Whispers Turn to Whimpers: Could He Ever Change?

"Sherilyn!" The call echoed behind her as she dashed away, not giving a second thought to anything but the need to escape. The pounding footsteps of Edgar followed, a desperate chase on the brink of a twilight drama.

"Sherilyn!"

In the car, Gilbert was idly scrolling through his phone, bored out of his mind, when the sudden sight of Sherilyn and Edgar, one after the other, caught his eye.

What on earth?

Before he could wrap his head around the situation, Sherilyn yanked open the passenger door and hurled herself inside.

"Drive!" Her voice was charged with an urgency that left no room for questions, a command rather than a request.

Gilbert was stunned.

"Sherilyn!" Edgar caught up, pounding on the car window. "Sherilyn, don't do this..."

Through the glass, his words were muffled, Gilbert catching only fragments, his gaze flipping between Edgar outside and Sherilyn's stormy presence beside him.

"Drive, will you?!" Covering her ears, Sherilyn's demand came as a low growl. "Didn't you hear me? Go!"

"Oh. Alright."

For the first time, Gilbert experienced a kind of 'fear,' an unusual surrender to her 'command.' With that feeling, he started the car.

Pulling away, Gilbert caught the last glimpse of Edgar running after them through the rearview mirror.

"Tsk," he muttered, a frown creasing his brow. "You're really going to leave him? What in the world did you two talk about?"

"Drive faster!"

Gilbert sighed. Fine.

As the car sped away, Edgar's figure shrank into the distance, disappearing from sight. Beside him, Sherilyn's sudden movement, covering her face with her hands, caught his attention.

Was she... crying?

The thought that she might actually be heartbroken over Edgar stirred a mix of irritation and sympathy in Gilbert.

"Crying over him? If you cared that much, you should've clung to him instead of running away."

Sherilyn flinched, removing her hands from her face with a swift motion. "Stop the car!"

"Stop? We can't just stop here!"

"I said stop the car!" Her hands tugged at the door, desperation in her pull. "Let me out!"

"Hey, calm down! It's dangerous!"

"Stop the car!" She shouted.

Left with no choice, Gilbert complied, pulling over to the side of the road. Sherilyn didn't hesitate, pushing the door open and stepping out.

"Sherilyn!"

Concerned, Gilbert followed. She had just cried and now was acting recklessly; anything could happen.

Just as he feared, as Sherilyn stepped onto the road, a car came hurtling towards her.

"Sherilyn!"

In a flash, Gilbert's world shrank to the looming disaster ahead.

He lunged forward, grabbing Sherilyn, pulling her back into his arms, and retreating to the safety of his car. Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Protectively, he cushioned her head with one hand and shielded her back with his other arm as the passing car zoomed by, the driver yelling, "Are you trying to get killed? Don't drag others down with you!"

Sherilyn, still reeling from the shock, looked up into Gilbert's worried and angry eyes.

"Have you lost your mind?" Gilbert was pale, his voice barely concealing his panic. "Is losing Edgar making you wish you were dead? If you're so desperate, why did you run? Where's that persistence you had with me?"

Sherilyn's gaze hardened, filled with a fierce intensity. "Why I ran...you don't know? You really don't know?"