“Matthew,” Irene murmured, he thoughts drifting back to her time 

Katherine leaned forward. “You know him well? 

R Country. 

Irene spread the medical scans across the coffee table, immediately cused on the brain images. Her finger traced over the complex shadows. 

“We worked together for years,” she said quietly. “One of the best I’ve ever seen. 

The tumor’s location made her stomach knot. Nestled deep within ical neural pathways, one wrong move would be catastrophic. 

“Wow,” she muttered, tapping a particularly concerning area. “Right against the speech center. No wonder Matthew’s hesitating.” 

Memories flickered through her mind–Matthew’s steady hands during marathon surgeries, his calm voice guiding residents, the way he’d simply been there when she was just “Joy,” struggling to build a life in a foreign country, 

“He was one of the few people who knew me as Joy,” she said, softer now. “Never pried about my past. Just accepted me and the kids 

as we were.” 

Katherine pointed to a notation in the file. “He says this is the toughest case he’s seen all year. Claims only you can improve the 

odds. 

Irene snorted. “From anyone else, I’d call bluff. But Matthew doesn’t play games.” 

“He’s coming back soon,” Katherine added. “Partly for this case. They re hoping to schedule surgery as soon as possible.” 

Irene flipped through the remaining pages, mentally calculating angles and approaches. Despite the complexity, a plan was already taking shape in her mind. 

“I’ll take it,” she said, closing the file with a snap. “Not gonna be easy, but I’ve got some ideas.” 

Katherine nodded. “The patient’s family will be relieved. Matthew said they’ve been desperate for hope.” 

A hint of a smile touched Irene’s lips as she gathered the files. “I should look at my old research notes from when Matthew and I worked on similar cases. We had some good approaches.” 

After Katherine left, Irene lost herself in the case. She barely noticed the afternoon light shifting across the floor until small voices 

broke her concentration. 

“Mom? New patient?” 

She looked up to find her kids hovering nearby, hair tousled from their naps and eyes curious. She hadn’t even heard them come 

down. 

“Yeah, tricky one,” she replied, not bothering to hide the files. Her kids had grown up around medical talk. 

“So you’re gonna go full zombie mode again?” Lucas asked with the resignation of someone who’d seen this movie before. 

Irene nodded, already drifting back to the case. “Need to focus. Go play, okay?” 

The triplets traded knowing looks before retreating. They’d seen this plenty–once Mom locked onto a medical challenge, everything else became background noise. 

1/2 

Chapter 167. 

Gathering the files, Irene headed to her study. Time slipped away as she dove deep into research, completely absorbed in the challenge before her. 

Adam arrived that evening to lid only the triplets in the living room, hunched over trading cards in a circle on the carpet. 

“Uncle Adam!‘ Three heads popped up in perfect sync. 

“Where’s your mom?” he asked, scanning the room. 

Alex stood, slipping into his little–adult voice. “Upstairs with medical stuff. She won’t come out till she’s done.” 

“Classic Mom,” Lucas added with a shrug. 

The casual way they described it told Adam this wasn’t new territory–they’d adjusted to their mother’s work habits long ago. 

He pulled out his phone. “Thomas, have the chef prep dinner and keep it warm. Irene’s working. He turned back to the kids. “Hungry? Let’s eat while your mom finishes up.” 

Lucas jumped up. “Starving!” 

“Uncle Adam,” Lily asked softly as they headed out, “think Mom can help this new patient? Those papers looked super complicated.” 

Adam met her worried gaze. “If anyone can crack it, it’s your mom.” 

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