"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.

Madeline looked Rachel in the eye and asked coldly, "Did you keep part of Queenie's medical history from us?"

Rachel's eyes flickered. Then, she cried, "What are you talking about? I'm her mother! Why would I hurt her?"

Madeline thought about how Rachel had shoved Queenie aside a few days ago. The latter had knocked her head against the bedside table and even bled. It only made her believe that her guess was likely to be right.

Anyway, there was no point arguing with Rachel. Everything would be clear once the results of the blood test were out. She turned to the nurse and said, "Take her blood sample."

Rachel gnashed her teeth and tried to stop them. "You can't! I'm Queenie's guardian, and I won't let you touch her!"

Madeline kept Rachel from stopping the nurse, so the latter was soon done taking Queenie's blood. The, she ran off to have it submitted for analysis.

Once the nurse was gone, Madeline wanted to release Rachel. However, the latter suddenly backed away and fell to the floor. In the next second, Madeline was shoved aside roughly.

"Rachel!" Isaac ran to her and helped her up. "Are you okay?"

He turned to glare at Madeline. "This is the hospital, and you're a doctor! What the hell were you doing to a patient's family member? Where is your professionalism?"

Before Madeline could say anything, Rachel grabbed Isaac's sleeve while weeping. She cried, "Hurry up and save Queenie, Isaac! She… she's still not awake after the observation period. It has to be because of a mistake during the surgery! Will she be unconscious forever?

"Dr. Snow even had someone draw Queenie's blood for a test. She said she won't take the blame for this. Does this mean Queenie will be in a coma forever?"

Madeline almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of her words. She retorted, "Once the report is out, we can be sure—"

"That's enough!" Isaac snarled. His eyes were filled with disappointment as he looked at her.

"I didn't think you would pull something like this, Maddie. When did you become evil enough to hurt a child? Allowing you to continue performing surgeries will only be putting others in harm. You don't deserve to practice anymore!"

She looked at him in disbelief. "What are you going to do?"

He pulled Rachel closer to him and called, "Sean!"

His assistant, Sean Camden, hurried in. Isaac said, "Escort her to Greenwater Hill Villas and lock her up so she can reflect on her mistakes. Since we're going to marry soon, ask the hospital to give her some time off. Handle this properly."

What was there to reflect on? Why did he always believe Rachel over her? Why was she always the one at fault?

Madeline couldn't take it anymore when she saw Sean coming over to drag her away. She roared, "Don't touch me! I'm not going anywhere! I'm going to stay here and wait for the results of the blood test. I won't push the blame onto anyone else if it's my—"

A sudden pain coursed through her, starting from her neck. She abruptly stopped talking and blacked out.

…

Isaac ultimately had Madeline locked up. Greenwater Hill Villas was far from the city center, and bodyguards surrounded the villa. The place had even been equipped with a signal blocker, so she couldn't ask for help if needed.

She spent a week there without contact with anyone. One night, the electricity suddenly went out. Before she could understand what was happening, she heard her phone ring in the darkness.

She immediately answered it.

The voice on the other end of the line said anxiously, "You've finally answered the phone, Ms. Snow. Hurry up and come to the nursing home—your grandmother isn't doing too well! If you come now, you might be able to see her for the last time!"

Madeline's ears rang, and she felt like she'd been struck in the chest by something heavy. Her hand trembled violently, and she almost dropped her phone.

After hanging up, she threw on a coat and ran out of the room. She had to see Shirley one last time!

She hurried downstairs and to the door, but the bodyguards stopped her. "Mr. Chance has made it clear that you're not to leave, Ms. Snow!"

Madeline frantically pushed their hands away and shouted, "My grandmother is in critical condition! Hurry up and let me out!"

They exchanged a look before shaking their heads. "Please don't make things hard for us, Ms. Snow. Mr. Chance told us that you're not to leave the house under any circumstances. Maybe you can give him a call—we won't stop you from leaving if he gives the green light."

She pulled out her phone and called Isaac. She was so panicked that she almost dialed the wrong number.

The first and second calls went unanswered. On her third attempt, the phone rang twice before she was told that the line was occupied.

Isaac had seen her call and rejected it.

Madeline's heart sank, and tears filled her eyes. She collapsed on the floor while clutching her phone.

What was she going to do? She couldn't let Shirley leave without seeing her once more! Shirley was the only family she had left!

She staggered to her feet and tried to run out, but the bodyguards stopped her. "You can't leave, Ms. Snow!"

"Let me go! I want to see my grandmother! Take your hands off me!"

A car pulled up amid the chaos. Through her tears, Madeline saw Marie get out of the car. She burst into tears and cried, "Take me to see Grandma, Grandma Marie! She's going to die!"

…

The car sped along the road at top speed, but it still took them 40 minutes to arrive at Windmere Nursing Home. Madeline ran straight to Shirley's room, only to see a nurse pulling a white sheet over Shirley's face.

She skidded to a stop and let out an incredulous laugh. "What are you doing? You can't cover Grandma's face. She won't be able to breathe."

She slowly approached the bed and tugged the sheet down, revealing Shirley's face. The latter looked as kind and loving as always, but her usually warm hands were now cold. Her body was also stiff.

As a doctor, Madeline was beyond familiar with the human body's signs of life. She knew without a doubt that Shirley was dead but didn't want to believe it. She couldn't believe it.

She picked up Shirley's hand and pressed it to her cheek, almost as if this would be enough to warm Shirley's body. Then, she said softly, "I'm here, Grandma. Why aren't you opening your eyes to look at me?"

Silence was all that answered her. Shirley's affectionate voice would never ring out again.

The nurse felt bad when she saw this. She said, "Your grandmother passed away 30 minutes ago. I know you tried your best to get here before that, but perhaps things were just meant to turn out like this. Your grandmother wanted me to pass a message to you before she left—she wants you to always be happy."

After that, the nurse stepped out to allow Madeline to be alone with Shirley. A moment later, she heard Madeline's heartbroken sobs ring out.

…

Marie helped Madeline handle Shirley's funeral and cremation. Everything had already been taken care of by the time Isaac heard the news and hurried over.

When he arrived at the scene, he saw Madeline dressed in black from head to toe. Her face was bare, and she looked beautiful as she stood there. However, she exuded a sense of fragility. She looked like she would shatter at any second.

For some reason, Isaac felt anxious. He hurried over to her and asked, "Are you okay, Maddie? I didn't ignore your calls on purpose—I had no idea what was happening. Queenie had regained consciousness at the time, and Rachel and I were—"

She cut him off blandly. "It's okay. It's all over."

Her words only made his anxiety spike. He held her hand and forced a smile as he said, "It's my fault this time. You've always wanted to go to Lemuria to ride a hot air balloon, right? It's your birthday in a few days, so how about we head there for some fun? Let's head home now."

He dragged her into the car without waiting for her to respond.

Even after getting home, he couldn't stop feeling anxious. He secretly stationed bodyguards around the apartment to prevent Madeline from leaving.

However, she acted as she normally would. She agreed to head to Lemuria with him and focused on packing her things.

Three days later, they got ready to head to the airport. Isaac was surprised when he saw the two large suitcases before him. "Why have you brought so many things?"

Madeline said indifferently, "I want to stay a little longer and enjoy the place to the fullest."

He didn't suspect anything. Instead, he smiled and said, "Alright, then. You can do whatever you want as long as you're happy."

On the way to the airport, his phone kept ringing. He didn't answer any of the calls, though. Madeline noticed this but didn't say anything.

Isaac checked his phone one last time when it was almost time to board. Then, his expression changed drastically. "Something seems to have gone wrong with Queenie, Maddie. You can fly to Lemuria first—I'll join you once I take care of this!"

He turned and ran off without another look at her. She watched him go against the crowd and disappear from sight. Then, she reached into her bag and pulled out her ticket to Halston City.

She said softly, "Farewell, Isaac. I hope we won't see each other again."

Right before boarding the plane, she received a message from Rachel. "You must be angry. He's ultimately chosen me over you."

Angry? Madeline curled her lip. She wasn't mad, to be honest.

Everyone would fall for a jerk at some point in their lives, right?

She blocked and deleted Rachel's number before turning off her phone. Then, she boarded the plane and waited for it to take off.