"I'm warning you, stay away!" the patient says. "I'm not sick, and you have no right to keep me here. I'm going to find that bitch, and I'm going to kill her."

He briefly removes the knife from Avery's neck and slices it through the air to demonstrate. Avery tries to squirm away, but his grip is too tight. Within seconds the cold blade is back on her throat.

"Please, sir, put the knife down," a doctor says, wiping a sheen of sweat from his forehead. "We can talk about this."

"You won't fool me like that," the patient says.

Avery can feel his breath on her neck—it smells sour and unhealthy. Her stomach turns, and she tries to swallow, but the knife is pressed too tightly to her throat.

"I want you to bring her here," the patient says. "I want you to bring my cheating bitch of an ex-wife here. I swear to God, I'm gonna kill her."

Avery trembles and the man tightens his grip. She has no idea what to do, but she's seen this sort of thing on TV before, and it never ends well for the hostage. She closes her eyes and tries to think of something useful, but all she can see is her own blood spurting across the room. She opens her eyes and stared helplessly at the doctor in front of her.

"Please let this young lady go first," the doctor begs. He holds his hands in front of him in a calming gesture. "This woman is innocent. Let her go, and I'll call your ex-wife."

"Don't lie to me," the patient screams. "You won't call her. You'll take her side."

"I swear, I'll call her," the doctor says, slowly reaching into the pocket of his scrubs. "Tell me her number, and I'll put it on my phone. As soon as you let go of this lady, I'll hit call."

Avery feels the tension leave the patient's body, and he begins to loosen his grip. Then he pulled her closer to him than before.

"I know your tricks," he screams. "You're all trying to hurt me. You and my ex-wife are probably working together. Well, I won't fall for it. I want her to come here, or I'll kill this pretty lady. Pretty women are all devils anyway—I'll kill them all!"

Avery can feel the knife shaking against her skin. The patient's entire body is taut and trembling, and his voice sounds unhinged. The doctors look terrified and helpless.

"Please, calm down," Avery says, trying to control the shaking in her voice. "I'm sure we can come to an arrangement."

"Shut up!" the patient screams. "All of you shut up!"

Evan's cold, authoritative voice shouts from the door, "Let go of her!"

The doctors and nurses part to allow Evan to cross the room. His eyes are dark and fierce, and his face is stormy with rage, but his voice is calm.

"I can bring you the woman you ask for, but only if you let go of this woman at once," he says.

Evan looks at the knife pressed to Avery's artery, and his eyes flash briefly with terrible fear. The look is gone so quickly Avery wonders if she imagined it. The patient steps backward, tugging Avery with him.

"I don't believe you," the man says. "Is this your woman? Trust me, and I'll be doing you a favor if I kill her. Pretty women like her are all bitches. She's probably cheating on you right now, and you don't even know it."

A doctor steps forward and whispers something in Evan's ear. The room is so quiet, Avery can hear every word.

"He's suffering from a psychotic break," the doctor explains. "He's paranoid and violent. His ex-wife apparently cheated on him. She took all his money and went abroad with her lover."

Avery feels her stomach sink. If the patient's ex-wife is abroad, there's no way to meet his demands. It seems that the longer he waits, the crazier he gets. It's probably only a matter of time before he snaps and kills her.

"What are you whispering about?" the patient shouts. "I know you're talking about me. I'm not crazy. I swear, I'll kill her, and I'll kill myself too."

The patient digs the sharp knife deeper into Avery's skin. She feels the warmth of the blood before the pain of the cut. She wonders if it's bad—her neck feels really hot. She sees Evan clench his fists, and she looks at him desperately, hoping he won't do anything stupid.

"Trade her for me," Evan says. "I'm the Howel family heir and the president of The Howel Group. You won't find a more valuable hostage than me."

"Evan!" Avery shouts. "You can't—"

The sharp blade presses into her neck, silencing her.

"Mr. Howel you can't do this," Robert shouts. "Have you forgotten your grandfather's warning? You know what he said about risking your life for Avery. No one's life is more important than yours. You've already violated his trust twice if there's a third—"

"Shut up," Evan says.

The patient starts to laugh hysterically. The sound is loud in Avery's ears, and his body shakes wildly against hers.

"The heir to the Howel Family? President of The Howel Group?" the patient says, wheezing with laughter. "That's a good one. Nice try, but I think I'd rather watch this pretty lady bleed out."

Avery feels like her head might explode. Everything is spinning out of control, and nothing makes sense. What is Robert talking about? She thinks. What did Francis Howel say about Evan risking his life? Is that why Evan has suddenly become so cold? I should've figured it out earlier. Of course, Francis Howel wants Evan to stay away from me; until I give birth to the child, Evan is the only heir, and danger seems to follow me wherever I go.

"Evan, please, I'm begging you, stay away," Avery says, as a sob rises in her throat.

"Don't be afraid, Avery," Evan says with surprising softness. "Stand still and close your eyes, and it'll all be over soon."

Avery shakes her head and feels the knife nicked her skin. Warmblood flows, and she freezes. She stares helplessly at Evan as he slowly crosses the room, holding his hands above his head.

"Don't listen to him," Avery says. "He's not the president of the Howel Group. He's not even a Howel!"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Evan says.

Slowly he lowers one hand and reaches into his suit pocket. He removes a black business card and flicks it across the room. It lands at Avery's feet, and the gold lettering shines in the sun.

"Pick it up," the patient says, moving the knife to Avery's lower back.

Avery bends over and fumbles for the paper. She picks it up and passes it to the patient, and he returns the blade to her throat. He seems to study the business card for a moment. Then he crumples the thick paper and throws it to the floor.

"Okay, I believe you are who you say you are," the patient says. "Come here slowly. But I'm warning you, any tricks, and the lady dies."

Evan keeps his hands above his head and slowly walks closer. Avery wants to scream at him to stop, but her voice won't work.