The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 579

Sophia tried to ask, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she realized it was so parched she could barely make a sound, feeling so weak she was all breath and no voice.

The kind-faced middle-aged woman quickly brought over a cup of warm water from the side and spoon-fed her, "Here, have a sip of water to wet your whistle."

Sophia instinctively opened her mouth. After taking down a few sips, her scratchy throat felt a bit better, but she was still weak as a kitten, and even speaking was a struggle, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

The stranger who had been holding her shoulder earlier spoke up, "You've just woken up; you're still frail. No need to rush into talking."

Sophia gave him a glance, then looked around and still voiced her puzzlement, "Where is this place?"

"We're on the ‘Royal Marine' cruise ship, out at sea." The middle-aged woman, who helped Sophia to drink, said with a smile, "I'm Amanda Ferber, and this is my son Harvey Ferber. That night we..."

She was about to explain how they found Sophia the night before when Harvey suddenly cut in, "Mom, she just woke up. She's weak and needs rest; don't bombard her."

Amanda paused, and then chuckled, "Look at me, getting all excited seeing you wake up, almost forgot you're still under the weather."

As she spoke, she put down the bowl and softly told Sophia, "You rest up for now; I'll come check on you once you're feeling better."

Then she turned to ask the doctor about Sophia's condition.

"The patient still has a subdural hematoma that hasn't been absorbed, and it's pressing on the brain tissue." The doctor said gravely to Amanda, "but we're not equipped for major surgery on board."

Harvey's brow furrowed, "Didn't you say conservative treatment would be fine and she'd be out of the woods?"

"That was the case, yes. The patient's condition at the time couldn't withstand a craniotomy, and the amount of bleeding inside her skull wasn't significant. It was trauma-induced bleeding, and with medication, there was a good chance of stopping it. Plus, we were at sea, so we had to opt for conservative treatment. But after all this time, the hematoma hasn't fully absorbed. Although it's not large, it's compressing a functional area of the brain, and we can't just leave it." The doctor explained, "There's no immediate danger to her life, but I'm worried about potential complications."

Harvey's frown deepened, and he looked over at Sophia. She was also looking at him, her eyes a bit vacant but calm and serene, with no sign of panic or disarray, just a puzzled gaze at the unfamiliar surroundings.

The doctor nodded, "Will do."

Harvey glanced at Sophia, who had already drifted off, and stepped out of the sickbay.

Sophia was saved by his parents. It was quite a coincidence that the night of her accident; their cruise ship had made a brief stop at Zion City's dock.

Since they had been unable to secure Aurora Wharf from Starlight Group, he had considered switching to Zion City's dock.

So when the ship was docked at Zion City, he took the chance to disembark and scope out the place along the river. His parents had accompanied him; Zion City was where they had met, and they had joined him in getting off the ship.

They were the ones who found Sophia.

[Just one chapter tonight]