Gina stared at her daughter in shock, her heart sinking. Was she really terminally ill?


    She tightened her grip onn''s hand. "Ian, tell me. What is it? Please, don''t hide it from me anymore."


    The steadiness in her son''s expression offered a small measure offort. She knew he was always measured and in control. Serena, too, waited anxiously, as her brother had never told her the full story.


    "At the time, you were diagnosed with amon blood disorder. The treatment was supposed to be regr stem cell infusions."


    He paused. "But after the first infusion, your condition didn''t improve; it worsened. You were in aa for three days. It was then that we discovered you have an extremely rare blood disease. We had to perform gic screening to find a hundred-percent match for a stem cell donation to suppress the malignant cells in your body."


    Serena quickly added, "Don''t worry, Mom. He found a match."


    Gina looked back at her son, waiting for him to continue.


    "Ten years ago, after Dad passed away, I arranged for you to recuperate abroad. In reality, you were undergoing intensive treatment and stem cell transnts,"n exined, not shying away from his mother''s shocked expression. "I kept it from you because I was afraid the psychological burden would affect your treatment." Tears welled in Gina''s eyes as she thought back. What had her son endured? His father''s death, aa from a car ident, and on top of it all, he had been secretly managing her rare illness all by himself.


    Serena looked at her brother, her own eyes red with tears. She felt utterly useless, having never been able to share any of his burdens, only causing him more worry with her constant troublemaking.


    "Did the person who matched... agree to help me?" Gina asked, a glimmer of hope in her voice.


    "Yes,"n confirmed. "It''s because of her stem cell donations over thest ten years that we''ve been able to control your condition."


    Hearing her son speak of it so matter-of-factly, Gina could only imagine the struggles and sacrifices involved. Fresh tears of heartache streamed down her face. "Who is this person? I-I must thank them properly."


    "Mom, just focus on getting better,"n said gently. "The most important thing now


    is to cooperate with the treatment. There''s been a breakthrough with a new


    therapy, and we''re going to cure you."


    Serena chimed in. "Don''t worry, Mom. Brother hired world-renowned hematology experts, and Eleanor is working in theb too."


    Gina''s eyes widened in astonishment. She looked at her son. "Eleanor is working on my case?"


    A wave of profound guilt washed over Gina''s frail face. She clutched the nket, momentarily speechless.


    "Brother, you should have told me sooner," Serena sobbed.


    Serena fell silent. She remembered how, upon learning of her own diagnosis, she had been consumed by fear and panic, her mind aplete nk. He was right; she would have been no help at all.


    Gina slowly closed her eyes, the


    weight of the information almost too much to bear. But knowing the truth also brought a strange sense of eptance. Her heart ached for her son for the ten years he had spent fighting to keep her alive. He had given too much.


    As she thought of the donor who


    she


    had been providing stem cells for ten years, a wave of deep gratitude and burning curiosity washed. Gina. (Tan, who is this perso asked. "Is there any chance could meet them?"