Her sudden outburst startled the Carters as well.

Langston snapped back to his senses and barked at his men, "What are you standing around for? Grab her and bring her back! If she keeps this up, tie her up if you have to!"

But despite his orders, the people behind him didn’t move an inch.

Jamison watched their reactions. The way they avoided looking directly at Emma, the fear flickering in their eyes–it told him everything. They weren’t just hesitant; they were downright terrified of her.

He guessed boldly–Emma must have tested positive for some kind of virus, and the Carter family had already found out.

"Uncle, it’s strange," Boyd leaned in and whispered, puzzled. "We’ve had people outside her hotel every day, and she never left. So how did she end up back with Sheridan?"

Jamison’s voice was low and steady. "If the Carters wanted her gone, there are plenty of ways to make it happen."

A little disguise, slipping past the bodyguards–it was nothing they couldn’t pull off.

But the real mystery was this: if the Carters already knew Emma was infected, why would they bring her back?

Unless–Sheridan was infected too.

It made sense. Jamison had just been wondering how simple kidney failure could have brought Sheridan to the brink of death so quickly. Now it was clear there was something else at play.

That explained everything.

Sheridan must have caught the same disease, and since no one in the Carter family wanted to take care of him, they dragged Emma back to do it since she was sick as well.

Now, every piece fit perfectly.

“Emma, if you want to live, shut up.” Sheridan’s patience had run dry; the woman’s wild shrieking grated on his nerves. His tone was icy, a threat hanging in the air.

Emma’s body jerked as if electrocuted. She froze, face pale, eyes darting to Sheridan–filled with hatred and fear.

Jamison’s men loosened their grip a little, seeing that she’d quieted down, her breath ragged but no longer fighting.

No one expected what happened next. Emma lunged, grabbing one guard’s hand and, like a cornered animal, sank her teeth in hard.

The guard yelped and instinctively kicked out, catching Emma on the leg. She crumpled to the floor with a scream, but the blow missed her abdomen.

Just as Jamison was piecing everything together, Emma’s sudden attack made her intentions clear.

She was infected–and she was lashing out on purpose.

There were stories online about people with diseases like HIV, driven to despair, who tried to spread their illness out of spite for the world.

Emma’s behavior fit that pattern exactly.

Jamison’s face hardened, his words laced with suspicion as he stared at her. "Are you HIV positive?"

Emma sat sprawled on the ground, hair wild, grinning with a manic sort of triumph. "Ha! Ha ha ha… Who knows? Sheridan definitely is, and if he’s got it, I probably do too. You set me up, threw me to the wolves–so I’ll make sure you all pay for it! Ha ha ha!"

She seemed almost euphoric, delighted that she’d managed to infect someone. But she didn’t see Sheridan rising from his wheelchair, grabbing her by the collar, and slapping her across the face–twice, hard.

“Had enough? If you keep this up, I’ll make sure you never leave this house!” His roar echoed furiously through the room.