"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!"

Isaac's words stabbed Madeline's heart like knives. She swayed on her feet.

An outsider? Was that all he considered her after all these years?

It was laughable!

Rachel was delighted to hear this but feigned concern and said, "We can talk about the sleeping arrangements later. Queenie's injury is too serious. Can you accompany me to the hospital so we can get it tended to, Isaac?"

He immediately lifted Queenie into his arms and turned to leave. Rachel followed him.

Madeline stopped him and said plainly, "Let's call off the engagement, Isaac."

He didn't believe she was being serious and thought this was another one of her tricks. He didn't even turn back as he said, "I've had it up to here with your dumb tricks. Stay here and reflect on your mistakes!"

With that, he hurried off with Rachel and Queenie.

As soon as the door was shut, Madeline felt her strength leave her. She slowly crouched on the floor with the painting in her arms. It was almost as if she were holding her whole world.

Tears filled her eyes as bitterness washed over her. Her nose prickled, and she found it hard to breathe. Her vision seemed to go black.

She didn't know how long she stayed there crouched up like that; she only moved when her phone vibrated. A notification indicated that Rachel had requested to follow her on Instagram. She approved the request, but Rachel didn't follow up with anything else.

Just then, she received a text from a colleague. "I just shared an Instagram story for a giveaway, and I need people to like it. Could you help me, Dr. Snow? Please!"

Madeline scrolled through the available stories to look for the colleague's story when Rachel's stories caught her attention. They were mainly photos of Isaac sitting by Queenie's bedside and peeling an apple for her. Rachel had captioned, "Thank the heavens for bringing you to me."

The last story was a video that hadn't been muted. Rachel and Isaac's conversation was recorded.

Rachel asked worriedly, "Are you sure things will be okay with Dr. Snow, Isaac? She looked like she was packing her things earlier. What if she's so angry that she moves out?"

Isaac sounded like he couldn't care less. His tone even carried a hint of mockery. "She's just an orphan. Where can she go? At most, she'll go out of town to perform a surgery or two. I've seen her pull this trick one too many times."

Madeline locked her phone and shut her eyes as she laughed bitterly. She felt pathetic.

Her memories of Isaac standing before her and shielding her from harm now felt like knives stabbing into her. They reached her bones and hurt her to the core.

…

Madeline didn't return home for a week after that. She stayed at the hospital and worked longer hours than before. She was genuinely busy—she needed to clear the surgeries she'd already scheduled, and it didn't help that there had been a huge fire in the city.

There was an increase in the number of patients requiring surgery, and all the surgeons were so busy that they could barely catch their breath.

"Thanks for your hard work, Dr. Snow!" a colleague said.

Madeline took off her surgical mask and nodded in acknowledgment. She changed out of her scrubs and headed to her office. Before she could even drink water, Rachel came over with Queenie in tow.

"Please don't chase Queenie and me away, Dr. Snow!" she cried. She fell to her knees before Madeline's desk and pulled Queenie down with her.

She didn't have makeup on that day and looked a lot more haggard than usual. It was almost as if she were a fragile flower, and she looked pitiful as she cried.

The nurse who had accompanied Madeline to her office had yet to leave. She was stunned when she saw this but didn't dare linger. She hurried out of the room and shut the door.

Madeline didn't even move from her seat. She frowned and asked coldly, "What's with the act when Isaac isn't here?"

Rachel continued weeping. She sounded aggrieved as she said, "I know you hate me, Dr. Snow, but know that I have no intention of taking Isaac from you!

"Queenie and I don't know anyone in Summeria—we're only temporarily living with Isaac so we can have a roof over our heads. We'll move out in the future! How do you expect us to survive if you kick us out of Isaac's place now?"

Madeline retorted, "When did I ever—"

Before she could finish, her phone rang. It was a call from Marie.

"Hi, Maddie. Are you busy?" Marie's voice was kind and affectionate.

Madeline couldn't help softening when she heard it. "No, I'm not. I just finished a surgery."

Marie had watched Madeline grow up and loved her like she was her own granddaughter. Madeline relied on Marie, too. To her, Marie and Shirley were the two people who loved her most.

Marie sensed the fatigue in Madeline's tone and reminded her not to push herself too hard. Then, she got to business.

"I heard about what happened between you and Isaac, Maddie. Don't worry about Rachel Livingston—I've already dealt with her on your behalf.

"I sent a group of bodyguards over to throw her things out of Isaac's apartment and chase her out. You are the only woman I'll ever consider my granddaughter-in-law!"

Madeline was taken aback when she heard this. She looked at Rachel, who was still on her knees. It turned out Marie was the one who'd chased her out.

She was moved yet also filled with bitterness. She held her phone without saying anything for a long time.

Marie sighed, her tone a little pleading as she said, "I know Isaac has taken things too far lately, but I still want you to give him another chance. He's just enchanted by that woman—he'll go back to normal once you two are married. Is it okay if I set your wedding date for next month?"

Madeline's nose prickled. Instead of answering Marie, she made an excuse to hang up. As soon as her phone screen went dark, her office door opened again.

Isaac stormed in. He hurried forward to help Rachel and Queenie up when he saw them kneeling.

His gaze was frosty as he looked at Madeline. "How old are you, Madeline? I can't believe you still like to tattle at this age. Are you happy now that you can marry me? Your manipulative side disgusts me!"

He turned away without another look at her and left with Rachel and Queenie in tow. The door slammed shut behind him.

Madeline smiled mockingly. She leaned back and shut her eyes. She would just leave things be—it wouldn't be long before she left, anyway.

…

Madeline thought she wouldn't see Isaac and Rachel again before leaving. Unexpectedly, they brought Queenie to the emergency room that very night. She was covered in blood.

The three of them had gotten into an accident, and Queenie had suffered the brunt of it.

Rachel was panicking and grabbed Madeline's hand tightly when she saw her. "You have to save Queenie, Dr. Snow!"

Madeline was the doctor on duty and had no reason to reject, so she headed to the operating theater. The surgery was minor and didn't pose much of a challenge for her. It was soon over.

Oddly enough, Queenie showed no signs of waking up despite it being past the observation period. Madeline headed to her hospital ward to check on her when she heard the news the following morning.

Isaac wasn't inside—it seemed he'd stepped out. Rachel was alone with Queenie.

When Rachel saw Madeline, her eyes reddened, and she cried, "Why hasn't Queenie woken up yet, Dr. Snow? Did you do something to her? I know you hate me, but you can't hurt my daughter!"

Madeline didn't know what the problem was and wanted to step closer to check on Queenie. However, Rachel was agitated by this and stood in her way, stopping her from getting any closer. "I've had enough of this. Don't you dare touch Queenie anymore!

"You deliberately made a mistake in the operation because you wanted to hurt her! I want a different doctor! Someone get me another doctor!"

Madeline only wanted to figure out what was wrong with Queenie, so she didn't bother arguing. She pressed the call button for the nurse's station.

Then, she looked Rachel in the eye. "It's fine if you want another doctor, but we have to find out why Queenie is still unconscious! I'm not taking the blame for making a mistake during the operation!"

When the nurse on duty arrived, Madeline instructed, "Take the patient's blood for a proper examination. Find out whether there's any possibility of the patient taking medication or other sedatives before surgery—"

That was as far as she got. Rachel cut her off and screamed, "I won't let you do that! My daughter didn't take anything before the operation, nor is she sick! You made a mistake during the operation, and that's that! What right do you have to take Queenie's blood?"

She started crying after saying that.

Madeline watched her exaggerated performance and suddenly pinpointed what about it felt off to her.