After a simple cleanup, Ivy went to the clinic. Due to her illness in the past couple of days, the cooperation with DT Investment had been temporarily handed over to Dr. Ticko and Dr. Jenny. When Ivy arrived at the clinic, an accident victim was being brought into the emergency room. "Isn't that the garbage collector--Dona?" one of the nurses exclaimed. Ivy frowned and hurried to the bedside. "Possibly a spinal cord injury," she instructed the nurse. She examined the multiple life-threatening wounds on Dona's body, and she was continuously vomiting black blood. "Multiple internal injuries, severe internal trauma. Get her into the operating room quickly." "Yes!" The nurses rushed away, and Ivy added, "Go and fetch Dr. Ticko. The patient's condition is extremely critical. Depending on a single doctor might not be sufficient." "But Dr. Ticko is attending a seminar in the neighboring city today, and Dr. Jenny is representing the clinic at DT Investment. They won't be back for a while." Maya was anxious and her eyes were turning red. In the few years Ivy had been working at the clinic, she had heard bits and pieces of Dona's story. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she moved in with her mother, but at the age of 15, she was sexually assaulted by her stepfather, and her mother tacitly allowed this nightmare to continue for a whole year. It was only when a neighbor noticed something was wrong and called the police that Dona was rescued. Both of her parents were imprisoned, and Dona was placed in a welfare institution. However, that year of suffering had taken a severe toll on her mental health. Now, at the age of thirty, she could no longer speak, only making incoherent sounds and spending her days rummaging through garbage piles. When Ivy visited the welfare institution, she would occasionally help look after and protect her with the social workers, but they could only do so much. "Dr. Jones, should we consider transferring her to the city hospital?" the head nurse suggested. Ivy shook her head. "It won't be possible to transfer her now; she might not make it halfway there." "I'll do it!" A voice suddenly came from behind--it was Director Malcom. Ivy turned around to see Director Malcom already wearing a white coat and hurrying towards them. In all the time Ivy had been at the clinic, this was the first time she had seen Director Malcom in a white coat. She had almost forgotten that, in his younger days, Director Malcom had been a renowned doctor in the city. "Dr. Jones, what are you waiting for?" Director Malcom rapped her on the head. "Time waits for no one." After speaking, Director Malcom hurriedly entered the operating room. Ivy took a deep breath and said, "Understood!" Inside the operating room, Director Malcom, who hadn't performed surgery in years, chose to assist Ivy, and their coordination was surprisingly good. "The patient has a severe spinal cord injury, multiple severe internal injuries, including the liver and stomach. There is significant hemorrhaging," Ivy said with a grave expression, causing everyone in the room to gasp but not dare to be careless. "Dr. Jones, the patient's heart rate is unstable, and her breathing is rapidly deteriorating." Ivy's breath caught, "The patient is bleeding heavily; we need to administer an emergency blood transfusion." "Yes!" Ivy tightened her grip on the surgical knife, and cold sweat appeared on her forehead. Her vision began to blur. In her mind, she couldn't stop thinking about that incident from three years ago, and suddenly, Dona in front of her merged with that child. "She can't die, she can't die," she tried her best to save her, but no matter what she and Director Malcom did, they could only watch Dona's vital signs deteriorate, eventually flatlining. "Dr. Jones, you need to stay calm! You need to stay calm!" "Dr. Jones, the patient is gone!" Director Malcom held Ivy tightly, and she struggled and eventually collapsed, bringing Director Malcom down with her. Director Malcom said in a deep voice, "Dr. Jones, the patient is gone. You need to regain your composure." Upon hearing this, Ivy unconsciously got up. She stood trembling and looked at Dona, who had already left. Her eyes were red. Director Malcom said, "Dr. Jones, Dona's injuries were too severe. Even if we had immediately taken her to the top hospital in the city, we couldn't have saved her. You did your best."After saying this, Director Malcom patted her on the shoulder and helped her out of the operating room. "Take some rest," Director Malcom escorted Ivy to her office. He felt that she was ice-cold all over, shivering uncontrollably, and sighed before reminding her: "Dr. Jones, the accident from three years ago is irreversible, and you shouldn't immerse yourself in the past. If you approach your husband's surgery with this mindset, I can't imagine the consequences." He handed her a business card and added, "This belongs to a friend of mine's daughter, a specialist in mental health. She's returning to the country soon. Whenever you have the time, go see her and resolve your inner conflicts as soon as possible. Take care of yourself." After Director Malcom left the office, Ivy looked at the business card in front of her and suddenly felt a chill. She instinctively curled up and hugged herself, realizing that she shouldn't perform surgery on Shawn. If he were to die on her operating table, what would she do? She had already caused the death of a child, and she couldn't risk causing the death of Shawn. If she didn't perform the surgery on him, he would be safe. But if she did, then what if... Ivy had a heavy heart and returned to hone with extremely mixed emotions. Thanks to her mother visiting relatives, Mr. Luke was still there even though it was late at night. Seeing Ivy's car parked downstairs, Assistant Luke quietly reported everything that had happened today to Shawn and suddenly, with a worried expression, said, "Mr. Tate, the current situation with your wife is not suitable for you to undergo surgery." Shawn looked expressionless as he gazed at Ivy, who appeared lost and dejected downstairs. After a moment of silence, he ordered, "It's too late. You may leave." Assistant Luke almost choked on his breath. His boss had been acting strangely ever since he got married, following his wife around like he was under some kind of spell. Quietly placing the documents he had in hand on the table, he reminded, "Mr. Tate, inside are the evidence against Harry and Amara, and I've already briefed you on the details when I arrived." "Okay." Assistant Luke quickly left before Ivy returned. Just as she opened the door, she was met with Shawn's gaze. It wasn't cold but oddly tender. "Are you okay?" he asked.Upon being asked, Ivy's heart tightened, and she averted her gaze somewhat nervously. "You already know?" Shawn tried to control his nervous emotions. "Yes, Jasson happened to pass by the clinic and told me everything." Ivy felt a lump in her throat. "Shawn, about your surgery..." "My surgery will proceed as planned," Shawn replied resolutely. "I believe in you, and I trust only you." "But..." "I'm not afraid at all, so why are you?" Shawn smiled gently. ‘I'm afraid of causing your death!’ A voice kept swirling in her throat, and several times, Ivy wanted to shout out her thoughts, but in the end, she hesitated. "Even if it goes badly, I won't be worse than I am now, right?" Shawn added after a moment of silence. Ivy closed her eyes and smiled wryly. "But what if you die?" "Don't worry, I won't die," Shawn said with a faint smile. "The fortune teller said I'll live to be 100." "Ha!" Ivy couldn't help but laugh. "Superstition!" Seeing that her mood had improved significantly, Shawn handed Ivy the information that Assistant Luke had left behind. "This is the information about Harry Jones, Amara, and their child, Zedd, that the private investigator found." Ivy frowned, thinking she had misheard, and repeated her question to Shawn, "Their child...?" ***