## CHAPTER 3
He came back the next Saturday before sunrise, this time without knocking, filled up on groceries, parked his truck a block away, and left the bags stacked outside 4B’s door, tucking an envelope of cash inside one of the bread bags where it would be found by accident. The following day, he came back properly. Lily’s hair was combed, in a clean shirt, looking rested for the first time. “Somebody left bags outside the door,” she told him, playing along that it might have been the neighbors. She offered him a vanilla cookie. Before he left, she handed him something she’d made — a small embroidered patch with the letters NC stitched in red thread, circled by a tiny heart. “Made this yesterday,” she said. Nathan felt something swell in his chest. “Thank you, Lily. I’m taking this to the office so I don’t forget what matters.”
On his way down, he ran into Diane Foster, his property manager, heels tapping down the stairs with a folder under her arm. “What are you doing here, boss?” “Personal matter.” “Does it have anything to do with the tenant in 4B? She’s three months behind on rent, and according to the lease you signed off on, we’re supposed to be filing for eviction this week.” Nathan didn’t answer right away. Nobody was taking Lily out of that apartment, not while he had any say in it.
Diane wasn’t stupid. The second she saw his face leaving that building carrying an embroidered pouch, she knew something was off. That afternoon she dug in, pulled up property records, rent histories, correspondence, and found personal transfers from Nathan’s own account to Cleveland General’s billing office, small payments to a local pharmacy. He was quietly covering costs without telling anyone. And that’s when her expression changed. Diane had no emotional stake in any of it. What she saw was an opportunity. If Nathan was moving money undeclared, that was a liability, and a liability could be used to push him out.
The next morning, Diane went to the building alone and knocked hard on 4B. Lily opened the door. “Is your mother home?” “No, she’s in the hospital.” “Tell your mother she has three days to vacate. I’m sorry, but there are no exceptions.” “My mom is sick,” Lily said, not moving. “I know, and I’m sorry you’re going through this, but these are the owner’s rules.” Lily said nothing. She just closed the door slowly. On her way out, Diane crossed paths with Rosalind on the stairs. “You the one who left that eviction notice?” “That’s my job. Nothing personal.” “Sure, that’s what they all say,” Rosalind muttered. “But when that little girl’s out on the street, are you going to be the one explaining why?” Diane didn’t respond.
That afternoon, Lily walked to the hospital with a folded eviction notice in her backpack and showed it to her mother. Sarah read it and closed her eyes, too weak to speak, and just reached out to stroke her daughter’s hair. Meanwhile, Nathan got a call from a blocked number. Diane’s voice, sharp as ever. “You have twenty-four hours to sign off on that eviction. If you don’t, I’m sending the full file to the partners, including every bank transfer you’ve made. Your call.” Nathan hung up without a word, his jaw tight with rage. He came back to the apartment that evening. “What are you going to do?” Lily asked. “I don’t know. I can’t pay. I don’t have anywhere to go. But if I leave, how’s my mom going to know where to find me?” Nathan closed his eyes for a second. Lily wasn’t worried about herself. She was worried her mother wouldn’t know where she was. “You’re not going anywhere,” he said, firm. “I won’t let that happen. I promise.”
