Chapter: 315

“Hey, wait."

Nikolas tried to interject, but Maddie was already opening the door to the room.

Jonathan lay in the hospital bed, unconscious, his lips pale and firmly set, his eyebrows knitted together in a frown.

Maddie rarely got so close to him, and she wished time would stand still-or better yet, freeze entirely. She relished his silence, his lack of resistance.

She despised his so-called chivalrous demeanor, loathed his upbringing.

If only Jonathan were like those men at work, whose eyes lingered on her, life would be simpler, and perhaps, everyone would be happier.

Maddie slowly lifted her hand towards Jonathan's cheek, something she'd longed to do but never dared. Today seemed like her chance...

“What are you doing?"

Jonathan's voice was hoarse and weak, but his eyes still held a sharp, oppressive gaze that cut through the room.

Maddie was so startled that her hand trembled and she immediately withdrew it.

“I-I wanted to feel your forehead to see if you had a fever," she stammered, her voice shaky.

"There's no need," Jonathan replied, his tone cold and detached, carrying a hint of disappointment.

When he had just woken up groggily, he had mistaken the figure before him for Bethany. For a fleeting moment, he believed she couldn't bear to leave him after all.

But as he strained his eyes to see clearly and realized it was Maddie, a wave of disappointment and bone-chilling coldness engulfed him.

"I heard you drank so much you ended up in the hospital. I was scared to death! Jonathan, you can't do this. Think of your parents! They will be devastated if something happens to you. The entire Bates Group is waiting for you. How could you do this just because of a woman?"

Maddie's eyes turned red as she spoke, her heart filled with pain, resentment, and grievance.

She was consumed by jealousy towards Bethany.

From childhood to adulthood, why did Bethany always achieve what she could only dream of? What made Bethany so much better than her that Jonathan wanted, cherished, and loved her so deeply?

“This has nothing to do with you," Jonathan said coldly, his words like a slap across her face.

"Jonathan! Wake up! Bethany doesn't love you at all!" Maddie's voice trembled with desperation. "No one in this world cares about you more than I do. For the sake of your mother's health, I was willing to pretend to be your girlfriend, to take the blame for framing Bethany, and even to leave Bates Group, where I had worked so hard for so many years, just to ease your worries and not let you be troubled. But what did Bethany do? She did nothing but upset you and cause trouble!"

“Shut up! It's not for you to judge Bethany."

Even in his weakened state, Jonathan couldn't tolerate a single bad word about Bethany.

Outside, Nikolas heard the raised voices and quickly walked in.

"Maddie, don't you have things to do? I can take care of Jonathan here. You should go."