I Quit Being a Stepmother (Cypress Gem) novel Chapter 541

Speechless, Sawyer pressed a hand to his forehead. Sylvia's lips twitched.

Jackson continued, "The upside is that crazy people are happy. They feel no burdens or pressure, so they just do whatever they want."

The living room fell silent.

After a long pause, Jackson added, "If you're crazy, there's a good chance you wouldn't even recognize Sawyer anymore."

Those words instantly struck a nerve in Sylvia's heart. The same went for Sawyer.

They had been each other's anchor for over a decade. If one day Sylvia no longer recognized him, he wasn't sure he'd even want to keep living.

Sawyer immediately pushed that thought aside. He felt like he needed to find the cause of Sylvia's mental illness. That was his only chance to save her.

Perhaps it was the whirlwind of emotions from the day, but by nightfall, Sylvia finally had an episode.

She clung to what little reason remained and staggered into the room Jackson had shown her earlier. She fought to keep her wits from slipping away as she shakily got into the protective suit.

Jackson, being older and running on little sleep—especially with the jet lag—heard all the clattering and thumping from the room.

He entered the room barefoot and immediately zipped up Sylvia's protective suit, then stepped on the air pump to inflate it.

Sylvia let the suit expand around her. She wanted to claw at her face, bite herself, and even scream and wail.

Jackson stayed calm, even hopping around like a goofy dancer with his uneven legs.

Clapping his hands, he said, "Good! Don't hold back! What do you want to do? Hit someone? There's a foam cushion right there! Go for it!"

Sylvia couldn't control herself. She lay flat on the ground, completely immobilized.

Even during an episode, she was strong. She lunged toward the pile of objects and collapsed on top of them.

Jackson's encouraging voice rang in her ears, fading in and out, near and far, making her feel slightly dazed.

She heard him shouting, "Yeah! Bite it! Tear it to pieces! Pretend it's your worst enemy, the thing you hate the most! Vent all your frustration!"

Sylvia's nose was slightly red and swollen but otherwise unharmed.

When she peeled off the protective suit, she was drenched in sweat. She pressed her hand to her nose, still shaken.

She had just been bitten by a tortoise. That was something she never could have imagined.

"What's wrong? Does it hurt badly?" Jackson thought that his pet had seriously hurt her.

Sawyer also looked concerned.

However, Sylvia seriously asked, "I'm just wondering—since I was having an episode, how come I couldn't even bite a tortoise?"

She had really tried to bite, but the suit had restrained her movements. She hadn't reached the tortoise's head.

Jackson picked up the tortoise and stood. "Your sister's the real deal."