A few more days passed before Solomon finally decided I could leave the penthouse. He didn't make a big announcement about it or give me some dramatic speech about how I had earned my freedom. One morning, while I was sitting by the window in the bedroom, he simply walked in and said, "Get dressed."
I looked at him, confused. "Why?"
"We're going outside."
I stared at him for a moment, waiting for the catch. "Outside outside?"
A small smile appeared on his face. "Yes, Alex. Outside outside."
I almost laughed at the ridiculousness of the question, but after nearly a month of staring at the same walls, it didn't feel ridiculous at all. I got dressed and followed him downstairs.
The moment we stepped outside, I stopped. The air felt different.
It was ridiculous because it was still just
