Chapter 8 1/2 Nora couldn't figure out why Elliot was dragging her to the hospital , but seeing the seriousness on his face , she didn't ask questions and just hurried out of the restaurant with him . He drove fast , weaving through traffic and laying on the horn every chance he got . Whatever this was , it had him tense and rattled . He barely said a word the whole drive . When they arrived , Elliot didn't even slow down as he headed straight for the rooftop . As soon as they got up there , she saw a burly man holding a knife , pinning a terrified Claire against the railing . Her face was streaked with tears . The moment Claire saw Elliot , her eyes lit up with desperate hope . " Elliot , please ! Help me ! " Before Nora could even process what was happening , Elliot suddenly shoved her forward . His voice rang out behind her , steady but cold , " Take a good look . This is my girlfriend . " The woman you're holding right now is innocent and means nothing to me . Even if you hurt her , it won't get you what you want . " If you want leverage , you should be threatening my girlfriend . That's the only way you'll get what you want from me . It finally dawned on Nora what was going on . He'd rushed her over here just to use her as bait and. trade her for Claire's safety . The ugly realization hit her all at once , especially when she overheard some of the onlookers muttering about the scene . Apparently , the whole mess was a case of hospital violence . Someone had been stalking Elliot for days , always seeing him with Claire . So , the man had assumed Claire was his girlfriend and decided to take her hostage . Nora felt like she'd just had a bucket of ice water dumped over her . Elliot had spent all his time with Claire . But when things went wrong , he didn't hesitate to throw Nora into danger to protect Claire . The man glanced at Claire , then turned to Nora with a confused look . Maybe he recognized her from when he had been tailing them , because his grip on the knife loosened slightly without him realizing it . He looked around warily , ready to have Nora step forward to exchange as a hostage . But before he could react , a team of police officers suddenly stormed the roof . In a flash , someone kicked the knife out of his hand while others pulled Claire to safety . The moment Claire was out of danger , Elliot rushed to her side . " Claire , are you okay ? " Claire threw herself into his arms , sobbing . " I was so scared , Elliot … " Only after making sure Claire was fine did Elliot finally glance at Nora . " Are you alright ? " he Chapter 8- asked , as if she were an afterthought .. Nora's eyes were cold and empty . There was nothing left there for him . 2/2 Elliot was never the type to explain himself , usually brushing things off like they didn't matter . But now , seeing how hollow she looked , he actually faltered for a second " Nory , there were officers stationed all around . The plan was for you to distract the man , and the police would move in . It was just part of the strategy " He sounded so reasonable and so sure of himself . Nora didn't even bother arguing . Just part of the strategy -yeah , right . She happened to be okay this time , but what if she hadn't been ? Was Elliot really willing to risk his girlfriend's life just to save another woman ? Right then , she looked at him and realized she was staring at a stranger . " Nora , just look at yourself . This is the man you gave up everything for , the one you moved to at new city for . Do you regret it now ? " she asked herself . She indeed regretted it . But at least she still had the chance to walk away and start over . Later , Elliot said Claire was too shaken up by the incident and needed his support , so he spent all his time with her after that day . He completely forgot that he had been the one who shoved Nora toward the man . Nora had already made up her mind to end the relationship . She wasn't going to let him hurt her anymore. Once again left alone at home , she began clearing out everything in the apartment that reminded her of Elliot . She even went to pick up their engagement photos . Then , she pulled them out and tossed them into the fire . She watched the flames devour the memories , then turned to the rest of their shared belongings . Back then , trying to feel closer to Elliot , she bought all kinds of couple items . There were matching toothbrushes and cups lined up on the sink , towels with cute designs in different colors , couple outfits hanging in the closet , and even bracelets tucked away in the jewelry box . She packed every single item into a box and carried it out to the trash . From that moment on , she would never need any of it again .