Chapter 10 - The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
The man standing behind the door looked exactly like the photograph I remembered from childhood.
Older.
Thinner.
His hair had turned completely silver.
But the eyes were the same.
Cold.
Sharp.
Unmistakable.
My father.
I couldn't breathe.
He looked at me for several seconds without saying a word.
Then he smiled.
“Clarissa.”
My knees weakened.
I reached for the wall.
“No.”
Julian moved in front of me.
“Stay back.”
My father laughed softly.
“Still playing the protector?”
Julian's shoulders tightened.
“You're supposed to be dead.”
“I was.”
My father stepped into the red emergency light.
“For twenty years.”
I stared at him.
“You abandoned me.”
His expression didn't change.
“You survived.”
“That isn't an answer.”
“It was the only answer that mattered.”
I felt tears burning my eyes.
“You let me believe you died.”
“I let everyone believe it.”
“Why?”
He looked past me toward the archive.
“Because your mother had already chosen her side.”
“My mother?”
“Yes.”
“What side?”
“The side that wanted to destroy everything we built.”
I shook my head.
“You built a program that stole babies.”
His eyes hardened.
“You've been listening to Evelyn.”
“She told me the truth.”
“No.”
He took another step.
“She told you the part of the truth that made her look innocent.”
Julian stepped forward.
“Don't listen to him.”
My father looked at him.
“You were always weak.”
Julian's jaw tightened.
“You threatened her.”
“I protected her.”
“You destroyed her life.”
“No.”
My father looked directly at me.
“Your husband did that.”
I turned toward Julian.
My father smiled.
“He never told you why he married you.”
Julian's face went pale.
“Enough.”
My father ignored him.
“He didn't marry you because of love.”
I looked at Julian.
“Tell her.”
“Don't.”
“Tell her why you chose Clarissa.”
Julian closed his eyes.
I stepped toward him.
“Why?”
He didn't answer.
My father did.
“Because you were the mother of R-17.”
The words echoed through the tunnel.
I stared at Julian.
“Is that true?”
He looked at me.
“I loved you before I knew.”
“That isn't what I asked.”
“Yes.”
My voice broke.
“You married me because of my daughter.”
“I married you because I loved you.”
“But you knew I was pregnant.”
“Yes.”
“And you knew about R-17.”
“Yes.”
I stepped backward.
Twenty years disappeared in an instant.
Our first date.
Our wedding.
Our honeymoon.
The birth.
The hospital.
Everything suddenly looked different.
“You knew.”
“I knew something was happening.”
“You knew my father wanted my child.”
“Yes.”
“And you still let me marry into this family.”
“I was trying to get you away from them.”
“By bringing me closer?”
Julian's eyes filled with tears.
“I thought I could protect you.”
My father laughed.
“That's what he tells himself.”
I turned toward him.
“Why did you take my daughter?”
“I didn't.”
“You created the program.”
“Yes.”
“You knew she existed.”
“Yes.”
“Then why?”
His expression became strangely calm.
“Because she was different.”
“She was a baby.”
“She carried a genetic marker that could have changed medicine.”
“She was my child.”
“She was more than that.”
I felt rage rise inside me.
“She was not your experiment.”
My father looked at me.
“No.”
He paused.
“She was the reason your entire family was chosen.”
I froze.
“What?”
He nodded toward Julian.
“Ask him.”
I turned.
“Chosen for what?”
Julian couldn't meet my eyes.
My father smiled.
“Now you understand why I kept you alive.”
I felt sick.
“Why me?”
“Because your bloodline carried the marker.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
“Your father knew.”
“He was your partner.”
“He was.”
“And my mother?”
“She discovered the truth.”
“What truth?”
My father stepped closer.
“She wasn't your biological mother.”
I stopped breathing.
The world seemed to tilt.
“What?”
Julian whispered, “Clarissa…”
My father continued.
“Your mother was the woman who raised you.”
I stared at him.
“You're lying.”
“No.”
“You're trying to confuse me.”
“No.”
He reached into his coat and pulled out a folded document.
He held it toward me.
“Your original birth records.”
I didn't move.
Julian grabbed the paper.
My father didn't resist.
Julian opened it.
His face changed.
I took the document from him.
The first line made my hands shake.
BIRTH CERTIFICATE — CLARISSA ELIZABETH MORGAN
Then beneath it:
BIOLOGICAL MOTHER: EVELYN MORGAN
I stopped.
Evelyn.
My mother-in-law.
The woman whose hand I had held while she died.
The woman who had called me daughter.
The woman who had given me the key.
I looked at my father.
“You're saying Evelyn was my mother?”
He nodded.
“Yes.”
“No.”
“She gave you to another family when you were a baby.”
“Why?”
“Because she was trying to escape.”
I couldn't speak.
Julian looked at me.
“I didn't know.”
I turned toward him.
“How long?”
“I found out six years ago.”
My heart sank.
“Six years.”
“Yes.”
“You knew Evelyn was my mother.”
“Yes.”
“And you never told me.”
“She made me promise.”
I laughed bitterly.
“She made everyone promise.”
My father smiled.
“She was very good at secrets.”
I looked down at the birth certificate.
The name of my biological father was blacked out.
I raised my eyes.
“Who is my real father?”
My father's expression changed.
“I am.”
My stomach dropped.
“No.”
“I am.”
“But you said—”
“I never said I wasn't.”
I stared at him.
He stepped closer.
“Evelyn was my wife.”
I shook my head.
“That means…”
“Yes.”
My voice disappeared.
Julian whispered, “Your father is also the man who founded the program.”
I stared at him.
Everything inside me went numb.
My father.
My biological father.
The man who had experimented on my daughters.
The man who had been hunting them.
The man standing in front of me.
It was all the same person.
“You used your own daughter.”
He didn't flinch.
“I used the bloodline.”
“You used me.”
“Yes.”
I slapped him.
The sound echoed through the tunnel.
He didn't move.
He simply looked at me.
Then he smiled.
“You have Evelyn's temper.”
I stepped backward.
“I hate you.”
He nodded.
“I expected that.”
“Where is Emma?”
His expression changed.
“You mean the child you were told was R-17?”
“Yes.”
“She is alive.”
“Where?”
“You'll see her.”
“Now.”
“Not yet.”
“Where is my other daughter?”
He smiled.
“Amelia is here.”
I looked around.
She was standing near Julian.
My father continued.
“She is the one who inherited the marker.”
I turned toward Amelia.
She looked terrified.
“Then why did you take Emma?”
My father answered.
“Because Evelyn stole her.”
“You said she was worthless.”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“Emma was valuable for another reason.”
“What reason?”
“She was the key to controlling Amelia.”
I didn't understand.
“Explain.”
“Twins share more than blood.”
Julian interrupted.
“That's enough.”
My father looked at him.
“You've been hiding the final truth from her.”
Julian's face went white.
“What final truth?”
I stared at him.
He didn't answer.
My father smiled.
“The girls weren't separated by accident.”
I felt a chill.
“What do you mean?”
“They were separated because one of them was born first.”
I looked at Amelia.
Then at Julian.
My father continued.
“The firstborn carried the marker.”
Amelia's face changed.
“That's not true.”
“It is.”
She shook her head.
“You told me I was second.”
“I lied.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
I stared at her.
“Which one was born first?”
My father looked at me.
“Emma.”
Silence.
Amelia covered her mouth.
“But the records…”
“Were changed.”
I looked at Julian.
He nodded slowly.
“The records were switched.”
“Why?”
My father answered.
“Because I needed Amelia to believe she was R-17.”
“Why?”
“To make her controllable.”
Amelia stepped toward him.
“You lied to me.”
“Yes.”
“You told me my sister was the valuable one.”
“She was.”
“But you just said—”
“Emma was valuable genetically.”
He looked at me.
“Amelia was valuable because she was the one Evelyn loved most.”
I felt tears fall.
“You used my daughters against each other.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because it worked.”
Amelia turned away.
Julian approached her.
She pushed him back.
“You knew.”
“I suspected.”
“You knew enough.”
He looked devastated.
“I was trying to find the truth.”
“You should have told me.”
“I know.”
I stepped between them.
“Where is Emma?”
My father looked at me.
“Upstairs.”
My heart stopped.
“Bring her.”
“You're not ready.”
“I've been ready for twenty years.”
He smiled.
“Then perhaps it's time.”
He turned toward the staircase.
I followed.
Julian grabbed my wrist.
“Clarissa, wait.”
I pulled away.
“No more waiting.”
We climbed the stairs.
The upper floor was completely dark.
My father stopped in front of a large wooden door.
He placed his hand on the lock.
“Before you see her, there is something you need to understand.”
“What?”
“She doesn't believe you are her mother.”
I swallowed.
“Why?”
“Because I told her you abandoned her.”
My blood ran cold.
“You what?”
“She has spent her entire life believing you gave her away.”
I looked at Julian.
“Can she remember me?”
“She was a newborn.”
“Then how could she hate me?”
My father smiled.
“Children don't need memories to inherit hatred.”
He opened the door.
A dim room appeared beyond it.
A young woman stood with her back to us.
Long dark hair.
Bare feet.
The silver necklace around her neck.
My breath stopped.
“Emma?”
The woman turned.
My heart shattered.
It was the girl from the photograph.
My daughter.
She stared at me.
Tears filled her eyes.
But she didn't run to me.
She didn't smile.
She didn't say Mom.
Instead, she whispered:
“You're the woman who left me.”
I took one step forward.
“No.”
Her face hardened.
May you like
My father stood behind her.
And then Emma raised a small black gun toward me...
