On the way to Orchid Gardens, Joanne was bubbling with excitement.

"Brian, you must feel very happy to have a mother like Auntie Iris."

That was one thing about Brian that she was most envious of.

From the moment they got married until now, Joanne had kept addressing Iris as 'auntie' like she used to. But in truth, Iris was waiting for Joanne to start using a different honorific.

Brian frowned. "Joanne, we're already married. My mother is your mother too," he reminded.

To Joanne, who had lost her mother at the age of fifteen, maternal love was something extremely precious? Brian's words... was he expressing his willingness to share his mother's love with her?

"Aww, Brian. I'm surprisingly touched by your words... Even if it's just for two years, I'll treat Auntie Iris like my own mother!" said Joanne sincerely. "Thank you!"

"..." Brian had only intended to get Joanne to start using a different honorific when addressing his mother. As for those complicated meanings behind his words, Joanne had read into them on her own. But just like that, she was satisfied?

He suddenly did not have the heart to correct her for reading too much into his words.

Iris had been anticipating their arrival from this morning until now, when she finally saw Joanne. She waved her hand cheerfully at Joanne. "Joanne, come in!"

Joanne walked towards Iris and stopped in front of the old lady. She pursed her lips. "Mom I'm here to visit you," she said in a serious tone.

Iris had been waiting to hear the word 'Mom' from Joanne for far too long. Now hearing it all of a sudden, Iris had begun to doubt her own ears. Iris's eyes grew wide as she stared at Joanne. In that moment, it was as if she felt an overwhelming urge to turn back time by a few seconds just so she could hear it again.

Joanne seemed to be at a loss under Iris's gaze. "Mom, what's wrong?"

This time, Iris could confirm that she had heard it. In a split second, she pulled Joanne into her arms forcefully. "Good girl."

Joanne returned the embrace gently, smiling as she did so.

A mother's embrace. To Joanne, it was a long time coming. In this world, only Iris could make Joanne relive the feeling of being embraced by a mother.

After a long while, Iris's emotions calmed down and she remembered her son. "Where's Brian? Didn't he come with you?"

"He's behind."

Brian walked in just as those words left Joanne's mouth. Overjoyed, Iris said, "Today I'll be preparing lunch for you two! And Joanne, I've picked up all my culinary skills from your mom too."

Joanne nodded in anticipation. "Okay!"

"Did Brian tell you that this place is actually our old home?" Iris's gaze went around the house in a circle. "Brian had lived here since he was born until that incident happened. We were forced to leave the country..."

In everyone's hearts, there would always be unspoken scars. For Iris, those scars were caused by the incident that had happened fourteen years ago. Joanne had no intentions of digging up the unhappy memories from Iris's past. Smiling, Joanne asked, "Really? Then which room did he stay in when he was young?"

Iris placed Joanne's hand into Brian's. "Brian, why don't you show Joanne your old room? I'll go prepare lunch."

Joanne felt a little uncomfortable and was about to withdraw her hand. But it was as if Brian had seen through her intent and had been one step ahead when he squeezed her hand tight. "It's on the second floor. Follow me."

His hand was unlike those of average men, which were dry and rough. When his hand wrapped around her small hand like that, it brought her a strange sense of security.

But Joanne also knew that Brian would not be holding her hand forever.

The moment they were upstairs, Joanne freed her hand from Brian's grasp, acting like it was the most natural thing to do. Then, she began to wander around Brian's bedroom, taking in everything. Finally, she came to a conclusion. "Brian, so your dullness had begun since you were young."

Such a spacious room, yet it contained nothing more than a massive bookshelf and some basic furnishings. The bookshelf was fully stacked with books, leaving no room for any other items. Not even the comic books or magazines that every teenage boy would chase after could be found on the shelf let alone garage kit or other game-related merchs.

Brian's lips curled in disdain. "As if your childhood bedroom is normal than mine."

Joanne had never been interested in dolls and stuffed toys. Her only hobby was collecting detective novels and watching anime. Her mother once complained to Iris that her bedroom was completely different from the bedroom of a typical young girl. At the time, Brian was also present. Until now, she could still remember the strange look Brian had given her back then.

She feigned an air of confidence by raising her chin and pushing her chest out. "That's only because my childhood interests and hobbies are a little... special."

Brian raised his brows. "So when you're different, it's special. But when I'm different, it's dull?"

"Ahem..." Joanne touched the tip of her nose guiltily. She tried to change the subject by pointing out a - the one and only - box which sat on the topmost level of the bookshelf. "Are all your childhood toys kept in there?"

As she was speaking, she reached out to take the box.

Brian's eyes narrowed dangerously. "The things in that box can never be seen by Joanne!" he thought.

His long legs allowed him to reach Joanne's side in just two or three strides. He grabbed her hands tight and forcefully pulled her towards him.

"Ah..."

All of a sudden, Joanne lost her balance and bumped face-first into Brian's chest.

Literally face-first - both her lips were now tightly pressed against Brian's chest.

Brian had worn a thin shirt that day, so he could practically feel the softness and tenderness of her lips on his chest. It was as if a hand had reached in and gently caressed his heart. A peculiar feeling began spreading out from his chest.

He really wanted to... keep pressing her into him just like this.

Joanne's tiny face had long since burst into red hot flames. She struggled to her feet and glared at the culprit. "Brian!"

"Joanne, it's very rude to touch other people's stuff without permission."

In just one line, he had managed to stop Joanne.

Disgruntled, Joanne pursed her tiny lips. "Fine. I won't look." After that, she snorted and slipped out of the room.

Seeing her form vanishing through the door, Brian took down the box and opened it. Inside was a photo which had been kept as good as new even after all these years...

Joanne went into the kitchen and saw that Iris was preparing vegetables. Joanne rolled up her sleeves. "Mom, I'll help you," she said tenderly.

Without waiting for a response from Iris, Joanne grabbed a potato and began slicing.

Iris smiled. All of a sudden, she remembered something. "I'll go upstairs to take something."

When she passed Brian's room, Iris saw him staring at a photo.

"Probably a photo of his father," Iris thought.

Iris sighed and entered the room. "Brian."

Brian quickly slid the photo back into the box upon hearing his mother's voice. "Mom, what's wrong?"

Iris sat down close to her son. "Joanne's the one who asked you to come home today, isn't she? I told you. Joanne is much more sensible than you think. At least she has the heart to come visit an old lady like me." Iris smiled happily. "Promise me that you'll protect her for the rest of your life."

"Don't worry, mom. She'll never come to harm as long as there's me."

His eagle-like eyes contained nothing but complete resolve and conviction.

Iris nodded and patted her son's hand. "I need to get something from my room."

Brian left Iris at the door of her room before heading back to his own room. He took another look at that ten-year-old photo before closing the box. After putting the box back in place, he went downstairs.

Joanne was still in the kitchen slicing vegetables. After Iris found the thing she had been looking for, she entered the kitchen while pulling Brian with her. In the kitchen, they were both a little taken aback by what they saw.

Joanne had already cut up the meat and the vegetables and had placed them neatly on the plate. The plate had been arranged beautifully as if it were a platter. Even the potatoes had been so evenly cut that each slice was practically equal in thickness. Such knife skills were comparable to those of professional chefs.

"Joanne...you haven't taken a course on knife skills, have you?" Iris asked in a daze.

"Mom," Brian reminded his mother, "she's a medical examiner." If Joanne could cut up a human body neatly, what was a potato to her?

Iris felt as if she had just woken up from a dream. "Joanne, I heard that the lady from Bennett Family had ridiculed your occupation during the party the other night? Well. Someday, I'll invite her over and have her witness your knife skills. I guarantee, the next time she sees you, she'll be trembling before you and calling you Mrs. Lambert."

Feeling awkward, Joanne did not know how to respond, so she kept quiet. "Looks like my mother-in-law isn't one to be trifled with," she thought.

"Brian, you don't have any plans tonight, I hope?" Iris asked.

"No," Brian answered frankly.

Satisfied, Iris smiled before moving to stand beside Joanne. "Joanne, why don't you two stay for the night and head back tomorrow? How does that sound?"

Brian narrowed his eyes. When Iris was not paying attention, he hurriedly tugged at Joanne so that she would start making up an excuse to turn down the offer.

Joanne was preoccupied with the happiness she was feeling at that moment, so she did not think there was anything wrong with the suggestion. She gave Brian a strange look. Then, she smiled and nodded. "Okay. I'm free for the next two days anyway." She just wanted to spend time with Iris.

The situation was beyond saving now. Even so, Brian remained calm and composed. After all, it was not going to be him that would end up agitated and nervous when the time came.

Iris put on her apron happily and began to cook.

Gulash soup, baked potato with beef, stewed chicken with mushroom and cream sauce, Carbonara, and vegetable salad. Soon, all four dishes were served. Iris allowed Joanne to have the first taste. "Try it. See if they taste the same as the ones your mother made. These are the dishes that your mom was best at back then."

Back then, Joanne's favorite was her mom's baked potato with beef. She took a bite of the same dish made by Iris and found that it tasted exactly the same as her mom's.

Joanne's eyes grew slightly warm, though her lips curved into a smile. "They taste alike."

Iris smiled. "Then let's eat."

The moment Joanne sat down, she politely filled a bowl of soup and served it to Iris first. After that, she automatically reached for Brian's bowl and began filling it with soup too. "Have some soup."

Brian looked at his young wife in surprise. Then, he caught a glimpse of his mother who was sitting on the opposite side of him. There was so much joy in his mother's smile, so he had no other choice but to give a tiny smile of his own. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Joanne was in a great mood. Every dish on the table was so delicious that it could turn anyone into a glutton. This was probably the tastiest meal she ever had since her mother passed away.

After lunch, fruits were served by the maids. Iris regarded Joanne and Brian seriously. "Joanne, Brian, there's something I'd like to discuss with both of you."

"When are you planning to have kids? I've thought of quite a few names for my grandchildren."

Joanne lost control and spit out the water she had been drinking.