the door.The moment it swung open, the figure standing outside came into full view.He was tall, broad-shouldered, handsome, and had a melancholy look on his face. Even if that face had been scarred all over, she would still have recognized him.Who else could it be but Stefan?"You…"Renee stared at the man standing in
"Get back! Hurry, get back!" Renee shouted while frantically waving at her two kids. Her voice was hoarse.As the silhouette drew closer, she realized it wasn't a person at all. It was the kind of grizzly bear often found in Jarenia.A grizzly bear could stand as tall as an adult. Under the cover of darkness, it could walk upright like a human and even wave at people, tricking them into lowering their guard before launching an attack.The strength of an adult grizzly bear was enough to crush a human skull with a single swipe.The two kids finally saw what the silhouette really was and froze in terror."Get inside! Close the door! Hurry, hurry!"Although Renee was nearly beside herself, she forced herself to remain calm. She wrapped an arm around each of her kids and quickly rushed back into the vehicle before slamming the door shut.The grizzly bear seemed almost intelligent. Seeing that its attempt to lure them out had failed, it let out several furious roars at the sky before
"Damn it!"After getting out of the car and checking it over, Renee cursed under her breath.The engine had stopped running because of the pressure and temperature issues, and no matter what she did, she couldn't get the car started again.She pulled out her phone with the intention to call roadside assistance, but she then realized there was absolutely no signal out here in the middle of nowhere.The sky had completely turned dark, and the temperature had suddenly plummeted.Accompanied by the howling cold wind, the darkness seemed like a demon opening its enormous maw before slowly closing in on them.Renee stared at the desolate wilderness before her. There wasn't a single person or light in sight beneath the pitch-black sky. For the first time, she truly felt how insignificant human beings were in the face of nature and the vastness of the world.They were like specks of dust. One gentle gust of wind was enough to scatter them into nothingness. It didn't matter how richly th
“I really can’t understand how Stefan could be so heartless. How could he just disappear like that, abandoning his own wife and children? I honestly wonder if he ever loved Ren at all.”Thinking about everything that had happened over the past six months, Leia couldn’t help feeling heartbroken for Renee.“Maybe it’s not because he’s heartless. Maybe he’s just too ashamed to face her.”Liam sighed.As a man himself, he could actually understand what Stefan had done. It was much like how he had left Amber back then and never gone back to look for her.Amber had always held a place in his heart, but he also knew that they would never see each other again.There were too many obstacles between them. Since they could never overcome those obstacles in this lifetime, the only choice was to let go. In that regard, he was no different from Stefan.“Quinton, what do you think? Are we really going to let Ren take the kids on a road trip by herself?” Joanne asked. Like Joanne, Leia was de
Six months later, at the beginning of winter, snow began to fall.The snowflakes were small, landing on their hair and shoulders like tiny, eight-pointed ice crystals.Renee had finally pushed most of Azure Group's projects forward. It was time for her to take a break.She rented an RV and planned to take the kids on a road trip. They would first traverse the Marine Highway into the inland mountains before taking Route 318 straight to Lavendale, one of the most remote places in the world."What? You're taking Adie and Abby on a road trip to Lavendale?"Quinton was the first to object when he heard the idea."Lavendale is a high-altitude region, and the kids are still so young. What if they get altitude sickness? Some of the roads are difficult to drive on, too. What if you run into a blizzard? And even if you manage to avoid one, what if you encounter wild wolves or bears? The consequences could be disastrous!"Listening to Quinton list all the risks, Renee simply smiled. "So wh
"What background?" Renee dragged Quinton to the side and whispered, "How could you say that? Wasn't that child… yours?" As a woman and mother, she could empathize with Joanne. The man Joanne regarded as family and admired as a brother imprisoned her and took advantage of her. In the end, he even cru
Exhausted, Renee finally understood how helpless a parent would be when their children reached the rebellious stage. The current Quinton acted like a rebellious child. The different thing was, a rebellious child would at most talk back. Quinton, on the other hand, would put them into action. It was
Everyone's eagerness turned into disappointment.Leia frowned and glanced at Justin. "You're so stingy, Mr. Baldwin. You rarely get Renee gifts, but the one time you do, you get her a keyboard?"Xavier sighed and said mockingly, "I, for one, am relieved to see Mr. Baldwin's gift. Renee... I think you
On the contrary, they behaved like they had survived a thunderstorm and were terribly injured. They had lost their previous enthusiasm and hope for the future. "Mushroom, stop moving! You won't look nice if I don't pick you properly," Renee instructed seriously as she squatted down. Then, she faced







