Elijah, I feel like I’m suffocating,” Sandra murmured faintly, clutching his sleeve.

Elijah’s expression darkened with concern. Ignoring the ambulance, he scooped Sandra into his arms and strode purposefully toward the exit.

Elizabeth, resigned to despair, watched. Elijah’s anxiety vividly reminded her of her own recent rescue. He brushed against her, moving too quickly, and collided with her. Favoring her uninjured leg, she lost her balance and stumbled, grabbing a nearby folding table for support. The table buckled, collapsing and sending cups scattering. Elizabeth hit the floor, the table and scalding water tumbling onto her already injured leg.

“Ah!” she cried out.

Elijah glanced at her briefly, but as Sandra groaned, he coldly turned away, carrying her off without looking back. Elizabeth wondered if the sting in her leg or the sorrow in her heart caused her tears.

“Are you alright?” The director hurried over, lifting the table pinning her down. Stewart followed, gently helping her to her feet. He hesitated, uncertainly asking, “Should we head to the hospital?”

Amidst the chaos, Elizabeth barely registered her injuries or the worried faces. “Thank you, I’m fine,” she replied quickly. “My agent will take me there later.” Limping through the doorway, her head bowed, she departed like Cinderella fleeing a ball, but shrouded in disgrace instead of splendor. Her dignity lay shattered.

Stepping outside, Ruby’s beige car screeched to a halt. “Should I drive you back to the hotel? Elizabeth… what happened to you?” Ruby leaned out, concern darkening her face as she saw Elizabeth’s condition. She unfastened her seatbelt and rushed over. “I was only gone for a few minutes—how are you bleeding so badly? Where are you hurt? Did you fall?”

Following Ruby’s gaze, Elizabeth saw the blood staining her pants. Managing a faint smile, she said calmly, “The burn from the fire the other day hasn’t healed properly. I must have bumped it, and the boiling water probably reopened it.”