Shadows of Destiny: A Tale of Liberation

Renee thought she was about to fall flat on her face.

Just then, a man wrapped his strong arm around her waist, catching her fall. The fresh scent of

peppermint filled her senses, entrancing the woman entirely.

"You're burning hot… Do you have a fever?" Stefan asked her with a hint of concern in his voice.

The urge to protect her sprang up in his mind, accompanied by the following thought.

'She's so thin and frail, like a feather.'

"This doesn't concern you!" Renee hissed through her teeth as she regained her balance. She

stubbornly tried to free herself from his arms.

After the procedure was done, she intended to walk away elegantly, leaving Stefan in the dust. She

wanted to avoid casting the impression that she was using her illness to gain sympathy.

However, no matter how tough she tried to act, her body was simply exhausted. Even after gaining her

footing, she staggered backward.

Seeing this, Stefan lifted her bridal style and said, "I'll get you to the hospital."

"What are you doing… Let go of me!" Visibly upset, Renee wriggled in his arms with all her might. "Do

you not remember that we've separated…"

"You're still considered my wife during the waiting period." The man insisted firmly.

Seeing them leaving together, Briar went into a state of panic. This was not what she wanted to

happen.

She immediately planted one of her hands on her hips feigning sickness. "Fan, wait up! I can't walk that

fast when I'm pregnant…"

"Stay here, I'll have Elijah pick you up later," Stefan said in a deep voice before turning back towards

Renee. "I can't stand back and watch when she's clearly ill."

Hearing this, Renee nearly rolled her eyes to the back of her head.

'What the hell is he doing?! First, he knocks up his mistress and forces his wife into a divorce. Now he's

acting as if he still cares for me?!'

'Who does he think he is? Is he trying to string me along? This jerk… Turns out he really is a perfect

match for Briar Desrosiers!'

'If that's how you want to play it, don't mind if I do too!'

Renee decided to switch up her strategy and she wrapped her arms around Stefan’s neck. While

batting her eyelashes flirtatiously, she said "Thank you, my dear ex-husband."

Stefan's eyes darkened as he was left speechless. No one could tell what was running through his

mind at the moment.

On the other hand, the color drained from Briar's face as she was consumed by sheer anger.

At the hospital, Stefan stayed by Renee’s side throughout the entire process. He even went as far as

waiting for the blood test results with her.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for the hospital to get back to them.

"Her temperature is currently 39.3 °C. You do realize that this is a viral infection, not a bacterial

infection, right?"

"If she got here any later, you'd find her a cold corpse rather than diagnosed with a fever."

After going through the report, the doctor adjusted his glasses and lectured Stefan sternly. "What kind

of husband are you? How could you let your wife wear such thin clothing in this cold weather, with a

fever no less? How heartless can you be?"

Just as Stefan was about to explain, Renee started speaking in a sickeningly sweet tone, choking on

fake tears. "Doctor, please don't blame him for this. He may have starved me and left me out in the

cold… He may be very temperamental and takes out his anger on me… He may have cheated on me

and forced me into a divorce, but… I'm willing to endure this much for him."

"He's just way too handsome, I couldn't possibly hold a grudge against him!"

Stefan was absolutely confused. 'What is she saying? Why is she so different from what I remember?'

The doctor seemed very taken aback as well, looking at the both of them in disbelief. 'Ah, the younger

generation… Always full of… surprises.'

"Your condition should stabilize once you've taken the pills I've prescribed. You may rest here till the IV

bag is emptied," said the doctor before leaving the ward.

With that, Stefan and Renee were the only ones left in the ward, which created an odd tension.

Despite being married for four years, the two rarely spent time alone together.

Stefan shoved his hands into his pockets and loomed over Renee, asking. "Are you done with the

games?"

Renee cleared her throat awkwardly and replied, "Yeah."

She was now aware that she could’ve lost her life if she had fooled around any longer.

"Why didn't you reschedule today’s meeting when you realized you had a high fever?"

Renee's cheeks were flushed red due to the fever. She lay still on the bed and was back to being the

defenseless little bunny that he was familiar with. Oddly enough, this made his heart ache for her.

"What's the point of rescheduling? It's inevitable anyway, isn't it, Master Hunt?" Renee replied softly.

Though she wished for Stefan's love, she knew she shouldn't let herself drown in that fantasy.

"Thank you for today. I'm fine now, you can leave now. Your pregnant lover is waiting for you, you

know!"

Her statement seemed to have snapped Stefan back to reality, as he responded. "Alright, I'll be off

then."

Just then, a tall slender figure entered the ward.

"Miss Everheart, how did you end up in the hospital over a divorce…