Suppressing the bile that rose in her throat, Claire fought to maintain her composure. She knew she had to protect Jamie at all costs, even if it meant subjecting herself to this vile man. With trembling hands, she tentatively lifted the vial to her lips, her gaze fixed on Jamie’s fading blue eyes. She willed him to understand, to know that she was doing this to safeguard him, to spare him the agony of witnessing her most vulnerable and violated moment.