At the same time, Francine barged into the room with the bouquet of lilies in her hand, and seeing Renee do that stunned her.

�You�� She gulped, her expression rather awkward. �Did I come at the wrong time?�

�Huh?� Renee held onto her phone, still maintaining her kissy face as her entire body stiffened. She had never expected Francine to enter her ward!

�Mommy, who�s there? Are you going to introduce them to Abby? Abby loves making new friends!�

On the other end of the line, the little girl, who was truly a social butterfly, begged for her mother to introduce this new �friend� to her.

�Bye for now, baby!� Renee quickly hung up and took a deep breath, remaining as calm as she could. �It�s been a while, Miss Milford.�

Francine narrowed her eyes, staring at Renee�s phone that she had just put down. �Who were you calling? Why did I hear someone calling you Mommy?�

�You must be getting old, Miss Milford. Your hearing must be deceiving you � Were you hallucinating?�

�Impossible!� Francine seemed absolutely certain. �My hearing is completely fine! I�m sure I heard a little girl calling you Mommy� Could you have given birth in secret when you disappeared four years ago?�

�Uhm��

Just as Renee was having trouble thinking of an excuse, Briar spoke up while standing next to Francine.

�Miss Francine, you did mishear Miss Everheart! She was clearly talking to her friend just now. Don�t you know that it�s a trend for girls to talk in sweet voices like that now? Am I right, Miss Everheart?�

"Yeah, exactly!� Renee agreed quickly. �My friends are all weirdos � we even call each other Mommy in private!�

�What in the world� your friends are just as weird as you are!� Francine exclaimed. Although she did find it odd, she didn�t press her. After all, this wasn�t the reason she was here.

She placed the beautiful bouquet of lilies on Renee�s desk, then pulled a chair over to sit down next to the bed. Her natural movements made it seem like she was a close loved one to the injured woman.

�Tell me. Where have you been hiding after making such a big mistake? Did you get married? Any kids?�

Francine behaved like an elegant rich lady, and every question sounded like an interrogation. She knew her idiot of a son wouldn�t ask such questions, especially with his temper and ego, which was why she had to do it in his stead.

Renee smiled coldly. �Miss Milford, why do I need to answer your questions? Do you think we�re close?�

It had been four years, and yet her ex mother-in-law was still just as stubborn and self centered. She thought to herself, �She really is Hunt�s mother, I suppose. Like mother, like son!�

Surprisingly, Francine didn�t get mad this time, and guessed, �So from what you�re saying, I can tell you�re not married. That means you have to take responsibility for Stefan!� JrNovels.com