Maeve pursed her lips in acknowledgment. She wouldn't forgive them; she couldn't. Jason's serious face was impassive, his gaze condescending. Apologizing to someone of Maeve's lower status seemed utterly humiliating to him. Gilbert seethed with anger in the living room. Meanwhile, Theo, holding the stethoscope the attending doctor had given him, pressed it against the door, eavesdropping on the ward's conversation. He could only vaguely hear Gilbert scolding Alexis and Jason. "That's a good scolding!" Theo thought, his fondness for Gilbert soaring. He was willing to be friends with anyone kind to his mother.

After the yelling subsided, Theo adjusted his round-framed glasses—worn to appear profound and sophisticated—and knocked. "It's time for the patient to rest. There's another acupuncture session," he said. His soft, childlike voice instantly warmed Gilbert's heart. Gilbert recalled seeing the five-year-old Theo in the operating room, dressed in a miniature white coat, always with a serious expression. He felt indescribable affection for him. He turned to Maeve, saying, "I'm not rushing you, Maeve. You and Byron have been married almost five years without children..." An eager look crossed his face; he greatly anticipated great-grandchildren. Divorce was completely foreign to his generation; therefore, when executives mentioned his "ex-wife," it didn't register.

Maeve glanced toward the ward door. Your great-grandson is outside, she thought. He'll be in later to treat you... She couldn't say that aloud. After considering, she decided to tell Gilbert the truth. "I'm sorry, but four years ago, Byron and I already..."

"It's not too late to discuss this after his recovery. Besides, Dr. Chatterly is waiting impatiently," Alexis interrupted, preventing Maeve from finishing. Maeve looked at Alexis in confusion, feeling it was deliberate.

Gilbert dropped the conversation and admitted Theo. To avoid exposing her relationship with Theo, Maeve didn't linger. However, knowing Jaylen, knowing his junior wasn't unusual, so there was no need to act distant from Theo.

"Dr. Chatterly, you've really helped us," Maeve said, patting Theo's head and winking before leaving with Alexis and the others. Theo glowed with pride. What should I do? I'm too outstanding! Mommy praised me again. I'll have to show off to Will later, he thought. After leaving the ward, Jason said he had to leave.

Maeve and Alexis waited in the living room, the silence lengthening.

"Do you know why I interrupted you?" Alexis, gentler now, was the first to speak.

Maeve, stunned, shook her head.

"Dr. Chatterly mentioned Gilbert's lucidity is temporary. The poison hasn't been fully cleared; his health is fragile. He can't handle more shocks," Alexis explained.

"So?" Maeve asked.

"If he learns you and Byron divorced four years ago, he'll be furious, affecting his health," Alexis said.

Maeve, unsurprised, remained calm. "Byron and I are divorced—Gilbert will find out eventually. You can hide it now, but not forever," she stated. Alexis's expression was complicated. "That's why I need your help." Before today, Alexis never thought she'd turn to Maeve.

Maeve gazed quietly at Alexis. "I have no desire to help you lie to Gilbert. If I had a choice, I'd avoid further involvement with the McDaniel family." The McDaniels had been misled by Neville, but that didn't erase the hurt they caused her. And Byron... she'd waited over ten days in the detention center, never seeing him, only receiving divorce papers and news of his engagement. She didn't care what others believed, but even Byron believing her guilty had made her feel utterly hopeless. Now, she wanted peace with Theo, free from the McDaniels.

Alexis was surprised. She'd always thought Maeve craved wealth and power, eager to climb the social ladder. Maeve could have easily exploited Gilbert's affection to re-enter the McDaniel family, but she didn't. Could I have misunderstood her? Alexis thought.

"Ms. Reese, I know you resent us. I won't force forgiveness," Alexis's tone was sincere. "But can you help us, for Byron's sake?"

When Maeve heard Byron's name, mockery flickered in her eyes. "Byron and I divorced long ago; there was never any love," she said coldly.

"Is that spite?" Alexis frowned, suspecting a lie. "If you had no feelings, why did he take responsibility? He defended you before his father, bailing you out despite company opposition." Without Byron's actions, after seeing those photos, Alexis wouldn't have feared Byron falling under Maeve's spell again.

Maeve's eyes widened. "What did you say?"

"When Gilbert had his accident, you were the prime suspect. The police believed you guilty. If Jason had taken you to court, you'd be in prison," Alexis said, rubbing her temples. "But Byron protected you, making a deal with his father: divorce you and get engaged to Lynn."

Maeve's mind blanked. Her lips parted silently as she stared, dazed. She sat rigidly, the world spinning, her vision blurring. For four years, Byron's words when he'd asked her to sign the divorce papers had haunted her like a nightmare. His cold tone sent chills through her whenever she recalled it, erasing their past and shattering her hope.

Did Maeve hate Byron? It was a lie to say she didn't. But Alexis said Byron never doubted her, quietly protecting her unknowingly. Maeve had wondered why the McDaniel family let her off so easily, but her grief over Byron's coldness had blinded her.

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