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.