âWhat⦠have you done?â I asked. My heart ached when I saw Steven so disoriented while covered in blood. I tried to walk over to him.
His skin was a lifeless pale white that starkly contrasted with the dark red of the blood.
I felt suffocated as an inexplicable panic washed over me.
âPlease, donât come near me,â Steven pleaded, seemingly afraid of me seeing him in this state.
He frantically called out for Stephie as if he were afraid of losing her.
âPlease donât look at meâ¦â Suddenly, he dashed back into the room like a madman and locked himself in.
I knocked on the door, but he wouldnât open it.
There were still remnants of his bloody footprints on the floor.
Since my rebirth, I hadnât fully grasped the severity of Stevenâs condition. I knew he had a mental illness, was considered unstable, and might even be capable of murder.
As far as I could recall, he appeared quite stable as long as he wasnât provoked.
Hence, I hadnât paid much attention to his condition.
When I saw him covered in blood, it frightened me.
Ewan had experienced numerous such episodes. He promptly summoned the family doctor and barged into the room.
I wanted to follow, but Ewan stopped me.
âYouâd better stay outside. Mr. Lincoln may not want you to see him like this.â
He di He didnât want me to witness him in a disoriented state during his episodes.
âWhatâs going on?â I anxiously asked Ewan.
Ewan remained silent for a moment and softly said, âItâs terrifying when Mr. Lincoln loses control. He feels the urge to harm others, but⦠heâs never actually hurt anyone. He only inflicts pain on himself.â
Steven was too kind. He didnât want to harm anyone, so he would hurt himself to maintain his sanity.
I stood frozen, watching as Ewan entered the room. The doctor administered a tranquilizer to Steven, and his agonizing cries echoed through the door.
What kind of torment did he have to endure to turn from a genius to what he was now?
Even from outside, I could feel his pain and helplessness.
Almost unconsciously, I found myself wanting to reach out and embrace him.
When I snapped back to reality, I was bewildered by my own emotions.
Tears had unknowingly streamed down my face.
After administering the tranquilizer, Steven finally quieted down and drifted off to sleep.
Ewan finally let out a sigh of relief.
As he emerged from the room, he looked at me and fell silent.
âDoes this happen often?â I asked softly.
âYes, itâs quite common, especially if heâs triggered,â Ewan replied.
I paused for a moment, wondering if I had triggered him when I said I wasnât Stephanie.
âMr. Lincoln is too kindâhearted. Otherwise, he wouldnât resort to harming himself to cope,â Ewan said with a heavy heart. âWe usually remove anything that could harm him from the but he managed to cut himself with shards after knocking over a glass of water.â
room, I paused, feeling guilty. âIâm sorry, I didnât know. The glass was mine. I brought it into the room to give him some cold medicine.â
I hadnât expected Steven to harm himself. I had brought over the glass to let him have some cold medicine and left it there afterward.