Isaac Chance and Madeline Snow were once the model couple of Shorestone City and the target of everyone's envy. After getting engaged, everyone thought they would soon walk down the aisle together.

However, there is no news of a wedding for six years. In the end, all Madeline gets is the news of Isaac returning to the country with another woman by his side. He doesn't hesitate to hurt her countless times for the woman's sake.

When her grandmother is on the brink of death after an illness, Madeline has no choice but to get into a shotgun marriage.

After leaving city hall with her marriage certificate, she ponders the situation. It turns out getting married is simple… as long as her husband isn't Isaac.

Madeline Snow walked out of city hall, staring dazedly at her marriage certificate. It turned out that getting a marriage registered only took ten minutes.

She couldn't believe she was actually married, and not to Isaac Chance, her fiancé. Her newlywed husband was a stranger she'd only known for less than a week.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Snow. I have an urgent mission, so we can only have our wedding in a month. Is that okay?" A deep, apologetic voice rang out beside her. She turned to look at the man.

The setting sun's rays shone down on him, accentuating his chiseled features and making his skin seem even more tanned than it was.

He stood with his back straight, and his expression was calm and composed. However, his actions were sharp and decisive. He was the perfect embodiment of a soldier.

He was her newlywed husband, Elijah Quilton.

"That's okay." Madeline nodded. "Your mission is more important."

Elijah smiled faintly before stepping forward to give her a quick hug. "We'll act as planned, then. I'll see you in Halston City in a month for the wedding. I'll pick you up after my mission, so wait for me."

The hug was over before Madeline could process it. Elijah turned and left.

Madeline stood there for a while longer to process the fact that she was married. Then, she tucked her marriage certificate into her bag and took a cab home.

The apartment was empty, as always, but she ignored that. She headed straight to the master bedroom to pack her things.

She and Isaac had been promised to marry since childhood, so it had been fine for her to live at his place before. But not anymore. Now that she was already married, it would be best to leave as soon as possible.

She'd just retrieved her suitcase when a voice rang out from the door. "Where are you going?"

Madeline looked up to see Isaac standing there after not returning for two weeks. His suit jacket was thrown over his arm, and he rubbed his forehead, looking exhausted.

"I've been swamped lately, Maddie. Please don't try something ridiculous like running away from home. I don't have the time to play games with you," he said irritably.

He was doing it again. He was always impatient when speaking to her—it was as if he'd had to squeeze out time from his schedule to entertain her.

She was genuinely about to leave, yet he only thought she was kicking up a fuss. She didn't want to waste her breath explaining anything, so she lowered her gaze and started to fold her clothes.

"The hospital is sending me to Icewind City soon, so I'm preparing for that."

Isaac faltered when he realized he had misunderstood her. His expression softened, and he said, "It's colder there than it is here, so remember to take warmer clothes."

"Okay."

He watched her rummage through the closet for more clothes. After some hesitation, he said, "I still want Rachel and Queenie to move in here, Maddie. I also need to have Queenie registered as my child. You know they don't have anyone to rely on in Summeria, and I owe them my—"

Madeline didn't wait for him to finish. She turned and interjected, "I'm okay with that. Bring them over."

She was about to leave anyway. It wasn't her business who moved into this apartment; she didn't want to have anything to do with the matter, either.

Rachel Livingston and her daughter, Queenie Livingston, had saved Isaac's life. They could even be considered Chance Corporation's saviors.

Half a year ago, Isaac had gone to Marvonia on a business trip. He'd encountered a terrorist attack there and had gone missing. He'd only reappeared a month ago at his grandmother, Marie Brown's 70th birthday celebration. He'd brought Rachel and Queenie with him.

It was a day when all of Shorestone City's upper crust had gathered, yet Isaac had appeared with his arm around another woman. He'd even introduced her and her daughter to everyone.

That day, he'd turned Madeline into the laughingstock of Shorestone City.

After the celebration, Isaac had explained to Madeline that he was only grateful to Rachel for saving him with her wits and courage. She'd also helped him keep the company's top-secret documents safe.

Madeline knew what she saw, though. His gaze wasn't just of gratitude when he looked at Rachel—there was no faking the love in his eyes.

In the past, she would've done everything possible to stop Rachel from invading her territory. Now, she wouldn't do that anymore.

Isaac didn't expect Madeline to agree so readily, and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. He was pleased by her compromise, so his attitude softened further.

"Don't worry, Maddie. Rachel will move out of here once she familiarizes herself with things here and gets a job."

Madeline didn't care about that. She switched the subject and said, "About our engagement—"

Isaac didn't want to broach the subject. He cut her off and said, "Work has been busy lately. We can talk about marriage later!"

"I'm not—"

Isaac's phone rang. He ignored Madeline and answered it, his gaze immediately turning tender. "What's wrong, Rachel? Does Queenie miss me? I'll be right there!"

He turned and hurried to the door. As he got there, he seemed to remember that Madeline had been speaking to him.

He turned back and said, "Prepare the guest bedroom for Rachel and Queenie by tomorrow, okay? That's when they move in."

He left, shutting the door behind him. Madeline was left alone in the apartment with an empty heart. She looked at her outstretched hand and forced a smile, her gaze dull.

She'd wanted to tell Isaac that their engagement was off, not that she wanted to get married.

When had he lost the patience to listen to her? Nowadays, his gaze was always impatient and annoyed whenever he looked at her. It was as if he hated communicating with her.

He hadn't been like that in the past, though.

The Snow and Chance families went back a long way. Madeline and Isaac had grown up together, and their bond was strengthened by their promise to marry. At one point, they'd been the model couple of Shorestone City.

While growing up, they had never expressed their feelings for each other. However, Isaac had always been there for her whenever she'd turned to look for him. He'd protected and supported her like a guardian angel. It seemed natural that they would get married once they were of age.

Things had changed when Madeline had turned 16. Her parents had died in an accident, and her shameless uncle and aunt had seized the Snow family's fortune. They'd barged into her parents' villa and treated her like a maid, even going as far as abusing her.

Isaac had protected her when her life had been at its darkest. He'd taken her back to the Chance residence and cared for her, which was how she'd completed her education and even become a doctor.

After graduating college, Madeline had thought it was time for her and Isaac to marry. She'd wanted to have an actual family that she could call hers.

Yet Isaac had become busier after taking over his family business. He kept telling her to wait, but six years had passed since then.

Isaac had gone from his initial patience to frowning whenever the engagement was mentioned. Madeline had thought it was because he was exhausted from work and told herself to be more accommodating. She shouldn't pressure him too much. It wouldn't be an issue for her to wait as long as he loved her, right?

That was what her mindset had been like before Rachel had come into the picture and destroyed all her fantasies.

It turned out Isaac could make arrangements for another person's life without losing his patience or finding it troublesome. It also turned out that he was capable of asking about every detail of someone's daily life because he was afraid of her getting bullied.

These were things he'd never done for Madeline.

Madeline's phone suddenly rang, interrupting her trip down memory lane. As the bitterness spread through her, she looked up at the lights to prevent her tears from following.

Then, she answered the call. It was from a nurse on duty. "Dr. Snow, the emergency room has just received a patient with a liver hemangioma rupture. All the other experienced surgeons are occupied. Could you take over if you have the time?"

Madeline immediately got to her feet. "Prep for surgery. I'll be right there."

It was 9:00 pm when she arrived at the hospital. Due to the severity of the patient's condition, she had to perform a partial liver removal surgery. When she emerged from the operating theater, it was past 2:00 am.

Madeline was physically and mentally exhausted after focusing all her attention on the surgery for such a long time. She returned to her office and immediately fell asleep on the cot there.

She didn't know how long she'd been asleep but was awakened when she vaguely sensed something being placed over her. She opened her eyes to see Heather Walden, the hospital dean, standing before her.

"Did I wake you up, Maddie? I thought of covering you with something when I saw you curled up like that. I didn't expect to wake you up. Honestly…" Heather looked upset with herself.

Madeline wasn't bothered. "It's okay, Ms. Walden. I've had enough sleep—I'll just take a nap when I get home after making my rounds."

Heather was Madeline's superior and also her mother's friend. She'd seen how hard Madeline had worked over the years. She was proud yet also sympathetic.

"Alright, then. Hurry up and make your rounds so you can go home." After that, she turned to leave.

Madeline hesitated before stopping her. "Ms. Walden, I… I want to tender my resignation."

Heather immediately turned back, her surprise evident. "Why? And so suddenly, too."

"I've gotten married."

The realization dawned on Heather when she heard that. She smiled and said, "Ah, yes. Your husband is the young man from the Chance family, right? Congratulations, Maddie. I'm glad to see your relationship with him has come to fruition after so many years."

Madeline forced a smile at Heather's misunderstanding but didn't explain.

Heather didn't notice this and continued excitedly, "Your grandmother's always wanted to see you get married, right? She'll have one less thing to worry about now."

Madeline's gaze softened at the mention of her grandmother, Shirley Green. This time, her smile was genuine. "All I want is for her to be happier."

It was Shirley's final wish for her to marry a nice man and start a family. If not for that, she wouldn't have been so hasty in marrying Elijah. His family had also been on his back about getting married.

She hoped Shirley would be pleased when she visited the latter and showed her the marriage certificate.

Madeline and Heather chatted some more before the former headed to the administrative department to tender her resignation. Then, she made her rounds before heading home.

She'd been up late last night and hadn't gotten much rest in her office, so her head spun with fatigue as she took a cab home. All she wanted to do was hit the sack and catch up on her sleep.

However, when she got home and entered the master bedroom, the scene that greeted her made her blood boil. Her anger burned away all her fatigue.

"What the hell are you doing, Queenie?" Madeline snatched the painting from Queenie. The oil painting had originally been an exquisite masterpiece, but black scrawls now ruined it.

Madeline's blood boiled, and her hands trembled with rage. This was the only thing her mother had left for her! She'd taken solace in it for countless days and nights, yet it had now been destroyed!

She glared at Queenie. Before she could say anything, the latter burst into tears. "You're so fierce, Ms. Snow! Hurry up and save me, Mommy! Ms. Snow wants to hit me! I'm scared!"

Rachel immediately ran over and pulled Queenie into her arms. "What's wrong, my darling?"

She soothed Queenie before turning to Madeline, seemingly having just noticed her standing there.

Then, she said almost sarcastically, "Queenie is just a child, Dr. Snow. I'll take responsibility and compensate you if she's done something wrong or broken something. You shouldn't harbor a grudge against a child."

She'd been born and raised in Marvonia, so she dressed and acted like the locals. Her blond hair fell past her shoulders in curls, and she dressed sexily. The provocation in her eyes was clear—she had no intention of apologizing.

Madeline's temples throbbed. She held up the painting and snarled, "Who allowed you to come into my room and destroy my things? You said you'll compensate me for this? How are you going to do that?"

Queenie hid behind Rachel and yapped away like a dog that knew its owner would stand up for it. "It's just a dumb painting, isn't it? I'll ask Isaac to pay you back for it, you petty woman! You're nasty!"

Madeline saw red and reached out to teach her a lesson. When Rachel saw this, she got an idea and ruthlessly shoved Queenie away, making her knock her head on the bedside table.

"Ouch! Mommy, it hurts! I'm bleeding!" Queenie screamed. She sat on the floor and wailed at the top of her lungs. Blood trickled from the wound on her forehead, and the situation looked dire.

Rachel immediately helped her up and pulled her into her arms. Her gaze was filled with heartache as she cried, "How could you have done something like that to a child, Dr. Snow? No matter how mad you are at her, you shouldn't have taken things so far! I'll apologize to you if that's what you want!"

Madeline had seen everything Rachel had done, so she frowned at her words. She didn't understand what the latter was up to. She got her answer in the next second, though.

"Queenie!" Isaac ran into the room and crouched before Queenie to check on her. Then, he turned to glare at Madeline. "Queenie is just a child, Madeline. How could you bear to hurt her?"

Madeline's heart froze over when she heard him conclude that she was at fault without even understanding the situation.

She stood there while clutching the painting, feeling like her energy had been zapped out of her. Her mouth felt dry, and her explanation was lodged in her throat.

Rachel tearfully spoke up on her behalf. "Dr. Snow isn't to blame for this, Isaac. Queenie and I got the wrong room—we thought Dr. Snow's bedroom was the guest room.

"We've always lived in the basement in Marvonia, so we couldn't help picking this room when we saw how well-lit it is. Also, Dr. Snow is only angry because Queenie touched her painting without her permission."

She sounded so pitiful that Isaac's heart immediately went out to her. He turned to Madeline again, even angrier than before. "It's just a dumb painting! Did you have to get physical over it? You've truly got a hell of a temper, Madeline! Apologize to Rachel and Queenie right now!"

A dumb painting? It was the only thing her mother had left for her!

Rachel wasn't aware of that, but could Isaac claim the same?

Madeline looked him in the eye and clutched the painting tightly. "I won't apologize. I didn't touch a hair on Queenie's head."

This pissed Isaac off even more. He snarled, "Even now, you refuse to admit your mistakes!"

Rachel tugged on his sleeve and put on an understanding act. "Forget it, Isaac. It's okay if Dr. Snow doesn't apologize. Queenie and I are the ones who have disrupted her life. It's only natural for her to be angry."

The more she said, the more Isaac found Madeline's expressionless face to be annoying.

He growled, "She doesn't deserve to get angry over every small thing! This is my apartment, and it's not up to an outsider to call the shots here! You and Queenie will stay in the master bedroom from now on, Rachel. She can take the guest bedroom!"