Oren escorts Avery back to her wing after the attack and searches her quarters before standing guard outside. Alone, Avery messages Max across every account because Max has not answered, then examines her stitched wound and confronts the reality that someone, probably within the Hawthorne family, may want her dead.

In the shower, Avery breaks down while thinking about the Black Wood, Jameson, and Grayson’s warnings about the Hawthorne family. Max finally calls from her brother’s phone, and Avery tells Max everything: the shooting, Jameson, and how frightened and alone Avery feels.

Max urges Avery to leave Hawthorne House immediately, arguing that survival matters more than the inheritance. Avery refuses because leaving before a year would cost her the fortune and return her to the instability of her old life, but the conversation shifts when Avery asks where Max was earlier.

Max reveals that Avery’s sudden fame has damaged Max’s life: Max’s ex, Jaxon, tried to sell screenshots of Avery’s texts, then retaliated after their breakup by sending Max’s private photos to Max’s parents. Max is now on lockdown and admits that Avery has needed her constantly without asking enough about Max’s life. Avery apologizes, and the two reconcile with humor before Max has to hang up.

Later, Avery hears scratching and breathing near the secret passage into her room. Instead of opening it herself, Avery keeps her promise to be careful and calls Oren. Oren searches the passage, disables its entrance to Avery’s room, and makes Avery sleep in Libby’s room, which has no passage access.

Avery crawls into bed beside Libby without explaining, feeling guilty that Libby’s life has also been upended because of Avery. After dreaming of her mother and childhood at the diner, Avery wakes to find Libby gone and notices Libby’s phone on the bathroom counter, filled with missed texts from Drake, including possessive messages insisting that Libby loves him.