Ivy wondered if it was because it has been raining so much lately that she was still feeling somber or if was she really still dwelling on her grief. She knew Ray was coming home yet she still couldn’t find the courage to speak. She sighed as she looked at the vase of marigolds and pot of succulents while caressing Daisy by her side.

She could smell a very fragrant smell of sesame oil as her stomach grumbled a little. She knew it was going to be dinner soon.

Moments later, she heard a loud sizzling sound from the kitchen and it was smoking inside the house. The fragrant smell of sesame oil was beginning to smell like it was burning. She jolted out from her seat out of instinct and bravely ran into the house through the smoke into the kitchen.

There wasn’t anyone around was the most worrying thing as she quickly switch off the stove and coughed while choking from the smoke. She pinched herself to ensure she wasn’t in her paracosm as she yelped in pain while quickly running out of the kitchen.

To her surprise, she was shocked to see Peter lying on the ground motionlessly as she fell to the ground. All the trauma she had struggled to forget came back instantly to haunt her. Her body shook as it recalled the crash with Jason while her lips quivered trying to call out to her dad and for help.

As she gripped her fist in terror till her palms bled, Daisy was barking frantically. “Ivy! Grip some sense! Come on, you can do this! You must! It’s Daddy in danger! Ivy!” She screamed at herself in mind as the word daddy rang an alarm in her mind.

“Daddy… Daddy!!” She began to make sense of the situation as she crawled to him and stained the floor with her bloody palm.

“Daddy! What happened? Daddy, answer me!” She began to panic but push herself to calm down as she ran to fetch her mobile on the balcony.

She then quickly dialed the emergency number calling for the ambulance. “Hel…Hello… There’s an emergency at level twenty… Gladys's apartment block… unit eight! There’s an unconscious fifty years old man! Hurry, send an ambulance!” She struggled to give the address at first but as she gathered her thoughts, she began to have a clear mind when the rescue department instantly send help.

As she hang up, she knew she needed to inform someone. She knew Ray and Ryu were away. There was only Jin as she quickly dialed his mobile number only for Cassandra to pick up.

“Hello, Ivy? Are you alright? Jin is in the washroom. What is it?” Cassandra asked feeling strange that Ivy would call. Ivy felt a little lump in her throat again.

“Ivy? Hello? Is that you?” Cassandra asked as Ivy cleared her throat.

“Cassie, Daddy has fainted. I have called for emergency rescue. Could you come home?” Ivy said solemnly as she without waiting for a response, hang up and sat in front of Peter’s body.

She held on to his hand all the while as Daisy sat and paced occasionally while they all rushed over.

“Daddy, please don’t leave me. Please don’t…” Ivy said in her heart.

“I’m sorry, I blamed you and resented you. I know it wasn’t your fault. I now know this was how it felt to take things for granted. I regret it fully. You were the greatest gift Jason found for me and I was stupid to not be able to appreciate them.” Ivy pleaded in her heart as she believed and trusted Peter was fighting to live on.

Cassandra upon receiving the phone call quickly alerted Jin and Uncle James who rushed over right when the emergency helps come. Jin and Uncle James went to check with the paramedics on Peter’s condition only to find that he fainted from fatigue and was having a fever.

Cassandra quickly grab a sweater for Ivy as she helped Ivy who was distraught to stand up and led her down to her car. Jin and Uncle James had boarded the ambulance with Peter as Cassandra drove Ivy to the hospital.

With her father recuperating, Ivy sat by his side. Knowing the situation, James and Cassandra stepped outside and joined Jin who was on the phone with Ray and Ryu to update them on the situation.

Peter who was already awake but still feeling weak stared at Ivy who looked distressed as they both sat silently for a moment. Ivy was searching for her courage to call him as Peter gently caressed her hand.

“Daddy…” She called out with her choking voice as she gripped his hand. Peter was tremendously happy.

“I’m sorry…” Ivy apologised as she started to cry by his side of the bed while Peter gently caressed her head. He let her cry all she wanted as he knew it must have been terrifying for her. All he hoped was for her to recover sooner only then would he be able to be at ease to head back to deal with his failing business.

When Peter was discharged, Ivy felt she could do more. She had been accompanying Peter in his room and started to say a one-word reply. One morning, she stepped into Peter’s room and serve him breakfast as usual while she did some cleaning.

That’s when she found a picture of the woman whom she had always dreamt of as she fell to the ground startled. “Ivy! You’re alright?!” Peter asked panicking while wanting to climb down the bed.

She pushed herself to calm down. “Daddy… Who… is she?” Ivy asked stuttering as she let Peter see the picture in bed from afar.

Peter quickly got down from the bed and help Ivy to stand as he sighed holding on to the picture.

“It is your biological mother.” Peter gently caressed Ivy’s hair as she blinked in surprise but was already expecting it. She held onto his hand trying to comfort him and also herself.

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“She had lost her sanity from her aggression. Don’t blame her Ivy for all that happened. Don’t ever blame yourself either. It was never your fault, to begin with.” Peter was worried Ivy couldn't cope but Ivy nodded firmly.

“Where is she?” Ivy asked solemnly.

“She is in a sanitarium. If you would like to visit her, do let me know. I will make the arrangements but I won’t force you, Ivy.” She nodded again but she could sense he wasn’t telling her some details.

“Daddy, when I told you about my nightmare where I fall off a tall building…” Before Ivy could finish explaining, Peter nodded.

“Yes, from the first time, you told me…” Peter hesitated for a moment thinking back at how she had just recovered.

“Could you cope with the truth given you have just recovered?” He asked while caressing her cheeks.

She nodded bravely. “Tell me. I can handle this.” Peter sighed as he gently patted her back.

“Due to your mother’s aggression, she nearly threw you off the balcony when you were only a little toddler. That’s why it was surprising when you could remember and even had nightmares of it.” Peter explained as Ivy blinked trying to suppress her emotions as her tears fell.

She felt bad because her birth was the main reason for her mother’s aggression and it tore down their blissful marriage.

“I’m sorry Daddy… I’m sorry.” Though Peter had told her not to blame herself cause if she wasn’t born her mother would have lived a happy life with Peter, she still couldn’t help it.

“It’s my fault. It’s my birth that cause it.” Ivy said in between her sobs as Peter hugged her.

“Darling, it wasn’t entirely your fault. Your mother had also been abusing drugs before that and it was my fault for not taking good care of her. Never yours Ivy. That’s why she had been staying at the sanitarium for years which Auntie Soh arranged.” Peter comforted as Ivy was a little surprised to learn about her mother’s drug abuse and Auntie Soh knowing about it all these years.

“Can I see her soon? Like this few days?” Ivy asked as she didn’t want to put it on hold any longer.

“Are you sure?” Peter asked as Ivy nodded with conviction.

“I could wait till you recover. I just want to see her in person… at least once.” Ivy said solemnly as Peter nodded.

“I will let Uncle Jin do the arrangements.”

“Thank you, Daddy.” Ivy hugged him as she finally felt the warmness she once had felt when they reunite and was forever grateful to Jason for this.

Ray was glad that Ivy was beginning to recover even faster and that her relationship with Peter had improved tremendously. When he was in Landsfield, he would ensure he walked with Ivy and even made her pick back up boxing with him.

With her situation, they didn’t allow her to handle work yet or head back to the office so soon. Instead, most of the time she would hang out with Jin and Cassandra in the basement. Uncle James would also drop by occasionally.

“How’s the office lately?” Ivy asked Jin who was busy typing away on his laptop.

Jin stopped abruptly as he looked up at Ivy while adjusting his glasses, assessing her.

“I am fine. Just tell me.” Ivy reassured as Jin folded his arm and leaned back in the chair.

“If you’re asking about Jeremy, he had been laying low. If you’re asking about the operations, yes there’s a major cashflow issue that Marcel brought up but it was temporarily solved with Uncle James putting funds into Rahi’s consulting to sustain.” Jin explained as Ivy nodded meekly, unable to think of a solution with her clouded mind at that moment.

All she could do was sighed worriedly as Jin decided to pass her a letter he had kept for a long while. It was sent to the house mailbox from her college. She opened up to find Jason’s appraisal of her internship. Inside were also her results and she had passed with flying colors.

She smiled sadly as she caressed the word “accounts”. She knew without Jason’s help her tremendous results wouldn’t have made it. She closed her eyes and shuddered to suppress her emotions as Jin walked over to hug her.

“You have done well, sis. He will be happy for you too.” Jin comforted as he peeped at her results and smiled a sad one too.

“If only you could live on to see the results you produced, Jason,” Jin said in his heart. While Ivy wanted to fold the letters to keep, another envelope slipped out to the floor as Jin picked it up for her.

Ivy opened it to find a letter from Jason who sent it in the past in the hope to motivate her.

The letter wrote:

“My dearest sweetheart Ivy,

Congratulations on graduating first year of college! I hope my appraisal would bring you up to a higher level and I wish you would fly even higher after this.

Love;

Jason”

With all that she had struggled to suppress, it only took a letter to break all of it as Ivy tried to cry in Jin’s arms but there weren’t any tears anymore. “Have I really accepted and come to terms with your death?” Ivy questioned in her mind as Jin gently rubbed her back to console her.

In the following therapy session, Ivy decided to visit Phyllis alone while Ray waited outside. Ivy walked in quietly as usual and saw it was Gladiolus in the vase this time.

“I don’t see Daisy today? Is she alright?” Phyllis questioned as Ivy turnaround and smiled.

“Yes, she is,” Ivy said as she smiled. Phyllis instantly embraced Ivy.

“Oh, it’s so good to hear your voice again! I’m so happy for you Ivy!”

“Thank you, Phyllis… I know how diligent and tactful you were in the previous sessions. I’m sorry…” Ivy said solemnly as Phyllis shook her head.

“Don’t be sorry. I’m so proud of you, Ivy. Today’s gladiolus instead of remembrance would mean victory, Ivy.” Phyllis explained as Ivy nodded.

“How was your week? Come, sit and tell me.” Phyllis guided her to the chair next to the vase.

“Dad was admitted to the hospital for fainting from fever. I guess that’s where I was forced to talk.” Phyllis listened on as Ivy paused.

“Oh, is he alright now?” Phyllis quickly ask as Ivy nodded.

“Yes, and I discovered about my biological mother.” Phyllis then paid more attention as Ivy explained about her aggression, the linked-to her nightmares, and also plans to meet her.

Phyllis could tell Ivy was beginning to pass the grieving stage as she gradually spoke about how she felt she was useless with the company affairs and that her father was still not heading back to work.

“I am still striving to get better,” Ivy concluded as Phyllis smiled.

“You’re doing way better than expected. I can assure you of this. You will be very well in the next few weeks. In fact, I would like to know have you thought of Nick?” Phyllis prompted as memories of Nick being in the accident flashed through her mind instantly and she was taken aback that she totally had forgotten about him.

“No, I haven’t till you said so. How’s he doing? Is he well?” Ivy quickly questioned as Phyllis sighed.

“Would you like to pay him a visit as your brother had signed him up for a session but he had refused to come,” Phyllis asked as thousands of thoughts run through Ivy’s mind.

“Yes, I will. In fact, I will go today.” Ivy assured Phyllis as Phyllis could feel her conviction.

Ivy was her only hope to help Nick’s situation since they both were involved in the same accident. The best remedy was for them to help each other overcome the trauma alongside.