It would have been fine if Byron hadn't mentioned it, but the moment he did, Maeve's temper flared. She turned her head on the pillow and glared at him.

"Who says that having been in a relationship means one must understand such things? What kind of logic is that?" Maeve said sharply.

Byron remembered Jeff's complaint about her refusal to hold his hand. Earlier, Byron himself had gripped her hand tightly. The chill in his eyes warmed slightly at the thought.

He took Maeve's hand and tucked it under the blanket, raising an eyebrow as he playfully asked, "Are you going to bring up divorce again?"

Maeve pretended not to hear and changed the subject. "When do you plan to sign my contract? Are you trying to weasel out of it again?"

Her clumsy attempt at deflection amused Byron, and he chuckled softly. "I did say you'd face the consequences if you didn't come back, but I don't recall saying I'd sign the contract." Maeve's mouth fell open in shock. She had already been stunned by his shamelessness countless times that night.

"Are you going back on your word? Even a doormat knows better," Maeve said dryly.

"Are you insulting me?" Byron's lips curled slightly. "Your contract is gone."

What a jerk! Maeve cursed inwardly, fuming as she got out of bed, slipped on her shoes, and headed for the door. If he's not going to sign the contract, then what am I doing here?

Just as she reached the door, Byron said in an unhurried tone, "I was just kidding. The contract is already signed and in the drawer. I'll give it to you tomorrow."

Maeve stopped, turning around in disbelief. "Were you messing with me?"

Byron's eyes crinkled with amusement at her irritated face. "Well, if you had more patience to ask a few more questions, you wouldn't have been tricked."

Maeve pursed her lips and asked, "Why tomorrow?"

"Look at the time," Byron said, patting the bed beside him. "Come over and go to sleep."

Maeve's scalp prickled at the word "sleep," thinking, That's not sleeping; that's walking into the lion's den. She immediately shook her head in refusal, backing away. "I'm going back to my old room."

"If I have to repeat myself, your contract will truly be gone," Byron said bluntly.

'All he does is threaten me,' Maeve thought with a groan. After mentally preparing herself, she slowly shuffled to the edge of the bed.

As soon as she sat down, Byron pulled her into his arms. Her back nestled seamlessly against his broad, warm chest, as if they were two parts of a whole; the closeness almost too perfect to be real. Their heartbeats seemed to synchronize. "Go to sleep," Byron murmured into her hair.

The flutter in Maeve's chest calmed down, though it continued to beat uncontrollably. She closed her eyes, quickly drifting into a deep sleep without the tumultuous thoughts that plagued her the night before.

In the hospital ward, Karen was so furious that Byron wasn't answering her calls that she slammed her phone onto the floor.

"What's the matter?" Lydia walked in, picking up the phone. "What's the matter with you?"

"Byron hasn't answered my calls since last night. He must be with that bitch now," Karen seethed. "Shouldn't he be by my side at a time like this?"

Lydia replied calmly, "I've already told you. If you truly wanted to replace Maeve, you should have had someone deal with her then and sent a video to Byron. That's the only way to completely ruin her. Look at how it's turned out. Byron might pity you, but he hasn't been entirely deceived. If Maeve were to embarrass him, the situation would be different."

Karen felt a pang of regret after Lydia's reprimand. 'It was my first time doing such a thing. I didn't think it through. Mom, what should I do now? Byron seemed to be suspicious yesterday, and those kidnappers...'

Lydia's gaze turned sharp. "Those kidnappers have nothing to do with us. Remember that."

"Of course, I know." Karen gritted her teeth. "I thought that with Dad gone and me being harmed by Maeve, it would create a shift in his feelings. But I underestimated that bitch."

It's obvious how scheming Maeve is to make Byron abandon me at such a critical time, Karen thought resentfully.

Lydia took out a stack of photos from her Birkin bag and handed them to Karen. "Look at this."

After looking at the photos, Karen's face twisted with jealousy. "Byron actually took her to that apartment?" she exclaimed. Even I haven't been to that place. What gives Maeve the right to be there? she thought bitterly.

"If you want to win over Byron completely, you can't afford to be soft-hearted. Otherwise, Maeve will remain your greatest obstacle," Lydia advised.

Karen clenched the photos. "I understand."

Late at night, Maeve woke up thirsty. She opened her eyes to find the other side of the bed empty; Byron was nowhere in sight. She got out of bed and went to the living room for water. The sound of movement by the door drew her over, and she saw Byron putting on his coat, ready to leave.

"Where are you going at this hour?" Maeve rubbed her eyes, her voice hoarse.

Byron halted abruptly and turned to look at her. He replied seriously, "Karen tried to commit suicide by slitting her wrists. I'm going to the hospital."

Maeve's grogginess faded instantly. The thought of Karen's attempt to frame her made her skin crawl. Karen hadn't attempted suicide when she first woke up, but now, at this moment, it seemed like a deliberate attempt to draw Byron's attention. Maeve doubted its genuineness.

Byron had been with her since last night, which must have driven Karen to desperation.

Maeve smirked and said, "She really is full of drama."

Byron frowned, his expression growing colder. "Maeve, is there something wrong with you?" Without waiting for her response, he quickly left. Maeve turned and walked toward the bedroom, her face devoid of emotion.

'Something is wrong with me? He's the fool, being spun around by Karen's schemes. No wonder people say that the current girlfriend always loses if the ex-girlfriend sheds tears. He must think I'm so naïve to believe that he sees her as a friend,' Maeve thought, overwhelmed by a sense of numbness.

The next morning, Maeve felt much better. She got up, went to the terrace to pick some greens, and made herself a salad.

After breakfast, she searched everywhere for the contract but couldn't find it. Suspecting Byron was playing games again, Maeve called him.

"Hello?" Karen's weak, sweet voice answered. "Is this Maeve?"

Maeve frowned. "Why are you answering the phone?"

"Because Byron has been with me all this time. He just went to the bathroom," Karen said provocatively. "Maeve, no matter how clingy you are, he's still by my side."

"You're quite something, attempting suicide at night and then being full of life in the morning. Are you really suicidal or just pretending?" Maeve said with a scoff.

"I know you're jealous of me. Say whatever you want." Karen sneered. "You're still in Byron's apartment, aren't you? Just so you know, that apartment..." (The passage cuts off here.)

I have removed the unnecessary line breaks, corrected spelling and grammar errors, improved punctuation, and adjusted the formatting for better readability. I also removed the seemingly extraneous phrase "S~ᴇaʀᴄh the ƒindNoᴠᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality." as it appeared to be out of place and possibly spam.