Chapter 87
But before long, I dimly regained some consciousness, though my eyelids were too heavy to open.
Vaguely, I heard someone urgently ordering doctors to save me.
The voice was commanding yet panicked.
Then I seemed to be wheeled into an emergency room. I heard lots of equipment being activated.
After that, my consciousness sank, and I lost awareness again.
When I woke up next, I heard quiet movement nearby.
Opening my eyes, I saw Ethan hunched over, carefully creeping toward the bed.
"Ethan?"
The moment I spoke, I realized how hoarse my voice was.
But Ethan heard me. His face lit up as he rushed to my bedside and crouched down.
"Cindy, you're finally awake."
"Was I out for long?"
"A day and a night. If the guards outside hadn't just changed shifts, I wouldn't have been able to see you."
I was shocked. "A whole day? We missed our flight!"
Ethan nodded. "I came to check on you and make sure you're safe, but also to tell you—you won first place. Several top companies want you to join them."
"Including the Royal Ballet."
The news caught me completely off guard.
"Really? The Royal Ballet invited me? You didn't pull strings, did you?"
"Of course not. Mary's their representative. She's very interested in you, so she asked me to reach out."
I was overjoyed. This was the best news I'd heard in ages.
"I'm in. When are you guys heading back?"
"The plan is tomorrow night. Are you—"
"I can go with you."
Ethan's eyes brightened. "But can you handle it physically?"
"It's fine. I'm much better now. Aside from traumatic arthritis, everything else is minor."
Ethan nodded with relief. "Alright, I'll make arrangements. I actually had a friend help me get an appointment with a specialist who treats this condition. Once you're settled, we'll go see him."
"Perfect!"
Just then, footsteps approached from outside.
Ethan's expression changed. He quickly warned me.
"Leopold's been acting insane these past couple of days. He locked you in this room and won't let anyone visit."
"Cindy, if you want to leave, you need to get out of here first."
"I can't stay. I'll contact you tomorrow."
That was a lot of information to process at once.
Before I could digest it, I watched Ethan climb out the window and disappear from view.
At the same time, the hospital room door swung open.
My heart seized. I quickly pretended I'd just woken up, slowly turning toward the door.
Leopold's face was cold as he scanned the room, then unexpectedly met my gaze.
His expression shifted immediately. He strode to my bedside. "You're awake."
I nodded slightly. "Where are my parents? Why aren't they here?"
Leopold called over security and had them notify my parents.
Then his eyes fixed on the window.
"Someone was just here?"
I shook my head innocently. "Besides you, I haven't seen anyone."
Leopold looked skeptical. "Really? I closed that window earlier. Why is it open now?"
I forced myself to stay calm. "No idea. That explains why I felt cold."
Leopold stared hard at me for a moment before turning to close the window.
I quietly exhaled.
He didn't notice, did he?
"Cindy, my precious baby girl, you're finally awake."
Fanny rushed in excitedly and threw her arms around me.
James followed a step behind, his eyes red as he said with relief, "Thank God you're okay. These past two days really scared us."
I comforted Fanny for a while before she finally let go.
Still worried, James specifically called in my primary doctor for an examination.
"Dad, Mom can stay with me. You and Leopold should wait outside."
If I just asked Leopold to leave, he'd probably refuse.
But with James involved, it would be much easier.
Sure enough, Leopold didn't object and left with James.
Once the door closed again, I asked the doctor.
"Did you tell them about my leg injury?"
The doctor shook his head. "No."
"Cindy, what leg injury?" Fanny was sharp—she immediately caught the key detail. "Didn't you just bruise your knee? Is there something else wrong?"
Only then did I have the doctor explain my real condition to my mom.
After hearing it, Fanny angrily pulled her hand away.
"What were you thinking! Something this serious, and you kept it from your father and me this whole time!"
"Mom." Knowing I was in the wrong, I didn't dare argue back. I could only confess honestly. "I didn't say anything because I was afraid you'd stop me from competing. You know how many years I've been waiting for this chance."
"But you can't hide things from us! What if you hadn't dodged in time? What if something had happened during training? What would your father and I do?" Fanny's voice broke.
I quickly sat up and reached for her.
Afraid I'd hurt myself, Fanny hurried to sit beside me. "You can never do this again."
I promised immediately. "There won't be a next time."
Fanny wiped away her tears before pressing the doctor. "Can my daughter's injury be cured?"
The doctor couldn't guarantee anything. "If this were before, I'd be sixty percent confident. Now I'm not even thirty percent sure."
Fanny couldn't believe it. "So my daughter really will have to use a wheelchair?"
"That's just my personal assessment. But I've heard there's a new technology abroad that can repair damaged joints. You could try to find out more about it."
The doctor's words rekindled Fanny's hope.
"Which hospital? I'll have someone look into it right away."
"I'm not sure of the specifics, but I can help investigate, too."
After the doctor left, I told Fanny about Ethan's visit and mentioned he'd already connected with a specialist.
"Then let's do what Ethan suggests. Our whole family will go together. I don't care how much it costs—I'm getting you treated."
I reassured Fanny. "Okay, but I need to leave with Ethan tomorrow night. You guys can come a couple of days later."
"Why?" Fanny didn't understand.
"Because I don't want Leopold knowing about my injury or where I'm going. Otherwise, I'm afraid there'll be no end to it."
"These past two days, your father and I saw him watching over you constantly. We thought you two had made up."
I shook my head. "We're done. He and Sophia are the real deal. They even had a child together. I'm never going back to him."
"What? He actually did something like that!" Fanny was furious.
I quickly calmed her down, spending considerable effort convincing my mom not to confront Leopold.
When James and Leopold came back in, Fanny suggested discharging me so I could recover at home.
Neither of them objected.
But when I got back to Bayview Villas, I found Leopold's luggage already sitting in the living room.
Angry and confused, I demanded, "What's the meaning of this?"
Leopold answered matter-of-factly, "Your parents are older. They can't stay up all night. I'll take care of you instead."
I almost laughed from sheer frustration. I issued him his walking papers immediately.
"I don't need it. Please leave, or my boyfriend will get jealous when he gets back."
"Boyfriend?" Leopold forced the words through clenched teeth.
"Yeah. You already know, don't you?"
I pulled out my phone and dialed Leo's number.
Right then, Leopold's phone rang too.