Sophia clutched the edge of the desk, her breath ragged as she read the letter. The handwriting was unmistakable—her father’s. “You’ve come too far, Sophia. There’s a reason I disappeared. If you’re reading this, it means you’ve found the truth, but it also means they’ve found you.” The door creaked open behind her. She froze, the paper trembling in her hand. “Looking for answers, Sophia?” a familiar voice drawled. She spun around to see Dante leaning against the doorframe, his face shadowed but his eyes piercing. “You lied to me,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “About everything.” Dante stepped forward, his expression unreadable. “I did what I had to do. To protect you. To protect us.” “Protect me?” she spat, the letter crumpling in her fist. “You handed me over to them!” The tension snapped like a wire. In an instant, he was inches from her, his hand gently prying the letter from hers. “You think I’m the monster, Sophia,” he murmured, his voice low. “But you haven’t met the real ones yet.” ______________________________________________________________ She thought she was running from her past—until she discovered her future was even darker.