“Miss Clarke, we'll discuss it later. Your injuries are severe." It was Horace's voice.

Helen's pain seemed too intense for her to speak clearly. She sobbed intermittently, managing to say between tears, "Theodore, I'm sorry... | couldn't stop her from entering Marley's room..."

At Mercy Hospital.

Ariana sat alone on a chair in the waiting area, her head bowed, like a criminal waiting for trial.

A short distance away, the relentless glow of the emergency light persisted, with Helen lying comatose in the room.