After hanging up, Sofia slumped back against the sofa, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the grain of the leather.


    Nathaniel was pushing hard. He needed a carpletely untraceable and off the police radar, with a driver included. If anything went wrong, everything Sofia had worked for would copse in an instant.


    She frowned, mind spinning through possibilities. Borrow a friend''s car? Too risky. If the police started digging, they''d find her connection in no time. Buy one herself? There wasn''t enough time, and the registration would point straight to her.


    She kept thinking, frustration building, until suddenly she sat up, determination shing in her eyes.


    She remembered the set of fake IDs she''d gotten years ago when she was overseas, just in case of emergencies. Name, address, credit history—the works. She had never needed them before, but now they were exactly what she needed.


    Feeling a surge of rity, she grabbed the beige trench coat from the sofa, changed her shoes, and headed out.


    A st of cold air made her shiver as she stepped outside, but it helped her focus even more.


    She waved down a taxi at the gate and gave the driver the address of a small car rental ce on the west side of the city. The ce was known for short-term rentals, barely any paperwork, and zero questions about your background. That was perfect.


    As long as Nathaniel got the car from there, even if the police stopped him, it couldn''t be traced back to her.


    For the first time that day, Sofia let herself smile a little. She didn''t notice that as her taxi pulled away, a nondescript ck sedan quietly followed.


    Inside the sedan, a inclothes police officer watched her taxi closely, speaking in a low voice into his radio.


    "Target has left her residence. She''s headed west to a car rental shop. Requesting backup. I''ll keep following."


    The reply came quick and clear. "Copy. Backup is on the way. Stay back, don''t alert her."


    The ck sedan kept its distance, sliding through traffic like a shadow as it followed Sofia''s taxi toward the west side of the city.


    Back at the hospital, Reese and Matthew walked down the hall and sat on a bench outside the room. Reese had barely settled when her phone buzzed in her pocket.


    She pulled it out and saw a message from Hank.


    "Dad didn''t make it. He passed away at 1:45."


    Just a single sentence, no extra words. Still, it hit Reese like a stone to the chest.


    She''d expected this. Bailey had done so many terrible things. He was always going to end up behind bars or die suddenly like this. But now that it had actually happened, her feelings wereplicated.


    There was no heartbreak, no sadness, not even regret. Just a tired sense of closure, as if a heavy weight she''d carried for years had finally dropped away.


    She didn''t n on seeing him onest time. There was nothing left between them. Every idea of a father''s love she''d ever had was stuck in faded childhood memories. She had never really felt safe or cared for by him.


    All that was left was distance. Cold, empty distance.


    She set her phone down on the bench, leaned back, closed her eyes, and took a long, deep breath.


    Matthew sat quietly by her side, saying nothing, just being there.


    Noticing his silence, Reese turned to look at him. "Bailey''s dead."


    Her voice was t, her eyes carrying a hint of irony. "I don''t want to go. I don''t even want to see his face again."


    "Matthew, do you think I''m cold?"


    "He was my father. He gave me life. Now he''s gone and I don''t feel sad at all. Honestly, I just feel... lighter."


    She said it with a little hesitation, as if asking for his opinion, or maybe just asking herself.


    Matthew saw the doubt in her eyes and felt a sharp pang in his own chest.


    He reached out and gently stroked her hair, his fingers moving through the soft strands with care and tenderness.


    "You''re not cold. You just learned to protect yourself."


    His voice was low and warm, steady


    and convincing. "Reese, he was a terrible father. Even when he found out you were running the de


    We kept using his title as


    your dad to pressure you, toget what he wanted."


    "It makes sense to feel relieved now that he''s gone."


    "You need to put yourself first. There''s nothing wrong with that."


    "And honestly, he never gave you much love to begin with." Matthew paused, thinking about his own father.


    "When my father died, I was actually happy. Really happy."


    Reese looked at him, a little surprised. She knew Matthew and Sebastian shared the same father When she married Sebastian, his father had already been gone for years, but Sébastian always mad him sound like a good dad


    Matthew noticed her surprise and gave a small, almost bitter smile.


    "My mom was kind. She loved flowers, loved her garden, and she was always


    gentle. But my father-and Jane-ruined her life."


    “Jane drugged my mom and sent her to his bed, just to keep his attention.”


    "After that night, my mom got pregnant with me. She wanted to leave Bridger Lake, to get away from the Ratcliffs."


    "But that family... there''s no way to keep secrets from them."


    "He tracked my mom down and brought her back. When I was born, he took me to the family house."


    “Jane had my mom sent to a mental hospital. She broke her."


    "After that, I never saw her again."


    Matthew clenched his fist, his voice growing quiet.


    "I grew up with people always staring, always whispering, making cruel jokes. The bullying never


    stopped That was my who vel


    childhood."