Nicole grasped Jarrod's implication. He wanted her to convince Roscoe to leave her and seek treatment abroad. "I won't meddle in Roscoe's decisions. Whether he chooses treatment or not, I'll honor his choice," she asserted calmly.

"Do you want him to live with a disability because of you?" Jarrod's tone carried a simmering anger. “Perhaps you're unaware, but his leg is already deformed. He feigns normalcy in your presence, enduring the pain."

Jarrod's smirk held a cruel edge. “Nicole, are you truly willing to crush his aspirations, to confine him in the need of a crutch for your sake?"

Suddenly, Nicole remembered having asked Roscoe on a snowy day if he had any regrets. He was after all, unable to pursue medicine, to wield the scalpel and save Lives anymore.

At that time, Roscoe had gazed at Nicole with eyes full of warmth, smiling as he said, “Curing the sick and saving lives was never really my dream. I don't have such grand ambitions. I initially pursued medicine just to be near you. It was my only way to reach you. I believed I had to become a great doctor, to stand by your side, care for your loved ones and your children, and most importantly, you."

At the thought of this, Nicole replied briefly to Jarrod, "Not everyone is like you. Some people's dreams are small and simple. They just want to spend a lifetime with someone special, safe, and healthy through the changing seasons."

"Oh? Really?" Jarrod responded with a cold sneer, "Isn't the future I envisioned also worthwhile?"

"You're better off alone for life because you're cold-hearted, emotionless, and selfish."

Jarrod seemed unaffected by Nicole's harsh words. He had always been that type of person, naturally detached from emotional entanglements since birth. And Nicole was like a kite that had slipped from his fingers. Someone Like him wouldn't let anything he had marked stray from its intended path.

A lifetime with just one person, safe and healthy through the seasons.

Such a dream was laughable to him.

Both were lost in their own thoughts within the confines of the hospital ward.

Underneath Jarrod's outward calm, a storm was raging within. He waited until he had enough sway before stating his demands. It was clear that the elderly Dora, whose vitality was weakening, wasn't sufficient for him to trap Nicole by his side. Moreover, Dora's health was more dangerous than Nicole's, and she might not last more than a few years. He needed to secure something more enduring, something more firmly under his control.

Nicole knew clearly that if they became entangled once more, the outcome would likely not be good. She had some regrets. She should have married Roscoe earlier. Roscoe had done so much for her, and the least she could do was spare him further regrets.

Just then, Jarrod's phone rang. After taking the call, his face turned serious.

He then came back into the ward and told Nicole, “Rest well. I'll come see you later."

Nicole remained silent, acting as if she hadn't heard him.

Jarrod, not completely reassured, left her in the care of two nurses and warned, "Nicole, don't try to run. You know you can't escape. It's better if you are obedient. We'll settle our accounts slowly."

He left a suffocating message before leaving. "I will make you agree willingly."

Nicole stared blankly up at the ceiling.