At first, Naylor thought Katrina had mistaken him for her father, but as she kept talking, he realized that wasn’t it at all.

Ivy had been watching them from the side, catching every word of her friend’s drunken mutterings. She immediately guessed, “Is she this wasted tonight because of something to do with her dad?”

Naylor had no idea what was really going on.

All he could feel was the woman in his arms, feverishly hot and reeking of stale food and alcohol. He fought back a wave of nausea, torn between sympathy and helplessness, just wishing time would speed up and they’d reach the hospital already.

By the time Katrina nearly had all the buttons ripped off his shirt, the car screeched to a stop in front of the ER.

The emergency staff were already waiting, rushing out with a gurney. They lifted Katrina onto it and wheeled her straight into the ward.

Naylor stepped out of the car, exhaling in relief. Sweat ran down his forehead; he felt as if he’d just finished a marathon.

He’d dated plenty of women before, always believing they were God’s finest creation–clever, charming, soft, and fragrant. He’d relished the feeling of a woman nestled in his arms, convinced it was one of life’s greatest pleasures.

But tonight, that notion had been thoroughly shattered. Not for a second did he want to relive any of it.

Ivy followed the medical team inside, but as she reached the ER doors, Jamison caught her by the arm.

“Ivy, let the doctors handle it. You should wait here.”

She blinked, nodded, and forced herself to relax. “You’re right… we’re at the hospital now. Katrina will be okay.”

She tried to reassure herself, but worry twisted in her chest.

Once Naylor had caught his breath, he came over to say goodbye.

Ivy spotted him and hurried over to thank him. “Mr. Wilson, I can’t tell you how grateful I am. If you hadn’t happened to be there tonight, my friend’s life would have been ruined.”

Naylor waved her off, giving a tired half–smile. “Don’t mention it. Anyone in my place would have helped.”

Ivy noticed two buttons missing from his shirt and red scratches along his neck. Remembering what happened in the car, she felt a wave of awkwardness and guilt. “Either way, you saved Katrina’s life tonight. When she’s better, she’ll thank you herself.” Ivy’s gratitude was sincere.

Naylor offered a rueful smile and joked, “I think I’d rather not. If she sees me again, she’ll probably die of embarrassment.”

Truth be told, he’d been a little traumatized himself. This was the first time a woman had left him so breathless and out of sorts.

Ivy understood exactly what he meant and blushed bright red.

He really had saved them tonight. If it had been Jamison carrying Katrina out instead, she couldn’t bear to picture her best friend–drunk and out of control–clinging to Ivy’s own husband, tearing at his clothes in front of everyone…

Even though she knew Katrina had no idea what she was doing, she couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable at the thought.

And once Katrina sobered up and found out what happened, she’d be mortified. Years of friendship could have been ruined in one night.

Not to mention how Jamison would feel.

Naylor had truly saved the day.

“All right, you two stay here with Ms. Lester. I’m heading home,” Naylor said, waving as he turned to leave.

For once, Jamison was considerate. He called out, “Why don’t you wait a minute? I’ll have my driver take you home.”

Naylor laughed and shot back, “First time in all these years you’ve shown some heart. I guess helping your wife is more valuable than helping you.”

Jamison just rolled his eyes.

While Katrina was being treated, Ivy finally had a moment to piece together everything that had happened that night.

Sheridan and Emma had been caught red–handed. The evidence was solid. There was no way they’d escape legal consequences.

But because the crime hadn’t been fully carried out, the sentence might be lighter–especially if they hired a top defense attorney. It was possible the whole thing could be swept under the rug.

“That’s not something to worry about,” Jamison pointed out. “If we’re talking legal heavyweights, Katrina’s got far better connections than Sheridan. He’s not likely to find anyone more influential than her mentor.”

That snapped Ivy out of her anxious spiral. “I completely forgot about that. I’ve just been so nervous tonight.”

“You’re too close to the situation,” Jamison said, gently squeezing her shoulder and leading her to a seat. “When she wakes up tomorrow, we need to ask her why she drank so much. Does it have to do with her family? I have a hunch–whatever Sheridan and Emma tried to do, the emotional damage from her own family probably hurts her more.”

Just as Jamison finished, his phone buzzed.

He checked the screen–Boyd was calling.

“Hello?”

“Uncle, Ms. Lester’s phone was left in the hotel room. Someone just called–it was her aunt. She found out what happened and was very worried. I gave her the hospital address, so she’s probably on her way now.”

Jamison glanced at his wife and replied quietly, “All right, thanks. How’s everything on your end?”

“The police have finished processing the scene. They’ve collected all the evidence, including the videos from Emma’s phone.”

Ivy’s head snapped up. “Emma was recording?”

“Yeah, she filmed parts of Sheridan’s assault on Ms. Lester. Luckily… she was only undressed. Nothing worse happened–thank God.”