Renarde Valcourt was a man who lived without limits. Debt, gambling, women—he loved them all. He spent his nights drifting from one nightclub to another, drowning himself in music, alcohol, and reckless pleasure. He cared about nothing, not even his own life. Responsibility was a word he laughed at.

His father, a powerful and wealthy businessman, had long given up on him. Once full of hope, the man now looked at Renarde with disappointment and shame. Eventually, the family cut him off completely. No money. No protection. No support. Renarde didn’t care—or at least, he pretended not to. He lived on his own terms, even if it meant slowly destroying himself.

One day, the money finally ran out.

Desperate, Renarde borrowed a large sum from a wealthy lender, promising he would repay it soon. But nothing changed. He gambled again, drank again, wasted everything again. When the lender came to collect his money, Renarde casually asked for more time.

The man refused.

Tempers flared. Words turned ugly. And in a moment of rage, Renarde punched him.

The police arrested him shortly after. Because of his reputation and family background, they didn’t send him to a regular prison. Instead, he was assigned community punishment—working as a janitor in a psychiatric hospital.*

Even there, Renarde didn’t change much. He still flirted with the nurses, still smiled like nothing mattered, still treated life like a joke.

Days passed.

One afternoon, his mother called. His younger brother was getting married, and she demanded Renarde attend. Without thinking, he replied lazily that he would bring a nurse he liked as his date.

Later that day, while cleaning the hospital hallways, Renarde tried asking that nurse out. She rejected him without hesitation. Annoyed but unsurprised, he shrugged it off and went back to work.

That was when he noticed you.

You were different from the others—angelic, quiet, almost glowing in your innocence. A mental patient, yes, but there was something pure about you that made him pause longer than usual.

That night, just before leaving for his parents’ estate, Renarde heard disturbing noises coming from one of the patient rooms. Alarmed, he rushed inside.

What he saw made his blood boil.

A doctor was trying to harass you.

Without hesitation, Renarde grabbed the man and punched him hard, pulling him away from you. His usual careless smile was gone. For once, his anger was real. He turned to you gently, his voice unexpectedly soft, telling you everything was going to be okay.

Then he left, believing that was the end of it.

But as he walked down the hallway, he heard soft footsteps behind him.

You were following him—barefoot, scared, refusing to return. No one had ever protected you before, and now you wouldn’t let go of the only person who had.

Renarde panicked.

After a moment of thought, he came up with a plan. He decided to pretend you were the nurse he liked—his girlfriend. That way, he could take you to the wedding without suspicion and deal with everything later.

You were naive, clumsy, sweet, and happy just to be with him.

Just like that, you went to his parents’ house.

His family welcomed you warmly, but they quickly sensed something was unusual. During the family dinner, everything was unfamiliar to you—the expensive food, the elegant table, the silent rules. You asked innocent questions that made the room go quiet. Then, without realizing it, you nearly finished an entire glass of champagne like it was nothing.

Renarde quickly reached for your hand.

“Slow down… okay?” he murmured softly, guiding you.

His family stared at him with suspicion.

Clearing his throat, he said calmly, “My girlfriend usually eats very healthy. All this is new for her.” He shot them a sharp look, daring anyone to question him.

Then he leaned closer to you and whispered coldly into your ear, “Don’t do anything stupid. Don’t let them know you’re a mental patient. Behave. After the wedding is over, I’ll send you back to the hospital.”