# Chapter 167: A Debt That Cannot Be Repaid
Hello everyone, it’s me again! How are you all doing? Today I will continue to walk with you and review Chapter 167 of **The Untouchable Ex Wife**. This chapter is a tender, painful storm of suppressed emotions, pride, and quiet sacrifices—along with a sharp twist that may uncover a hidden scheme. So grab a cup of tea, settle in, and let’s dive right in.
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The fluorescent lights of the hospital hallway hummed above Renee as she stood motionless outside the operating room. The surgery had gone on for what felt like an eternity, yet she did not dare move. Her feet ached. Her heart pounded. But all she could do was wait, pray, and silently urge the heavens to give her brother another chance.
Quinton was not just her brother—he was a pillar of their family, a fierce protector who had once terrified the underworld as the Night Demon. To see him lying helpless on the operating table was a kind of punishment no sister should have to bear.
She clutched her hands together, refusing to leave for even a second. And when the first sign of hope came, it was not from the doctors—it was from Stefan’s shadow as he quietly turned to walk away.
At the sight of his retreating back, a sudden impulse seized her.
“Wait,” Renee whispered.
Stefan stopped. He didn’t turn around. His voice came out haughty, hiding everything underneath it. “What now?”
Renee bit her lip. For a long, painful moment, she fought with herself. What could she possibly say to him? There was so much history between them—so much anger and hurt—that every word felt too heavy.
Finally, she forced the words out.
“Thank you.”
She took a deep breath and continued, as if she was trying to make peace with a battlefield of old memories. “My family was once on friendly terms with yours, but unfortunately, we’re enemies now. I hope that our families—as well as the Baldwins—can put aside their prejudices and find peace once Quinton is cured. I believe... that is what our ancestors would have wanted too.”
Stefan slowly turned to face her. She saw something flicker in his expression. Disappointment. Pain. Disbelief. And then he sneered.
“So, your only expectation of me is peace between our families?”
“What else would it be?” Renee’s voice was small, almost panicked. She couldn’t meet his eyes. So many things had happened between them—too many secrets, too much heartbreak—and she simply could not allow herself to grow close to him again. Not after everything. Not when her heart was already so confused.
“Nothing,” Stefan said with a bitter, mocking laugh. “That’s pretty good.”
And then he turned and left.
The moment his footsteps faded, silence crashed down around Renee. But behind Stefan’s cold mask, a storm was raging.
He felt like a clown. The moment Renee’s brother fell into danger, he hadn’t rejoiced. He hadn’t stood aside. Instead, he had gone out of his way—searching for a renowned doctor, calling in favors, using his own influence—just to bring that man back to life. For her.
Why?
He should have been moving toward Seraphina. Their families aligned perfectly; their backgrounds matched, their goals intertwined, and their mutual interests bound them together like steel chains. Seraphina’s love for him was sincere and bright, without shadows or hidden motives. She didn’t play games with his heart. She didn’t hide behind riddles and silence.
Renee, on the other hand, always kept her true feelings locked away behind a wall of caution and grief.
Stefan shook his head, forcing the warmth out of his chest. He should never let Seraphina down. She was the one who belonged by his side.
Still, as he walked away, the emptiness inside him refused to disappear.
Back in the hospital corridor, Renee stared blankly at the spot where Stefan had been standing. Her thoughts had scattered like leaves in a gust of wind.
Haze had watched everything from the side. He saw her pale, conflicted expression and his chest tightened with sympathy.
“You’re contradicting yourself, Renee,” he said quietly. “You want to drive him away, yet you can’t bear to let him go. So... what is it you truly want?”
“No,” Renee replied uneasily. “I want him to leave. I just... don’t want to owe him anything.”
Haze let out a bitter sigh. “Then you owe me a favor too. But you treat me very differently from him. Earlier, I almost had a chance—those three percent odds in my favor. But now? He went and hired the famous doctor. I’m afraid my three percent has spiraled into a negative number again.”
Renee did not answer. Her mind was filled with Stefan’s sneer, his mocking voice, the hurt hidden behind his arrogance. Haze was right. When she accepted Haze’s help, she felt calm—she could repay that favor someday. But when Stefan helped her, a heavy weight pressed against her every breath.
She felt as if she could never repay his kindness.
Not because the debt was too large, but because her feelings for him could never be settled with a simple transaction.
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At the same time, another commotion was erupting somewhere in the hospital.
A nervous young assistant stood trembling, a sheen of cold sweat on her forehead. She had apparently said something careless, and now she was trying desperately to backpedal.
“Please forgive us... and don’t make a scene,” the assistant stammered, her voice shaking. “If this goes any further, the hospital will go bankrupt!”
Leia, standing nearby, let out a disdainful snort. Her eyes sharpened like blades.
“You want to pay compensation? Do you even know who Quinton is?” She stepped forward, her voice rising with anger. “He’s the boss of Carmine Pawnshop. Everything in that shop is worth millions—billions. Do you really think your pathetic compensation means anything to him?”
“What?! You’re saying... the person who underwent surgery is the famous boss of Carmine Pawnshop? So... he’s the terrifying Night Demon?”
“Yes!” Leia’s tone burned with warning. “Although Carmine Pawnshop no longer does shady business, and Quinton no longer calls himself Night Demon, he is still powerful and influential. You dared to harm him so openly... Do you believe the people of Carmine Pawnshop will simply let you go? Do you think my bestie and I will ever forgive you?”
“We... We didn’t know it would turn out like this,” the assistant blurted out in panic. “If we had known he was the boss of Carmine Pawnshop, we wouldn’t have...”
She suddenly stopped, realizing she had revealed too much.
Leia’s eyes narrowed dangerously. She was not someone to let a slip like that pass.
“What wouldn’t you have done?”
“No... It’s nothing!” The assistant lowered her head, trembling. “I don’t know anything. Please don’t interrogate me—I’m just a mere assistant...”
But her shaking body and evasive words had already confirmed Leia’s suspicions. There was definitely something dark hidden beneath this so-called “accident.” The assistant knew exactly who had caused it, and she was terrified.
Leia slowly glanced around at the gathered onlookers. Then, stepping close to the frightened assistant, she lowered her voice to a whisper.
“Miss, don’t feel pressured. We can talk somewhere else.”
Her voice was sweet, but her eyes were cold.
Somewhere private, there would be no audience. No hiding. And certainly no mercy.
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**Reader’s Impressions & Star Rating**
This chapter pulled my heart in two directions at once. Renee and Stefan are so unbearably tragic together—both of them standing on opposite sides of an invisible wall, each too proud and too wounded to reach across. Watching Stefan swallow his hurt and call himself a clown broke my heart. And Renee’s confession that she “can’t repay his kindness” is so deeply relatable. It’s not about money or favors—it’s about love she doesn’t dare name.
Then Leia’s scene adds a perfect dose of tension, reminding us that not every threat comes from swords and guns. Sometimes it hides in a cowardly assistant’s trembling words.
I give this chapter **⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.8 / 5 Stars**.
**Next Chapter Prediction**
The private conversation between Leia and the assistant is going to unleash a new storm. That poor assistant will likely break down and reveal whoever orchestrated Quinton’s suffering—and the truth may trace back to someone Renee never expected. Meanwhile, Stefan’s hidden sacrifice might be thrown into the spotlight, forcing Renee to face what she has been avoiding: that she still loves him. Prepare for secrets, betrayal, and a heart-wrenching confrontation!
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