Chapter 7 - The True Diagnosis
The private clinic on the hills overlooking Jiang City didn't look like a hospital; it resembled a peaceful, mountain estate surrounded by white stone terraces and blooming lavender fields. This was the Shengheng Medical Institute, a facility Sophia had quietly funded using her recovered capital over the past three months.
Sophia sat on a wide leather examination table, her bare legs resting against the white linen sheet. Standing before her was Dr. Klaus Vance—a world-renowned neurosurgeon from the Charité Hospital in Berlin, whom Leo had flown in on a private transport three days ago.
"The scans are quite remarkable, Miss Reed," Dr. Klaus said, switching off the lightbox that displayed a series of complex MRI spine images. He adjusted his glasses and looked at her with a warm, genuine smile. "For the past two years, the medical reports filed by the Ethan family’s private physicians stated that your spinal cord was completely severed during the crash. They told you that regeneration was biologically impossible."
Sophia’s fingers tightened slightly against the edge of the table. "And the truth?"
"The truth is that your spinal cord was never severed," Dr. Klaus said, his voice laced with a deep, professional indignation. "It was merely compressed by a massive localized hematoma and a minor bone fragment. A standard, sixty-minute decompression surgery performed within forty-eight hours of the crash would have had you walking within three months."
Sophia let out a long, slow breath, her eyes closing for a brief second as a final, lingering wave of grief passed through her heart. They hadn't just stolen her money; they had stolen her body. They had intentionally paid off the initial surgeons to leave the compression intact, ensuring she would remain dependent on their "charity" forever.
"But because the compression was left untreated for two years," Sophia said, her voice steady, "has the nerve tissue withered permanently?"
"In most patients, yes," Dr. Klaus said, stepping closer and tapping a small, silver reflex hammer against her right knee. "But you are a very stubborn young woman, Miss Reed. The neural pathways are damaged, but they are not dead. The electronic stimulation therapy you’ve been secretly conducting with Leo’s assistance has kept the muscle memory active. With a specialized corrective procedure and six months of intensive rehabilitation, I can give you a ninety percent guarantee."
"A guarantee of what, Doctor?"
"That you will stand on your own two feet when you watch your parents' murderers receive their final sentencing," Dr. Klaus said gently.
May you like
Sophia looked out the wide glass windows at the sprawling city below, the lights of the harbor twinkling like a field of fallen stars. For two years, she had been a ghost in a velvet chair, watching the world move without her.
"Schedule the surgery for tomorrow morning, Doctor," Sophia said, her lips curving into a beautiful, radiant smile that held no more room for shadows. "I’ve spent enough time sitting down."
