Chapter: 314

Suddenly, Jonathan murmured, "Bethany..."

A single word shattered the facade Bethany had painstakingly maintained.

Even in his coma-induced state, Jonathan whispered her name.

"Jonathan, forget me."

If she could rewind time, she would have erased Jonathan from her contact list at the first opportunity and never joined that classmates' group. Had she chosen that path, their paths might never have crossed again.

He had offered her a love so unique and pure, unlike anything Bethany had ever experienced in her early twenties.

Yet, this feeling of being cherished was fleeting, and soon she had to wake up from that beautiful dream.

"Bethany..." Jonathan, eyes sealed shut, murmured once more, his voice barely audible.

Bethany leaned closer, straining to hear his faint words.

“Don't divorce," he managed to say.

Jonathan's hospitalization eventually reached Maddie.

When Maddie rushed to the hospital and saw Nikolas, she couldn't hold back her reproach.

“Why didn't you tell me sooner? What if something serious happened?"

"He wanted to keep it quiet," Nikolas responded, his brow furrowed.

"I only told you because it was eating me up!"

Maddie detected a hint of bitterness in his tone. "What are you implying?"

“Jonathan drank himself into oblivion because of Bethany. When she showed up, she acted indifferent," Nikolas revealed, his frustration evident. "Without her, would Jonathan's mother have ended up in the emergency room so many times? Bethany didn't see the sacrifices. She even said that being with Jonathan was too much for her and considered ending things!"

“Bethany has always been that way. She's downright ruthless," Maddie stated evenly. "Otherwise, why would she have set me up?"

Nikolas let out a derisive laugh. “Karma caught up with her. During her check-up at this hospital, she found out she's infertile! Honestly, a woman like her shouldn't be a mother anyway."

"Hold on." Maddie cut in, her eyes lighting up with an intense glare.

“Are you saying Bethany can't have kids?"

"That's right! I was there when the doctor broke the news. She even told Bethany to discuss it with her husband," Nikolas replied, oblivious to the gleeful grin spreading across Maddie's face.

No children for Bethany meant no future concerns for Maddie about unexpected stepchildren. The thought relieved her. She had no desire to play stepmother.

“I'm going to see him," Maddie declared abruptly.