Pamy weakly in bed, her condition visibly fragile. At the sight of yton, a spark of excitement flickered in her eyes, reminiscent of a lost child finally finding a parent.


    Yet, when she spoke, it wasn''t toin or to seekfort; it was to call out for her daughter, "Irene, Irene..."


    It was evident Pam was lost in her own world, her mind fixated on finding her daughter, oblivious to her own plight.


    She was easy to pacify, like a toddler, believing anything she was told unless it was nder about her daughter or yton. That was the only time she showed anger, ready to defend and contradict.


    With hands wrapped in bandages, she gently shook yton''s hand, whispering, "yton, find Irene, find Irene..."


    yton''s heart ached at her words. He too had once had a warm home, a loving wife, and a delightful daughter. But ever since their daughter went missing, their home had shattered.


    His daughter''s whereabouts remained unknown, his wife had retreated into her own world in Oceanopolis, and he was left to search tirelessly for their daughter. A once happy family was now torn apart.


    Choking back his emotions, yton assured her, "I know, I''m looking for Irene, I''ve always been."


    Pam''s face twisted in distress, "Irene''s alive, Irene''s alive!"


    "...Yes! Our Irene is strong and fortunate. She must be alive and well, maybe even happy, with a loving husband and sweet children....."


    Helen, overhearing this, could barely hide her skepticism. Alive after more than twenty years? How absurd!


    If Irene were alive, she''d consider herself gone.


    Pam, energized by hope, eximed, "Irene''s alive? Irene''s alive!"


    yton nodded affirmatively, "Yes, Irene''s alive."


    Breathing a sigh of relief, Pam''s tense nerves rxed as shey there, smiling foolishly at the ceiling and then at everyone in the room, repeating, "My Irene''s alive, alive..."


    The others present exchanged looks, silently agreeing on the tragedy of her condition.


    yton, with tears blurring his vision, remembered Pam in better times - radiant, intelligent, and fiercely independent. Now, she was but a shadow of her former self.


    Wiping away his tears, yton turned to the doctor, "How severe are Pam''s injuries? What happened to her?"


    yton couldn''t see the wounds beneath the bandages, nor the marks from needle stitches.


    The senior doctor, after a hesitant nce at Helen, exined, "They''re not life-threatening, though she has many. The main injuries are to her knees and hands, caused by shattered ceramic pieces."


    yton frowned, "Another self-harm incident?"


    A younger doctor quickly added, "Ms. Patel is overwhelmed with grief for her daughter. She finds some relief in physical pain, which momentarily eases her emotional suffering."


    The perpetrators, standing nearby, showed no fear of being discovered.


    After all, Pam''s mind was consumed with thoughts of her daughter, leaving no room for doubt or dispute.


    Besides, any evidence that could have been used against them had been destroyed when Pam supposedly damaged the surveince equipment in a fit of madness.


    Moreover, these two doctors had been personally chosen by yton to care for Pam, one being a long-standing friend and the other a protégé he had supported through medical school.


    Thus, yton ced his full trust in them, never suspecting betrayal.


    A maid seized the moment to suggest, "Dr. White, could you please check on Helenter? Pam bit her during an episode, and it looks pretty bad." Helen downyed the injury with a ''it''s nothing,'' yet made sure yton saw the severity of the bite, disying the bruised and broken skin as proof.