Chapter 10 - The Person I Trusted Most
The person behind Emma moved closer to the camera.
The image shook.
The connection was unstable.
But I could still see the face.
And my heart stopped.
Because I knew him.
I knew the way he stood.
The way he tilted his head.
The calm expression he always wore when he believed he had already won.
Victor.
But Victor was standing beside me.
On the plane.
Not behind Emma.
Not on the screen.
Both places couldn't be possible.
I looked at the man next to me.
Then at the screen.
My mind refused to accept it.
"That's impossible."
Nobody answered.
Because everyone was watching the same thing.
Victor looked at the screen.
And for the first time since I had known him...
he looked afraid.
Not confused.
Not surprised.
Afraid.
I turned toward him.
"Explain."
Victor didn't move.
"Daniel..."
"No."
My voice became sharper.
"Not another secret."
The man who had been my partner for fifteen years stared at the screen.
Then he whispered:
"That isn't me."
I laughed.
A broken laugh.
"Of course you would say that."
"I swear."
"You expect me to believe you?"
Victor looked at Emma.
The woman on the screen.
The woman who had been erased from my memory.
"Daniel, listen to me."
I shook my head.
"No."
The pain inside my chest was overwhelming.
"I don't know what is real anymore."
And that was the truth.
My entire life had become a maze.
Every door opened into another secret.
Every answer created another question.
Claire.
Emma.
Victor.
Alexander.
Genesis.
Lily.
Everyone had been holding pieces of my story.
Except me.
Ethan stepped closer.
"Daniel."
I looked at him.
"What?"
"We need to focus."
I almost snapped.
"Focus?"
I pointed toward the screen.
"My dead wife is talking to me."
A pause.
"And someone who looks exactly like my best friend is standing behind her."
Ethan didn't argue.
Because he knew I was right.
The screen flickered.
Emma spoke again.
"Daniel, I know this is difficult."
I froze.
Because her voice wasn't angry.
It wasn't threatening.
It was gentle.
Like someone talking to a person they loved.
"I know you don't remember me."
I swallowed.
"Why?"
The question escaped before I could stop it.
Everyone looked at me.
But I didn't care.
"Why don't I remember you?"
The screen remained silent for a few seconds.
Then Emma answered.
"Because you asked me to make you forget."
The words hit harder than anything else.
I stared.
"No."
"Yes."
"Why would I do that?"
Emma looked down.
Pain crossed her face.
"Because you saw what Genesis became."
I looked at Alexander.
He lowered his eyes.
"You knew."
Alexander nodded.
"I did."
My anger returned.
"You knew I erased my own memory?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
His voice was quiet.
"Because you made me promise."
I stepped back.
I felt like the floor moved beneath me.
I had spent years believing I was a man who controlled his life.
But apparently, there were parts of myself I had buried.
Decisions I made.
Promises I forgot.
A whole person I erased.
The screen changed.
A document appeared.
A signature.
My signature.
I stared.
At the bottom of the page.
Daniel Whitmore.
"I signed that?"
Emma nodded.
"You did."
"What was it?"
"A memory lock."
The phrase sounded unreal.
"A procedure designed to remove specific memories."
I looked at Claire.
"About Emma?"
She nodded slowly.
"About Genesis."
The plane suddenly shook.
A warning alarm sounded.
The passengers screamed.
The lights flashed red.
Adrian rushed toward the cockpit.
"We're losing altitude."
The words changed everything.
Everyone moved at once.
Fear replaced confusion.
"Can you fix it?"
Adrian shook his head.
"Someone is controlling the system remotely."
Victor immediately looked at the screen.
"She has access."
Emma's expression changed.
"Victor."
Everyone stopped.
The woman on the screen looked directly at him.
"You really thought you could hide from me?"
Victor stepped closer.
"I thought you were dead."
Emma smiled sadly.
"You helped make everyone believe that."
Victor looked away.
And I saw something.
Regret.
Real regret.
"What happened between you two?"
Nobody answered.
Then Emma said:
"Victor wasn't the person who betrayed you, Daniel."
I looked at her.
"What?"
The cabin went silent.
She continued:
"He was the person who tried to stop it."
Victor closed his eyes.
My entire understanding shifted again.
"Then who?"
Emma looked toward the camera.
Her expression became serious.
"The person who has been controlling Genesis from the beginning."
A pause.
"The person who knew every weakness you had."
My breathing slowed.
"No."
Emma looked at me.
"Yes."
The screen flickered.
Then another camera feed appeared.
A different room.
A child-sized chair.
A small table.
And Lily.
My daughter was sitting there.
Safe.
But not alone.
Someone was sitting beside her.
My heart stopped.
Because Lily wasn't crying.
She wasn't afraid.
She was smiling.
Like she knew that person.
"Where is she?"
I stepped toward the screen.
Emma's voice became urgent.
"Daniel, listen carefully."
I didn't look away.
"Get her away from that person."
"Who is it?"
The camera moved closer.
Slowly.
The person beside Lily turned.
And I saw the face.
My body went cold.
Because it was impossible.
It was someone who had been missing for years.
Someone everyone believed was gone.
Someone whose disappearance changed my entire life.
Someone who should never have been able to meet my daughter.
My older brother Alexander whispered:
"No..."
The person on the screen looked directly into the camera.
Then smiled.
And said my name.
"Daniel."
My hands went numb.
May you like
Because I recognized the voice.
It was my own.
