But he could not shake the memory of Vanessa’s face at the sound of it.

At 2:30 in the morning, a doctor finally came out.

Maria had suffered a concussion, two broken fingers, and several deep cuts that had needed stitching.

But she was stable.

She was going to survive, though she would carry a small scar above her eyebrow for the rest of her life.

When Daniel was allowed into her room, Maria was awake, a bandage wrapped around her head, looking smaller in the hospital bed than she ever had in the mansion.

“Mr.