The electronic ding of a new message interrupts the tense silence in the study. Michelle looks at Avery nervously. Avery is leaning against the French window as if she owns the place.

"Aren't you going to check that?" Avery asks.

Michelle lowers her head and quickly glances at the screen of her cell phone. The text is only four words long, but it sends a jolt down her spine. She keeps her head lowered, and hopes Avery can't see the expression on her face. She takes a deep breath and rereads the four words. Then she deletes the message and looks up.

She jumps with shock—Avery is standing right in front of her. Michelle's hands shake. She thinks, How the hell did she get over here so quietly?

"Shaky hands?" Avery asked, raising her eyebrows. "Looks like you need magnesium and calcium supplements."

Michelle shoves her phone back in her pocket as Avery strides past her and exits the study. Michelle breathes weakly. There's no way she could have seen the message. The words were too small, Michelle thinks. No, she definitely didn't see it. There's no way she could have remained so calm if she had.

Michelle takes another deep breath and whispers the message out loud, "One corpse, two lives."

Avery exits the study and climbs the stairs to the third floor. As she walks, she looks over the railing at the servants below. They're clustered in the hallway, carrying baskets filled with dark berries. She stops a servant rushing down the stairs to help the others. "It's so late, where have they been?" she asks.

"Mr. Clifford has been suffering from pains in his chest," the servant replies. "There's a wild berry in the woods that alleviates his pain without causing any side effects, so they've been out gathering it."

"Andrew's heart is causing problems?" Avery asked worriedly. She knows that even successful heart transplants can have consequences. The new heart is never as healthy as the original heart, and people who receive transplants can suffer from chest pain, arrhythmia, and other disorders.

"The doctor is examining him now," says the servant.

Avery leans lightly on the railing. Although she doesn't care about Andrew, she does worry about his heart. She changes her direction and goes downstairs and enters the living room. The servants have washed the wild fruit and arranged the small, blackberries on a white plate.

Andrew leans back on the sofa with his arms thrown across his face. His bathrobe is open at the collar, and a middle-aged doctor is listening intently with a stethoscope. Hearing Avery's footsteps, Andrew moves his arms and looks lazily across the room. The doctor also turns curiously to see what Andrew is looking at.

"Sir, your heartbeat was sluggish before, but now it's quick and powerful," the doctor says with great confusion.

"I want to know why," Andrew says with a playful smile. "Maybe as a doctor, you can explain why my heart beats abnormally every time I see this woman."

Avery purses her lips disapprovingly, and the doctor coughs awkwardly. Andrew merely smirks.

"Diet, emotional anxiety, pregnancy, excitement, fear, caffeine, nicotine, and narcotics can all make your heart-rate faster," the doctor says, in a professional tone. He coughs awkwardly. "But if your heart beats faster when you see someone of the opposite sex, well that's caused by sexual arousal or love."

Avery rolls her eyes. Using the doctor to flirt with me is beyond childish, she thinks, I don't understand how he manages to seduce so many women with such stupid tactics.

"Mr. Clifford, the servants, have cleaned the fruit," the doctor says, eager to change the subject. "Remember, be cautious, and don't eat more than ten at a time. If you consume more than that, you're liable to suffer from hallucinations." The doctor puts the stethoscope back into his bag and prepares to leave.

Avery glances at the plate of black fruit, wondering if that's why she had such strange dreams in the forest. She thinks back to her days in the woods and tries to remember what wild fruits she ate. She thinks, Did I eat any of the berries?

Andrew sits up, grabs a berry, tosses it into the air, and catches it with his mouth. Avery fights the urge to smile. When he acts playful and carefree like this, it's easy to forget how cruel he can be.

He licks his lips and smiles at Avery, "Now you know why my heart beats so fast when I'm with you."

"The doctor just said that fear and anxiety could also increase your heart rate," Avery says. "You're such a twisted man, and I'm sure you have many enemies. You must live your life terrified of all the people who'd like to make you suffer." She crosses the room and stoops down to grab a berry.

Andrew's hand grabs her arm at once. "Pregnant women shouldn't eat these," he says seriously. "They could put you in a coma."

"I didn't say I wanted to eat them!" Avery says, swatting his hand away. "Can't I have a look?" She crushes a berry between her fingers and watches the black juice stain her skin.

"You think I'm twisted, but you're a violent woman," Andrew says. "You fight lions, you rip snakes in half, and you regularly threaten to kill me. Some men might be turned off by that, but I've always loved it a little rough."

Avery ignores his comment and licks the berry juice from her finger with the tip of her tongue. "It doesn't taste like anything," she says. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see a bulge in Andrew's trousers—he looks extremely hard.

He does nothing to hide his erection, but he raises his eyebrows with amusement at her embarrassed expression. "There won't be any obstacles for us in three months," he says, "You can see I have no problems getting excited about you."

Avery fights a wave of nausea. "I'll fetch Michelle to help you with your little problem," she says flatly.

"She doesn't deserve it," Andrew says, popping more berries into his mouth. "I would rather eat these—they have a calming effect."

Avery grabs more berries. She likes the feeling of the fruits popping in her fingers, and she enjoys watching the juice flow out. She imagines she's squeezing the life out of Andrew. Wordlessly, Andrew passes her the entire plate.

He watches the juice flow between her fingers and folds his legs beneath him. "Want to see him?" he asks suddenly.

"See who?" Avery asks, her eyes inadvertently traveling to his groin. "You're disgusting!"

"Oh, you're curious about this?" Andrew looks down at his crotch. "I'm afraid there's not much to see anymore, but come a little closer to me, and I'll have something to show you in a minute or two."

Avery frowns, "I'm warning you if I see it even once in the next three months, you will die childless."

Andrew laughs loudly but quickly becomes serious. "I was talking about Charles Meyers," he says, standing up. "Do you want to see him?"