Chapter 202 The Illness Is Getting Worse and Worse
Isabella looked at the thin little girl in front of her and hugged her tenderly, heart aching.
"Miss, why are you here all alone? Where is your family? Did they leave you?"
The little girl told her with tears in her eyes, "My mom and dad do not want me anymore. They are going to send me far away. I will never see them again, nor my sister."
Isabella held her shoulders, feeling she looked vaguely familiar, and asked with concern, "What is your name? You are so cute, why do they not want you?"
The little girl looked at her and said, "My name is Bella. I am seven years old. Mom says I bring bad luck and will not let me stay."
"Bella?" Isabella froze when she heard the name, repeating her words, "Mom says I bring bad luck and will not let me stay."
Those words sounded strangely familiar, as if she had heard them a long, long time ago.
Cameron wrote down everything she said. At moments like this, the patient's words were vital, and he carefully observed her expressions too.
Bella cried in her arms, "I do not have a home anymore, no parents or sister. I do not want to go back."
Isabella patted her shoulder, comforting her, "Do not be sad. If your parents do not want you, you can stay with me. I will take care of you."
Bella looked at her with gratitude, "Really? Thank you. Finally, someone wants me."
William watched her crouching in the corner, speaking to herself. From her words, he could tell that this time she was seeing a little girl, and someone who made her feel heartbroken.
Why would Isabella imagine such a person? He heard her call out "Bella," and vaguely remembered Beatrice calling her that in the past.
Cameron observed Isabella while opening her medical records, saying heavily, "If I am not mistaken, she is seeing herself as a child, at the time when her family decided to send her away."
William remembered that Isabella had received psychological treatment at age seven, then was sent back to a distant residence. What exactly happened during that time?
Why would the Tudor family send away their perfectly fine daughter?
What secret were they trying to hide?
William said gravely, "So this is not a new person, but she sees herself as a child. Does that mean the situation is not that serious?"
Cameron shook his head, "No, the situation is quite serious. She is already retreating from reality. Once she has too much contact with these figures, she will not be able to tell reality from hallucination, until she is entirely lost in it."
After a pause, Cameron added, "If a dominant personality emerges, it will completely take over her main personality, and she will sleep forever."
These words were the same as what John had said, reminding him once again how dangerous Isabella's situation was.
"What exactly do we need to do to cure her?"
"That will require William's cooperation with our upcoming treatment."
William's brow furrowed. Seeing Isabella talking to thin air on the monitor, he knew they could not delay any longer.
"Alright!"
Cameron immediately called an emergency consultation with three psychiatrists and psychological trauma experts from the hospital.
In the monitor, the image of Isabella holding empty air played on repeat, her words drilling into everyone's ears.
Medical records and past treatment records, brain function examination reports covered the entire desk.
Everyone present looked grave. Clearly, Isabella's condition was far more complex than they had expected, with multiple risks involved.
After an hour of discussion, Cameron finally took off his glasses and looked at William with a heavy expression.
"Mr. Spencer, we have worked out a treatment plan, but I need to be blunt first—this process will be extremely painful."
William's Adam's apple bobbed, "As long as it can cure her, I can endure any pain."
"It is not you who will suffer, it is Isabella!" Cameron's tone was serious. "She has severe post-traumatic depression with dissociative identity disorder. Her childhood trauma has been forcibly awakened, which is like peeling off her most painful scars layer by layer."
"The treatment has two steps. First is medication to stabilize emotions and suppress the newly formed, fragmented personalities, preventing the main personality from completely falling asleep. Second is trauma exposure therapy, guiding her to directly face her seven-year-old memories, digging out all the fear, grievance, and self-denial buried in her subconscious."
William's heart tightened. "What will happen when they are dug out?"
"She will break down, lose control, maybe even suffer more than she is now, like living in hell." Cameron was brutally frank. "But only by pulling out the poison by its roots does she have a chance to truly wake up."
William closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, a bloodshot gaze filled with determination.
"Do as you say."
Cameron added, "When necessary, we will also need to use electroconvulsive therapy. But right now there are two problems."
William felt depressed and anxious, asking worriedly, "What problems?"
Cameron said, "She is very worried about her father's condition. If bad news about Benjamin comes at this time, she might not be able to accept it, which could cause her condition to worsen again."
This was also what William was currently worried about. He had already brought in famous experts from the country to treat Benjamin, but the injuries were too severe. They all came to the same conclusion—now they could only depend on luck.
"If such an accident really happens, it is best to keep it from her. Wait until her condition stabilizes, then gradually tell her."
William nodded, "I understand that. What is the other issue?"
All the doctors in the room looked at him, and Cameron spoke on their behalf, "The reason for her breakdown is the harm you caused her. You destroyed her mental world. As long as she stays with you, her condition cannot improve."
William's heart sank like a stone, the pain making it hard to breathe.
It was he who had repeatedly destroyed Isabella's spirit, pushing her to this state.
Cameron reminded him, "If you want her to get better quickly, you need to cooperate with our arrangements. Everyone here is an experienced psychiatrist who will do everything possible to cure her."
On the first day of treatment, Isabella collapsed.
The medication's side effects made her dizzy and nauseous, unable to sleep all night. Though she was so weak she could barely lift her hand, her emotions were like being torn by a violent storm. One moment she would be trembling while hugging her knees at the foot of the bed, the next she would be running around the empty room as if playing with someone, until she collapsed from exhaustion.
William watched on the monitor, extremely anxious, wanting to go in several times but being stopped by Cameron.
"Mr. Spencer, this is just the beginning. If you cannot hold back now, you should not watch the rest of the treatment."
If William was reacting this strongly to just the medication's effects, the upcoming hypnotic deep excavation and electroconvulsive therapy would be more than he could bear.
William clenched his fists tightly, wishing he could smash through the screen and carry her away. He gritted his teeth to control himself—he could not delay the treatment.