Chapter 3

Clinton stared at Madeleine, who was pleading humbly. His heart clenched momentarily, yet he didn't let her go. "Take this woman for a pre-surgery examination, then hand her over to the doctor and have her sign the surgery consent form." "Don't touch me, I can walk myself..." Madeleine struggled free from the bodyguard's grip and slowly stood up. The fear in her eyes faded slightly. She looked up, her gaze firm as she stared at Tristan, "Mr. Landry, you are well aware of my physical condition. However, if you are determined to have me donate a kidney, I will comply. But in doing so, I would consider my debts to you repaid. "From this point forward, let's strike a line through the resentment between me and the Landry family. Please let me go." Madeleine had congenital heart disease and was weak since childhood. Giving birth to a child five years ago had nearly cost her life. Now, the Landry family was forcing her to donate a kidney in full knowledge of her condition. They were essentially going after her life. Upon hearing her words, Tristan furrowed his brows, a trace of agitation flashing in his eyes. After all, Madeleine had been raised in the Landry family for twenty-one years; there was bound to be some affection. Moreover, she had been a dutiful and sensible daughter. "It's impossible to just strike a line through everything! Even in death, you can't repay the crimes you owe. If you can't pay for them in this life, you'll have to continue in the next!" Sabrina was still unwilling to let go of Madeleine, stepping forward in agitation as if she wanted to hit her again. Seeing this, Tristan stepped forward to block her. He sighed and said to her, "Enough, stop causing a scene." Then he continued to Madeleine, "You've spent five years in jail, which can be considered your deserved punishment. As long as you agree to donate a kidney and behave yourself in the future, rest assured, the Landry family won't make things difficult for you anymore." Upon hearing this, Madeleine suddenly laughed bitterly. Did she even have a future? With her present physical condition, once she went under the knife, she was afraid there wouldn't be a future. "Madeleine, you're delusional by thinking that donating a kidney can make right to all your wrongdoings. Even if the Landry family agrees to let you go, I won't," Clinton said dissatisfiedly. Madeleine looked at Clinton's cold eyes which were full of hatred. With pale lips, she said, "If you hate me this much, after I die, scatter my ashes and let me vanish into smoke. "But don't hurt my child." Upon hearing this, Clinton's eyes were filled with gloom. Even at this time, this damn woman was still protecting her bastard child! Thinking of this, the anger in his heart grew stronger. "Do you think we wouldn't dare?" Matthew answered on behalf of Clinton, sarcastically looking at her. "The more you're protecting that bastard, the more I want to kill him." Hearing this, Madeleine was deeply agitated. "No, you can't harm my child..." She could bear the humiliation, the brutal beatings, and even a thousand cuts, but if it endangered her child's life, it was absolutely unacceptable. Perhaps due to her anxious motherly instinct, she became very emotional every time the child was mentioned, causing her vision to blur until she collapsed to the ground, unconscious. "Maddy!" Before losing consciousness, she seemed to hear someone calling out her nickname. Was it Clinton? Impossible, how could it be him? It must be a hallucination. "Don't worry about her! She's fine, just acting." "I knew something was off about her agreeing to the surgery, she's been playing us all along. After serving five years in jail, she hasn't learned her lesson." Frustrated, Matthew turned and walked into the bathroom, filled a basin with cold water, and came back out to splash it on Madeleine in an attempt to wake her up. Madeleine, although unconscious, was aware of her surroundings. She tried to open her eyes but lacked the strength to do so. She clearly understood Matthew's insistence on her surgical operation. It was because he feared that Clinton would discover the truth. She had a congenital heart disease; undergoing a kidney transplant would be tantamount to a death sentence. If she died, the truth would die with her. "Matthew..." Just as Matthew was about to splash the cold water on Madeleine, Clinton preempted it, grabbing his wrist. "She's already like this, that's enough." "Clinton, is your heart aching for her?" Matthew looked at Clinton with sarcasm, reminding him, "Don't forget your current status. You're Abigail's fiance now. Abigail got into the car accident because of you." At these words, Clinton's expression faltered, and he slowly released Matthew's wrist. The next instant, that bucket of cold water was poured on Madeleine's pale and thin face. However, the cold water did not wake her up but instead caused her fever to flare up. "How did she end up unconscious on the ground?" Just then, the doctor came for his round and immediately conducted a preliminary check upon seeing Madeleine's unconscious state and unusual complexion. "She's in a very bad state and needs to be urgently transferred to the emergency room!" Upon seeing this, Clinton was shocked. Losing his control, he grabbed Matthew's clothes, shouting, "Didn't you say she was pretending?"