Chapter 384

After another half hour, the ambulance arrived. The customers experiencing food poisoning were sent to the hospital for emergency treatment. Others, worried, also went for checkups. However, the woman didn't take her uncle to the ambulance; instead, she left in a luxury car.

"Jaylen, let's go to the hospital. You don't look well," Maeve said, noticing his wet back and pale face. Her worry deepened.

Jaylen gently shook his head. "I'm fine. Just tired. I'll rest."

"But..."

"There's a table. Help me sit."

Unable to persuade him, Maeve helped him sit. "Are you sure? Don't force yourself. Go to the hospital if you need to. Even doctors need care," she worriedly added.

Jaylen chuckled. "When did you become so bossy? I know what I'm doing. I'm thirsty. I want that coffee you made—I didn't even taste it last night."

Seeing him mostly normal aside from his pale appearance, Maeve calmed down and brewed coffee. Her movements were graceful, almost artistic.

Jaylen, captivated, felt his vision blur. He pinched his palm. "Maeve, I've always wanted to ask you something."

"Tell me."

"If I'd met you before Byron, would you have fallen in love with me?"

Maeve paused, unsure how to answer. Jaylen didn't seem to need one. He smiled faintly. "In another life, I'd race to you, never a step behind him." He'd never imagined that being a step slower would be an insurmountable gap. He'd lost to timing.

Maeve pursed her lips. "Jaylen, I'm sorry." She couldn't answer such a hypothetical. Had she not met Byron that rainy night, everything would have been different. She might have been forced to marry her abusive ex-boyfriend, living under the Reese family's control.

From the moment she proposed to Byron, their fate felt unbreakable. Whatever it was, she had no regrets.

Jaylen narrowed his eyes, looking at her coffee. Swallowing, he said, lighter than before, "Coffee's ready. Give it to me." Maeve handed him the cup. "Be careful."

He took it but didn't drink immediately. A gray cloud filled his eyes. "Maeve, have I ever told you..."

"What?"

"Since knowing I didn't have long to live, I've been fighting. To live longer, I became Master's disciple. I wasn't afraid of your judgment. I never studied medicine to save others, only myself."

"Why should others' lives be more valuable? Except my grandfather and mother, everyone else is like weeds. I can't bring myself to care about saving the world." Jaylen's eyes flickered. He looked at Maeve through the shifting light and shadow. "You're different. Before you, I wanted redemption for myself. After you, for others. Not because I'm noble, but to be worthy of you, even a little."

Maeve wasn't just someone he liked; she was the only remaining shred of his conscience.

Maeve's eyelashes fluttered; her fingers clenched. 'What did I do to deserve this?' But she couldn't respond appropriately. Even an apology would feel inadequate.

"Jaylen, thank you," Maeve breathed. "But you're too hard on yourself. There's nothing wrong with wanting to live well and loving yourself. I saw how many people you saved. You saved families. You're too demanding of yourself. Whether it's self-redemption or saving others, as long as you're happy."

She felt the same way about Theo, who studied medicine with Rudolf Walker. Do your best, but don't overpressure yourself.

The gloom in Jaylen's eyes faded, replaced by brilliance. The light above him paled in comparison to his smile. The sickly Dr. Chatterly seemed to have finally stepped out of the shadows.

He looked at Maeve and raised his coffee cup. "Then, won't you toast the noble miracle doctor?"

He didn't notice his trembling arm, nor that he wasn't looking at Maeve Reese. It was as if he could no longer see clearly.

Maeve's eyes reddened. Biting her lip, she pretended everything was normal, clinking glasses with him. "The coffee's getting cold. Drink it quickly."

Afterward, she took him to the hospital. His state was abnormal.

Jaylen lowered his eyes, murmuring, "Yes, the coffee's dying. Maeve, I'm tired of this scenery. I want to go somewhere else." Maeve sensed something, forcing a smile. "After you recover, go wherever you want. Finish your coffee and let's go."

As she spoke, Jaylen's arm went limp; the cup fell, shattering on the floor. Coffee splashed everywhere. Scarlet blood flowed from his mouth, blooming on his shirt.

Maeve's eyes widened in fear. She ran to him, her body stained red. "Jaylen? Jaylen, don't scare me!" She trembled; tears streamed down her face.

Jaylen's face was as pale as paper; his eyes shrouded in death. His consciousness faded, and he forced a smile. He wanted to apologize. But his consciousness blurred further.

Maeve watched helplessly as his hand dropped, his body still. Silence followed.