Rain hammered the rooftop as Nathan stared into the darkness beyond the city skyline.David had lost their car.That much was certain.But Nathan couldn't shake the feeling that his father was still watching."We can't stay here," Emma said, scanning the neighboring rooftops. "His men will search every building within minutes."Nathan nodded."We need to disappear."Sarah pointed toward a rusted fire escape."It leads into the old warehouse district. Hardly anyone goes there anymore."Without another word, the four of them descended into the maze of abandoned factories and empty loading docks.An hour later...They found shelter inside an abandoned textile mill.Broken windows allowed the wind to whistle through the building, and decades of dust covered the machinery.Victoria leaned against a concrete column, exhausted."I never imagined I'd end up hiding in a place like this."Nathan managed a faint smile."Neither did I."For a brief moment, their eyes met.The bitterness that had

Cold water splashed against Nathan's boots as the group pressed deeper into the underground drainage tunnels. The air smelled of rust, damp concrete, and engine oil. Every echo of their footsteps reminded Nathan that they were walking through a place built for secrets.He stopped at a junction where three tunnels split in different directions."Which way?" Victoria asked, her voice barely above a whisper.Nathan unfolded the worn letter from Eleanor Price once more. On the back, something caught his attention for the first time.There was a hand-drawn symbol.A lighthouse.He looked around the tunnel walls."There."Faded by time, the same lighthouse symbol had been spray-painted on the left tunnel."My mother was here," Nathan murmured.Emma frowned."Or someone wanted you to think she was."Nathan didn't answer.In his world, trust had become more dangerous than bullets.Several hundred meters behind them...The Shadow Pack entered the tunnels.Their commander crouched beside fresh

The pumping station was eerily silent.Water rushed through broken pipes, pooling around shattered concrete as smoke drifted from the collapsed entrance. David Porter stood in the center of the room with the confidence of a man who believed he had already won.Nathan stared at the newspaper clipping in his hand.His fingers trembled."You said she left us."David's expression remained unreadable."I did.""You made me hate her.""I made you survive."Nathan looked up, fury burning in his eyes."Stop calling your lies survival!"The words echoed through the station.For a brief second, nobody moved.Not Daniel.Not Victoria.Not the Mitchell twins.David slowly exhaled."I expected you to hate me.""You don't deserve anything else."David nodded as if the answer pleased him."Good."Nathan frowned."What?""Hate sharpens judgment. Love clouds it."Nathan took a step forward."My entire life has been one of your experiments.""No."David's voice hardened."It has been preparation."---