She was his daughter, the only person in the world he truly cared about. No matter what she''d done, even after her lie had backed him into a corner, he could never really hurt her. Still, thinking about how his careful ns had been ruined, about how he was now running from the police like a stray dog, made anger rise inside him all


    over again.


    “Sofia.” Nathaniel''s voice was quiet and heavy, each word dripping with


    disappointment. “You really let me down. I could have given you everything you wanted. I could have helped you put Reese beneath your feet. But what did you do? You lied to me. Don''t think I didn''t realize you were trying to use me to get at Reese. Do you really not see the big picture? Do you have any idea how badly your little lie almost destroyed me?"


    Sofia bit her lip, her eyes filling with tears. "I didn''t mean it... I never thought things would end up like this."


    Nathaniel took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. Now wasn''t the time to dwell on me. He needed to get out of there. The police had alreadye once. They didn''t believe Sofia, but without a warrant, they couldn''t barge in. If he stayed, he''d be caught as soon as they got what they needed.


    He let go of her wrist and looked at her with cold eyes. "Three days. That''s all you get. I don''t care how you do it. Find out where Dous keeps the box. If you don''t, you''ll have to deal with the consequences."


    Sofia rubbed her sore wrist and nodded, too scared to say a word.


    Nathaniel turned away and went to the window, pulling back the curtain just enough to peek outside. Down on the street, a few people were hanging around the entrance looking out of ce. His heart dropped. The police were already setting


    up.


    He frowned, running through his options in his mind. He knew the building''syout pretty well. There was the main entrance, the


    underground garage, and a fire root The entrance and garage would be watched for sure. Trying to leave through either would be suicide. The roof was the only way left.


    escape that led to the fire ne


    He nced at Sofia onest time. His expression was hard to read, a strange mix of resentment, disappointment, and a trace of something softer he didn''t want to admit. "I''m leaving. Take care of yourself."


    He didn''t look back. He opened the apartment door and headed straight for the fire escape.


    Sofia watched his back until he was


    gone, her feelings tangled and


    messy. With Nathaniel out of the way, she didn''t have to worry about the police finding her. She also didn''t have to worry about tonight'' mess dragging her down. But now that Nathaniel was running from thew, could he still keep his promises to her? Could he still help her fight Reese or win back the Meyer family''s approval? Without his help, how was she supposed to stand a chance against Reese? How would she ever get Bailey to notice her again?


    The questions swirled in her head, leaving her dizzy and exhausted. She sank into the sofa, feeling totally lost and helpless. For the first time, she had no idea what to do next.


    Nathaniel climbed the fire escape all the way to the top floor. There, he found the heavy iron door that led to the roof. He paused, listening


    closely When he was suren


    wa


    safe, he eased the door open and stepped outside.