Whispers Turn to Whimpers: Could He Ever Change? novel Chapter 1226

“Enough!”

Gilbert cut her off, his eyes flashing coldly at the corners. “I won’t let you get worse—”

Sherilyn suddenly burst out laughing, her voice sharp and defiant. “You think I’m going to cooperate? Not a chance!”

She met his gaze head-on, refusing to back down.

“Therapy doesn’t work without my consent. I won’t take the meds, either. I’ll just spit them out the moment your back is turned!”

“Sherilyn! Sherilyn!” Gilbert’s temper snapped. He raised a hand, meaning to grip her shoulders, but froze halfway.

He couldn’t touch her. Physical contact could trigger her episodes.

A bitter smile tugged at Sherilyn’s lips as she watched him hesitate. “My illness can’t be cured. That’s the smallest of your worries. The real problem is that you can’t even lay a hand on me. You’ll have to stand by and watch as I wither away, right in front of you. Can you really bear that? Are you sure this is what you want?”

“You’re threatening me…” Gilbert’s voice cracked, low and lost. “You know. You know exactly how I feel…”

She knew he could never just watch her fade away.

“You…” He drew a shaky breath. “You’re only doing this because you know I love you. You’re using that against me…”

That was the only reason she dared threaten him so recklessly—with her own body as the weapon.

“What else am I supposed to do?” Sherilyn shrugged, arching an eyebrow. “I’ve thought about running away. But let’s be honest—could I ever really escape?”

No matter where she went, if Gilbert refused to let her go, he’d always find her.

And then there was Jenna.

Jenna was now officially on his records—he was her legal guardian.

She couldn’t leave Sunhaven. She had to stay for her daughter.

If she wanted her freedom, she needed Gilbert to let her go—of his own free will, in his own words.

But how could she possibly make that happen?

There was only one way: sabotage herself. If her condition got bad enough, she’d finally have something to bargain with.

“It’s all I can do…”

He stopped. Hardly anyone addressed him that formally. Turning around, he recognized her.

Sherilyn’s friend—Joyce.

Still in her white coat, Joyce had just finished her shift.

“What is it?” Gilbert’s brow furrowed, but as it was Sherilyn’s friend, he forced himself to be patient.

“Yes, there is.” Joyce nodded. “I need to speak with you. Not here. Let’s find someplace to sit.”

Gilbert hesitated, confused. “I don’t see what we have to talk about.”

He was always courteous to Sherilyn’s friends, but he knew how to keep his distance.

“You misunderstand, Mr. Harrison.”

Joyce caught on instantly. Instead of taking offense, she seemed to respect his restraint.

“What I want to discuss is Sherilyn. Don’t you want to know why she’s seeing a therapist? What her real issues are?”