“I invited all of you tonight,” he began, his voice tight, “not only to celebrate my birthday… but because I need help.”
A quiet ripple moved through the guests.
Adrian swallowed and glanced down at Sophie.
“My daughter hasn’t spoken in three years,” he said, his voice cracking slightly. “Doctors across the country… therapists… specialists… I’ve tried everything.” He paused, struggling to steady himself. “If anyone here can help her speak again… I will give them one million dollars.”
Gasps spread through the ballroom. Some guests exchanged doubtful looks, while others showed genuine sympathy.
Sophie tightened her grip on her father’s hand.
Adrian wasn’t exaggerating.
Three years earlier, Sophie had been in the back seat of a car when a terrible accident took her mother’s life. Sophie survived physically without injuries, but after that day, she stopped speaking entirely.
Doctors diagnosed her with severe trauma-induced selective mutism.
Adrian simply called it heartbreak.
He had spent enormous amounts of money trying to help her. Specialists from Los Angeles, Boston, and even Europe had come to work with her. They tried art therapy, play therapy, medication, and even hypnosis.
Nothing worked.