?Chapter 1339:


    Afara had blindsided them, knocking their ns off bnce with a single move.


    Hurst knew there were more tricksing from Afara, and the one he was truly loyal to was certainly not Emerson.


    A sharp tang of antiseptic filled the air, clinging to every surface. Above Sadie, nk whiteness stretched across the ceiling, so still she could count each heavy thump of her own heart.


    Blinking against the light, she gradually woke, pain ring at her forehead.


    With a careful shift, she found herself nestled in unfamiliar bedding, an IV taped securely to her hand.


    No telltale sounds of nurses or hospital bustle drifted in; something about the silence pressed down on her chest.


    This ce didn’t feel like any hospital. The hush was tooplete, the atmosphere thick with unease.


    Deep down, she understood that Emerson still held all the cards.


    Her desperate bid for freedom had failed.


    Now, instead of escaping, she was still in his grasp, battered and defeated.


    Where was Noah?


    How was he?


    Was it possible he had already walked straight into that so-called trap? That possibility twisted like a knife inside her, stealing the air from her lungs.


    A faint creak interrupted her thoughts as the door swung open.


    Into the quiet stepped Emerson.


    No entourage followed. He dragged a chair closer and took a seat by her bedside.


    His eyes lingered on the bandage across her forehead, but any hint of gentleness was gone, and only a cold, detached gaze remained. Something about Sadie reminded him of Brenda—unyielding and impossible to break.


    Still, that fierce spirit was exactly what left her exposed, and one wrong move could break her.


    Noah was the chink in her armor, the secret that made her weak.


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    A level, unemotional voice drifted over. “You’re awake.”


    Without lifting her head, Sadie turned away, hiding her face in the pillow and shutting him out.


    A sigh slipped from Emerson, empty of sympathy. “Why do this to yourself, Sadie? Hurting yourself aplishes nothing here. Do you really think this will buy your freedom? Or is it supposed to rattle me?”


    In silence, Sadie clenched the sheet so tightly her knuckles nched. Emerson watched her.


    “Everything you did made it obvious how much that young man, Noah, means to you.”


    Just the sound of Noah’s name sent a violent shudder through Sadie. Finally, she met his gaze, her eyes rimmed with red, burning with usation.


    Rough and raw, her voice broke the quiet. “What did you do to him?”


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