Avery keeps her eyes closed, trying to buy time. She vaguely remembers Charles telling her that the pills might have specific side effects, but she doesn't understand why Evan is so upset. She hasn't experienced any dramatic changes in her sex drive—if anyone is acting more insatiable than normal, it's Evan.

"Aren't you angry?" Evan asks. "He was drugging you, Avery."

"No, I'm not angry," she says with a sigh.

"Why not?" he asks. "Who knows what could have happened to you or what his intentions were!"

"So that's why you put a bullet in his heart?" she asks.

Evan stares at her as if she's just asked the world's stupidest question. He curls his hands into fists and shakes his head at her. She turns away and stares out the window.

"You can't just turn your back on me," he says. "Please, have a normal reaction for once in your life."

"What do you want me to do?" she snaps. "Do you want me to go to the hospital and slap him across the face? Unplug his life support? Beg the doctors to save his life so that I can take it from him? It's in the past now, Evan—just let it go."

"Just let it go?" Evan asks, his voice thick with rage. "How can I just let it go? He was drugging my wife. I put a bullet in his chest for it, and you act like it's nothing at all."

"Is that really why you tried to kill him?" she asks, turning around to face him.

Evan nods and tries to take her hand in his, but she pulls away from his touch. He looks at her with a mixture of pain and confusion. Her heartaches, and she sighs and puts her hand on his forearm.

"Okay, Evan, I promise I'll seek revenge," she says. "But I'm going to do it on my own terms—not in your violent way. And I'm not going to do anything until he wakes up and recovers a bit."

Evan's face twists, and he almost shouts, "What?"

"That's what you want, isn't it?" she asks.

He sounds strangled as he says, "No, that's not what I want at all. Do you want to see him after he wakes up? No, I won't allow it. Do you hear me? You're not going anywhere near him."

Avery sighs and takes her hand off his trembling arm. He's so unreasonable, she thinks. I have to talk to Charles as soon as possible—it's the only way I might survive this pregnancy. But how can I explain that to him? He's so worked up, and he won't see reason.

"We'll talk about this later," she says. "For now, we're going to the hospital, and you're going to do everything you can to make things right. Understand?"

Evan nods, and they ride the rest of the way to the hospital in silence. The chauffeur drops them off next to the elevators, and she jumps out of the car and rushes in. Evan tries to stand near her in the small elevator, but she glares at him until he moves away.

A hospital security guard waits outside the elevator doors. His thick arms are crossed, and a pistol hangs from a holster at his hip. He holds his hand out and signals them to stop.

"Who are you and what's your business here?" he asks.

"I'm Evan Howel, and I'm going to visit Charles Meyer," Evan says.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that," the guard says. "The Meyer family is worried that Charles is in danger, and only a few people are allowed to see him right now. They just moved him here from another hospital—you're not even supposed to know he's here."

"I don't give a shit what the Meyer family says," Evan says, his voice cool and calm. "Do you know who I am?"

The guard's eyes flicker with uncertainty, and Avery feels bad for the man. If he disobeys the Meyer' family orders, he could lose his job. But if he disobeys Evan, he could lose his life. He nods sullenly, lowers his arm, and lets them pass.

"Tell the doctor I want to speak to him," Evan barks over his shoulders.

Avery rushes down the hall to Charles' room. As soon as she walks in the door, she realizes Charles isn't alone in the room. A handsome blonde man is massaging Charles' calves and feet to keep the muscles from atrophying.

Avery feels a lump rise in her throat, and she swallows hard. Charles looks almost skeletal in the bed—pale, waxy skin stretches tight across his cheekbones, and his lips are almost blue. But his hair is still perfectly trimmed and combed, and he's wearing a button-down shirt instead of a hospital gown.

Tears fill her eyes, and she doesn't bother to fight them. As her vision blurs, she can almost see him as the man he once was—quiet and self-assured with eyes that sparkled and glowed with excitement when he was diagnosing a new disease or developing a new cure. She thinks about his shy smile and the way he blushed whenever she complimented his medical skins. The corpse-like man on the bed is nothing like the Charles she knew.

Evan clears his throat, and she can feel the force of his glare on her back. She turns around and sees his face twisted with anger. A man in a medical coat stands next to him. The doctor swallows nervously and pretends to check his medical notes, and the man rubbing Charles's legs gets up and runs out the door.

"So I've been talking with Dr. Shelby here," Evan says. "Care to repeat yourself to my wife? I don't think she was listening."

"Well, the patient isn't ready for the transplant right now," the doctor says. "We need to prepare his immune system and formulate a plan with the surgical team. Re-transplanting a heart is a hazardous operation, and we need time to take all the precautions."

"So when will you be ready?" Avery asks. "And why weren't you making these plans all along?"

"We're not sure about the exact time," the doctor says. "The earliest would be a month from now, but that's pretty optimistic. Of course, we'd like to be faster but—"

"But what?" she asks.

The doctor ignores her and says, "It also depends on the donor too. We need to make sure the heart is healthy and that he's ready for surgery."

"Well, he's been in your care for a few days," Evan says. "Surely you should know by now."

Avery looks at Evan in surprise. She wants to ask him how many days he's talking about and how he found the man. She thinks about the frail man in the church and wonders how much money Evan offered him to risk his life.

"He's under observation," the doctor says. "His condition is fine so far. But..."

"But what?" Avery asks. "Why do you keep saying, but?"

"Charles' mother doesn't approve of the operation," the doctor says.

Avery can't believe her ears, "What?"

Before the doctor can answer, the door swings open, and Charles' mother bursts into the room. The second she sees Avery, she screams and throws her crocodile skin purse through the air. Evan reaches out and knocks it to the ground before it can hit Avery.

"How the hell did you get in here?" Mrs. Meyer shrieks. "Get out! Right now!" She wheels around and glares at the doctor, "And you, I thought I made it clear that no one was allowed to visit my son without my permission. Why didn't you report them to security?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am," Dr. Shelby whispers. "But it's Mr. Howel—I—"

"I don't care," she interrupts. "I don't want to hear your excuses. Just get them out of here! Who knows what they could have done to my poor son."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Meyer," Avery whispers. "We'll leave now."

"You better," she shrieks. "I don't ever want to see you again, you bitch. Take your fake sympathy and get out of here. I've seen how you play men, and you got my poor Charles killed. Leave!"

"I know you don't believe me, but I also want what's best for your son," Avery says. "I just wanted to see how he was and find out if his condition had changed."

"Shut up and get out," Mrs. Meyer screams, her voice high and hysterical.

Avery nods and rushes toward the door. Evan follows, and the second he crosses the threshold, Mrs. Meyer slams the door so hard it trembles in the frame. The glass door is double-paned, but Avery can hear her screaming at the doctor for several minutes. She sighs and heads toward the elevator.

"Wait," Dr. Shelby shouts, rushing down the hall to meet them. "I'm so sorry about that. Mrs. Meyer has taken her son's situation very poorly. We're treating her for stress and depression, but it's still challenging for her."

"I understand," Avery says. "But why doesn't she approve of the operation? It's the only way to save his life."

He shakes his head and says, "She's afraid the operation will fail. She and her husband have a lot of power in the medical community—she's actually on the board here. She understands how risky the operation is, and it scares her."

"But if he doesn't have the operation, he'll definitely die," she says.

"I know," Dr. Shelby says with a sigh. "But if we don't operate, she'll have a few more months with him."

"So, what are the options?" Avery asks.

The doctor pauses to think and says, "No one will operate on him and risk upsetting her. So I think our only chance is to find someone whose opinion she trusts and get them to persuade her."

Avery bites her lip, wondering who could possibly convince Mrs. Meyer to let Charles have the operation. Evan takes her hand in his and gives it a gentle squeeze.

"It has to be Jackson," he says quietly.