her body aching and completely drained. Sh

rail man. Yet, the man in this bed had possessed an astonishing, r

d for a glass on the nightstand, her eyes caught the hotel's eleg

e lightning. She had gone to the wrong

elf. She pulled out a small notepad and a pen from her purse. Her handwriting was

. But then, a flush of indignation mixed with the vivid memory of his aggressive, eager responses

e to be enough. She placed the single earring on top of the folded note

t the number on the door she'd just fled: 880

confirmation provided by her foster father had been clear: 8807. In her dizzy, drugged

e hallway light. Her hand trembled as she dug into her purse,

t. The light

e, untouched. The bed was perfectly made, the air still and ste

absurd cold. She had really, truly, gone to the wrong room. Six doors down. The differen

She didn't run. She walked with a measured pace, as if leav

She slipped in through a side entrance, avoiding the main part of the house

a deep slumber for a long while, was finally awakened. The p

ed for the device. He glanced at the caller ID:

ackling with authority down the line. "Did you m

ned to her question, the context of the

m and secure his lineage during his weakest moments, his grandmother had created the

ely unaware that the sickly Cameron Hayes and th

rate, never once contacting or meeting his nominal wife. He ha

m to meet in room 8807 last night. However, due to his own sudden decision to change his

He instinctively concealed the fact that there had been a woman in his

of the line, a sound he knew well. "This is for your own good. For

m four years ago were no longer fatal, they had left behind severe lingering effects. It was a chronic pain that struck

all piece of folded paper and a single diamond earring resting on the nigh

her skin with a rough washcloth, over and over, trying to wash away the feeling of his to

eyes, a startling ice-blue, stared back. They were her most defining feature, a stark contrast to t

y, as if to physically disl

ve communications, vibrated on the small dress

answ

e other end. "Dr. Ross," the voice