Whispers Turn to Whimpers: Could He Ever Change?

On the sidelines, Gilbert watched silently, his heart sinking a bit. He hadn't realized how close Sherilyn had become to his brother Francis. He vaguely remembered Francis always had a soft spot for Sherilyn.

Francis was a good man, kind to everyone. It made sense for Sherilyn to hold Francis in high esteem. Sherilyn probably had been heartbroken when Caroline lost the child, even though her relationship with Caroline was far from good.

Unfortunately, Gilbert was too consumed with his guilt toward Francis to see things from her perspective back then. But bringing it up at the moment served no purpose.

...

After leaving the hospital room, Gilbert saw Sherilyn’s eyes swollen from crying. "Wait here for a second. I'll grab an ice pack from the nurse to help with the swelling."

Her eyes were so puffy that it would be a struggle to keep them open, let alone face anyone.

"Thank you." Sherilyn nodded, dazed.

But as soon as Gilbert walked away, a sense of urgency hit Sherilyn, and she turned around, speeding toward the exit. She had to get out of there! She believed what Caroline had said was true. Francis had woken up, and Gilbert loved and respected him the most. So, Gilbert couldn't guard Caroline anymore, fearing Francis might get the wrong idea, so Gilbert needed Sherilyn as a shield! That was why he had been unusually kind to her lately!

Just thinking about everything Gilbert had done these days sent shivers down her spine! It had been a long time since she had felt that scared! The despair of being trapped in a loveless marriage felt like drowning, struggling for air every second!

Meanwhile, returning with an ice pack, Gilbert found Sherilyn gone. "Where'd she go?"

A nurse informed him. "The girl? She just left not long ago. Probably hasn't gone far..."

Gilbert didn't wait to hear more and started running. With his long legs, he reached the exit just in time to see Sherilyn hadn't gone far. "Sherilyn!"

Startled, Sherilyn turned to see Gilbert running toward her, fear peeking inside her.

"Sherilyn!" Gilbert reached out, grabbing her wrist with a firm grip and pulling her toward him forcefully, causing her to crash into his chest.

Suddenly, Sherilyn's eyes widened, her body trembling uncontrollably. "Ah..."

Gilbert was shocked, realizing she was having one of her episodes again. It had been a while since he'd seen her like that. But why did it happen?

Sherilyn screamed, "Let go! Let go!"

"Okay, okay!" Gilbert immediately released her, raising his arms. "I've let go. Don't be scared!"

Sherilyn glared at him, full of wariness. "Step back!" All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

Gilbert listened. "Alright, I'm stepping back!"

She seemed off, so Gilbert complied, retreating step by step. The elevator arrived, and its doors opened just in time. Sherilyn turned and dashed in, frantically pressing the close button, muttering, "Hurry! Hurry!"

Gilbert called out, "Sherilyn!"

The elevator doors closed right before Gilbert, a step too late, leaving him to slap the door with his palm frustratingly.

...

When the elevator reached the ground floor, Sherilyn emerged, her body shivering. She didn't dare to stop, fearing Gilbert might catch up. With her head down, Sherilyn ran blindly forward. Not watching where she was going, she collided with someone. "Ah..."