He had kept it.

"You kept it," she whispered.

Her tears came harder then. She bent over, her forehead resting against his.

"Did I... did I hurt you?" His eyes fluttered, pupils dilated. "I’m sorry. I’ll do better. Just please... stay with me." His hand twitched toward hers, and she caught it without thinking.

"You forgot me. I would have come back, Winn. I tried to. But you... you moved on." She wanted to crawl into bed beside him, to warm him, to erase the weeks of silence that had cut them both open.

"I’m sorry... I’m sorry... love... just..." His breath came in uneven bursts.

The door creaked open, and Ivy froze. Her stomach plunged to the floor. Fear clenched her ribs until she could hardly breathe—but then she saw Evans standing in the doorway, his broad shoulders filling the frame, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"What the—" Ivy gasped, heart pounding. She had been so wrapped up in Winn’s broken voice, in the fragile tenderness of that moment, that she hadn’t even heard her uncle approach.

"Get your ass out here now!" Evans barked.

Her pulse kicked up. "What are you doing here?" she shot back. She made to step away from the bed, but Winn’s grip tightened suddenly around her wrist. For someone so close to unconsciousness, his strength startled her.

"Winn," she murmured, her throat aching. She leaned in, kissed his forehead softly. His skin was hot, feverish. "I’ll be back." She didn’t know if she meant it for him or herself. Carefully, she pried his fingers off and turned to face Evans.

"Of all the stupid things you could do!" Evans growled. "You just blew your cover!"

Ivy squared her shoulders, trying to suppress the tremor in her hands. "No, I didn’t! He’s a bit loopy and I couldn’t help myself. I have always known him to be so strong and commanding. This..." she trailed off, shaking her head.

"Seeing him like that—How did you even know I was here?"

"Mary told me you and Dad came to the hospital," Evans said.

"I got news that Winn’s wife was assaulted and is currently receiving treatment here. I didn’t want to risk you running into her." His jaw flexed, eyes narrowing as if he were trying to contain his irritation.

"I didn’t know you were going to do something even stupider!"

The sting of his words hit Ivy. She took a step back, crossing her arms over her chest. "Evans..." she began softly. He didn’t understand—couldn’t possibly understand—that her heart had made the decision long before her mind caught up.

"Now he knows you’re here, in town," Evans snapped, lowering his voice as a nurse passed by pushing a gurney. "Tell me how long before that gets to the rest of his family—and before those who want to hurt you get wind of it."

His hand came up to her arm, gentler now, the shift from fury to worry palpable. "Come on, let’s get Gramps and get out of here."

Ivy hesitated, her throat tightening. Beyond the door behind her, Winn was still lying there—fragile, delirious, fighting his ghosts. She could almost feel the weight of his fingers on her wrist, the way he’d whispered her name.

"Evans, I can’t," she said finally, shaking her head. Her eyes shimmered with tears she refused to let fall. "At least let me know how he is."

"You make it difficult to protect you, Ivy." Evans scrubbed a hand over his face and exhaled heavily.

"I know," she whispered.

He sighed, looking at her. "I’ll get information and give it to you, how about that?"

Ivy hesitated, her jaw working as if she wanted to protest but couldn’t find the words. Finally, she nodded. "Fine."

"Come on," Evans said, pressing a hand to the small of her back and steering her gently. "We’ll get Gramps and head out. The longer we stay, the higher the risk."

"How did you find me?" she asked.

"You do not want me to answer that."

"Evans?"

Winn stirred faintly in his bed, mumbling. "Ivy..." he whispered. It made her chest ache.

"We gotta get out of here." Evans said quickly.

"Why the hell did you give my last name as Everest?" she asked.

"Because you are an Everest," Evans shot back without missing a step.

"My father’s name is Morales," Ivy retorted, tugging her arm free.

Evans stopped long enough to turn to her, his eyes hard. "Your father’s name can’t protect you right now."

She frowned, her throat tightening. "You’re treating me like some sort of fugitive," she muttered. "What are you not telling me?"

Evans exhaled slowly. "Don’t look up," he murmured, his hand pressing lightly against her back to guide her forward. "Pull your scarf higher. I can’t risk anyone seeing you."

They slipped into a side corridor leading toward the Orthopaedic section.

"Evans," she said again, stopping this time and forcing him to face her. "Winn is already married. He’s moved on. There’s no more threat to me. Why are you still being like this? I’m tired of hiding."

Evans studied her for a long, quiet moment. Then, with a frustrated sigh, he grabbed her wrist and led her deeper into the corridor, away from the main hallway traffic.

"Because," he said finally, "I just got information that the new target might be your child."

Ivy froze, her breath catching. "My... child?" she whispered, instinctively placing a trembling hand over her belly. "What do you mean?"

Evans’s face was grim. "The key to unlocking the rest of Winn’s inheritance lies in proof of a direct heir," he explained quietly.

"If the Kanes find out that you’re carrying his baby—" he stopped himself, "they won’t just come after you. They’ll come after the baby too."

"No... no... Evans." She fought the urge to crumble right there in the hallway — to let the exhaustion win and let the world carry her wherever it wanted — but Evans’ grip on her elbow kept her upright.