After leaving Toby’s wing, Avery heads back toward her own room and repeatedly looks over her shoulder, still shaken. Near her hall, Avery overhears Libby confronting Nash about “your lawyer girlfriend” and some papers, but Avery decides not to intrude and slips into her own room.

Inside, Avery immediately notices that one of her large windows is open, though Avery did not leave it that way. Then Avery sees a blood-soaked white sheet beneath the window, with a heart on it and a knife driven through the heart. The sight sends Avery into panic, recalling the Black Wood and the feeling of being targeted by someone who wanted Avery dead.

Nash arrives and steadies Avery, physically blocking Avery’s view of the room while coaching Avery to breathe. Nash tells Libby to call Oren, shifting the situation from Avery’s private terror to a security threat inside Hawthorne House.

After inspecting the room, Oren reports that the heart is from a cow, not a human, and that the knife is a steak knife matching the brand used in the Hawthorne kitchens. Because the linens are also Hawthorne linens, Oren and Nash conclude the threat likely came from someone connected to the household rather than an outside attacker.

When Oren asks whether Avery has upset anyone recently, Avery mentions the Laughlins, whose anger over Toby’s wing is fresh. Nash firmly rejects the idea that the Laughlins personally did it, suggesting instead that someone on the staff may have interpreted the Laughlins’ distress as permission to attack Avery.

Nash calls Mellie, a maid loyal to him, to clean up the mess and spread a message among the staff. Nash makes it clear that no matter who is angry or looking the other way, Avery is not to be targeted, reinforcing both the danger Avery faces inside the house and Nash’s authority over some of the staff.