the failed escape, Em

She lay in bed, sile

recommending observation. The message from Delano was simp

defeated. The surveilla

she had been

e could arrive without delay. Through snippets of conversations from the maids, she'd learned

ed the time. She walked to her vanity

eady. There was

ge across the tender

m. Blood, shockingly red, welled up and spilled

the door, her strength already failing, and press

The world began to swim as the blood flowed out of he

oor. Seeing the blood seeping out from u

erupted i

ead, horrified at the sight of Emilia lying

. He signaled two guards to tail the vehicle in an SUV; he wouldn't let her out of his sight

ision was blurry, but she saw it. The main gates o

d stop an ambulance in a

and onto the public road. As the gates disa

d to staunch the bleeding. With what li

d hospital," she rasped. "Take

confused but followed

dialed a number Zoe had given her, a backup plan for

ntle and anxious. It was El

taut nerves finally relaxed a little, and a great surge of

h, but her will was as unyielding as steel. She had to make sure he understood the urgency of t

arrived at the hospital, Eliot was alr

d state, he was both heartbroken and furio

d his family's medical connections, transferred her to a private, fully equipped medical vehicle. Inside t

long-lost sense of freedom-though it h

upon receiving Hank's report, crushed t