It was obvious Finnian was acting out because he was in a foul mood. But what could have happened to upset him so much?


    Connecting it to Amara''s kidnapping the day before, Emma''s blood began to boil.


    Seeing her fury, Will didn''t dare tell the truth and just lowered his head in silence. "That little bitch," Emma seethed. "Sooner orter, I''m kicking her out of Wye for good!"


    Will sighed under his breath, wishing he could turn invisible.


    After Emma left, Amara couldn''t stop thinking about Finnian''s fever. She''d nned to read a book to pass the time, but now ity open on herp, the words a meaningless blur. All she could see was the image of Finnian standing before her, his eyes red and welling with tears. She couldn''t shake it.


    After sitting there on the hospital bed for a while, she finally gave in, picking up her phone and calling Lisa. She remembered the man saying Finnian had gotten sick at the Everly estate, so Lisa would surely know what was going on.


    “Hello, Ama,” Lisa answered warmly. "Is everything alright?"


    Amara opened her mouth, but the words wouldn''te. She was too embarrassed to ask about Finnian directly. But since she''d already called, she had to say something. "How''s Grandfather doing? Has he been feeling well these past couple of days?"


    Lisa found the question a bit odd. If Amara wanted to know about Mr. Kevin Everly, why not just call him herself? Still, she answered withoutment. "The old master is doing very well. He''s keeping a regr schedule, eating three square meals a day, and going for a walk after dinner. His check-ups are all on time, and everything is perfectly normal."


    Amara nodded instinctively before realizing Lisa couldn''t see her. "That''s good,” she said.


    Her heart pounded in her chest as she clutched the phone. She hadn''t called to ask about Mr. Kevin Everly she wanted to know about Finnjan. But shej just couldn''t bring herself to ask. What Lisa misunderstood and thought she still had feelings for him? Worse, what if Lisa told his grandfather?


    She stumbled through a bit more small talk about Mr. Kevin Everly before hanging up.


    Amara sat on the bed, her mind a tangled mess. She hadn''t learned a single


    useful thing, yet she still couldn''t stop worrying about Finnian. Why was she being so difficult?


    A couple of minutester, her phone buzzed. It was Lisa calling back. Amara answered immediately. "Hello?"


    "Ama, there was something I forgot to tell you," Lisa said. "Mr. Everly has a fever."


    Amara''s heart skipped a beat. Even


    though she already knew, hearing it confirmed sent a fresh wave of concern through her. She tried to


    sound casual not wanting to give


    artything away to Lisa. "Oh? How did that happen? How high is it?"


    "It''s a high fever, over a hundred degrees!" Lisa eximed. "Ama, are you busy right now? If not, maybe you coulde see him? He... he was calling your name earlier."


    Lisa sounded a little embarrassed


    saying it. A grown man, nearly thirty, calling out a woman''s name in a feverish daze—it was mortifying. But Finnian was so strong he rarely ever got sick which meant when be did, it hit him harder than most. She was worried, and she thought seeing Amara might help.


    ***