Chapter 201
The hospital suite fell silent as fatthew’s footsteps faded. His parting words about karma hung in the air, choking the Sterling family into silence.
John recovered first, turning to Brandon with barely contained anger Is this Dr. Joy really that difficult? What kind of doctor refuses treatment?”
When Brandon didn’t answer, Anna jumped in with fake sincerity. knees if I have to.” She adjusted Rose’s blanket with theatrical care.
Dr. Joy won’t help willingly, I’ll beg her myself. I’ll get on my She can’t be completely heartless.”
A cold laugh escaped Brandon. “Give it a rest. Anyone else might have a chance with Joy, but you? You’d only make things worse.”
Anna’s mask slipped, her mouth falling open.
“I don’t have that pull with Joy,” Brandon added flatly. “You’re on your own.”
He nodded to Henry, who positioned himself behind the wheelchair. As they moved toward the door, Nathan stepped forward.
“Brandon, this is our mother-
“Which is precisely why I can’t help,” Brandon shot back, then wheeled out.
Later in his room, Brandon stared at his healing leg. “If they hadn’t treated her like garbage,” he said quietly, “none of this would be happening. Joy has the softest heart under all that armor. She saved my leg without hesitation, despite everything.”
He sighed. “This could be fixed. But it can’t be me using her compassion again. They need to show real remorse.” He shook his head. “And that’s something I’m not sure this family knows how to do.”
Across the hospital, Matthew stood at his office window, watching shadows lengthen across the grounds. He knew Irene had the right to know about Rose, regardless of their relationship.
He dialed her number. After several rings, she answered.
“Matthew? What’s up?” Her voice sounded distant.
“Did you hear about Rose collapsing?” he asked carefully.
A beat of silence followed.
“I heard something happened,” she replied neutrally.
“Her heart is failing–she needs surgery,” he explained. “If I do it, she has about thirty percent chance. If you do it…” He paused. “Her chances hit seventy percent.”
The silence stretched so long he thought the call had dropped.
“Irene? You there?”
“I’m here,” she finally said.
“This is entirely your call. Nobody would blame you for walking away You don’t owe them anything.”
“Right. I understand. Thanks for letting me know.”
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Chapter 201
The line went dead. After hanging up. Irene found Joseph approaching.
“Everything alright?” he asked, concern etched in his weathered face
Irene smiled and shook her head. ‘Nothing Important. Just routine hospital stuff.”
Joseph’s eyes flickered with doubt, but he didn’t press further. He simply patted her shoulder and walked away.
Hours later, Irene tucked her kids into bed, kissing each forehead with practiced tenderness. She read Lucas an extra story, braided Lily’s hair the way she loved, and discussed Alex’s latest coding project until his eyes grew heavy.
Joseph had turned in early, claiming fatigue from a chess match. Irene suspected he was giving her space, sensing her distraction throughout dinner.
In her bedroom, she lay still, staring at the ceiling. Sleep refused to come. Matthew’s words played on repeat–Rose was dying, and Irene held the key to her survival.
After hours of internal debate, she surrendered to wakefulness. She pulled on a thick cardigan and padded downstairs.
In the kitchen, her hand hovered between tea and something stronger. She chose the latter, grabbing wine and a glass before slipping out to the garden gazebo.
The night wrapped around her like a cold blanket. Stars pierced the darkness overhead, indifferent to human drama.
Irene settled onto the bench, pouring a generous glass. The wine caught moonlight as she swirled it, watching tiny whirlpools form and vanish.
Should I do it? The question burned brighter than any star_above.
Rose–the woman who had thrown her out for being pregnant, who had slapped her five–year–old son, who had called her children “bastards” without remorse–now depended on Irene’s hands for survival.
As a doctor, the answer seemed simple. As a daughter? Nothing had ever been more complicated.
She took a long sip, surprised to find herself completely clearheaded. The alcohol seemed to slide past her defenses without effect.
“Must be this wine,” she muttered, squinting at the label. “Not nearly as potent as Hayes vintage.”
The memory of that night at Hayes Estate surfaced–how Adam had found her in the garden, how she’d collapsed against him in the car, how she’d woken up the next morning to find his jacket draped over her chair.
Her fingers tightened around the glass. Why did thoughts of Adam keep intruding? Why did she find herself comparing everyone else to him? Why did she feel safer with him than with people she’d known for years?
Unaware of her thoughts, Adam sat in his study, gazing through the windows that offered a clear view of the shared gardens. His eyes caught movement in the gazebo–Irene’s silhouette lit by soft landscape lighting.
He’d been working late, looking over numbers after the cyber attack. Standing to rest his eyes was routine, a brief break from endless projections.
But tonight, insteas darkness, he spotted her sitting alone in the cold, shoulders tight with tension, a bottle beside.
Adam watched her pour a second glass, her movements stiff. Something was clearly wrong. Irene wasn’t someone who drank alone in freezing temperatures at midnight.
His fingers drummed against his wheelchair’s armrest, debating. Going down there meant crossing boundaries. Calling might seem
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Chapter 201
intrusive. Doing nothing felt wrong.
After a moment’s hesitation, he grabbed his phone.
in the gazebo, Irene’s phone lit up thexpectedly. Checking the cater to the frowned. Why would Adam calf en later
She answered but said nothing, waiting.
“Drinking alone? His voice came through, somehow both teasing a concerne
Something about his timing–appearing exactly when her thought id turned to him struck fer as untranny. The looked up and found him framed in his study window, phone pressed to his ear, watching her aerost the darkened garden.
Their eyes met across the distance. The night seemed to pause, the garden transforming into a private universe where only they existed.
Irene felt a subtle shift inside–a guard dropping that she hadn’t even realized she’d been keeping up. All these months sines returning to Silver City, she’d been so careful to need no one, to show no weakness. Yet somehow, in her moments of vulnerability. Adam kept appearing like he had some sixth sense for her distress.
When Rose had triggered a family crisis by slapping Alex, Adam had killed the Sterling deal without hesitation. When the cyber attack threatened his company, her son had stepped up to help. When she’d been drunk and helpless at the party, he’d gotten herr home safely.
And now, when she faced the impossible choice of saving the woman who had hurt her most, here he was again—not pushing. demanding, just present.
A small laugh escaped her as understanding dawned. Maybe it wasn’t coincidence after all. Maybe something deeper was at work
She gripped the phone tighter, her voice soft but clear as she finally broke the silence.
“Would you come down and join me?”
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