CHAPTER 13 THE MAN WHO WAS MY FATHER
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
“You're my son.”
Elias's words remained on the screen.
My son.
Not grandson.
Not heir.
Son.
I looked at Jonathan.
He didn't deny it.
That was worse than any confession.
“Dad?”
Jonathan's eyes filled with tears.
“I wanted to tell you.”
“When?”
He looked down.
“When it was safe.”
I laughed.
A broken, bitter sound.
“Was it ever safe?”
“No.”
“You let me grow up believing you were my father.”
“Yes.”
“You let me believe my grandfather was dead.”
“Yes.”
“You let me believe my brother was dead.”
“Yes.”
“You let me believe my daughter was dead.”
His face crumpled.
“Yes.”
I stepped toward him.
“And all this time…”
My voice failed.
Jonathan whispered:
“I was trying to keep you alive.”
I shook my head.
“You kept me ignorant.”
“Because ignorance was the only protection I had left.”
Elias's voice suddenly came through the speakers.
“Don't blame him.”
I turned toward the screen.
“You're the one who did this.”
“I built the system.”
“You destroyed my family.”
“No.”
He smiled.
“I protected it.”
“By kidnapping children?”
“By preserving the bloodline.”
“By drugging people?”
“By removing dangerous memories.”
“By controlling my wife?”
“By preventing her from making the wrong choice.”
I stepped closer to the screen.
“You're insane.”
Elias smiled.
“Perhaps.”
Then he looked at Lily.
“But your daughter is proof that I was right.”
Lily stepped backward.
I immediately moved in front of her.
“You won't touch her.”
“You already did.”
I froze.
“What?”
Elias's smile disappeared.
“You've been protecting Lily from the wrong enemy.”
I looked at my daughter.
“What does that mean?”
Elias didn't answer.
Instead, the screen changed.
A hospital video appeared.
A newborn baby lay inside a clear bassinet.
A nurse stood beside her.
The timestamp showed ten years ago.
Lena gasped.
“That was the day Emma was born.”
The camera shifted.
A second bassinet appeared.
Then a third.
I stared.
Three newborns.
Emma.
Noah.
And another baby.
Lily.
My heart pounded.
A man entered the room.
Victor.
He was younger, but unmistakable.
He picked up the third baby.
Lily.
Then Elias entered.
The two men spoke.
I couldn't hear them.
The audio had been removed.
But then Elias pointed toward the baby.
Victor shook his head.
Elias handed him a document.
Victor read it.
His expression changed.
He looked at the baby again.
Then he said something.
The video suddenly stopped.
I turned toward my father.
“What did he say?”
Jonathan looked terrified.
“I don't know.”
“You know.”
“No.”
“Dad!”
He finally whispered:
“He said she wasn't supposed to exist.”
I looked at Lily.
She was crying silently.
“Why?”
Jonathan shook his head.
“Because Lily wasn't part of the plan.”
“What plan?”
“The succession plan.”
I turned back to the screen.
Elias was waiting.
“Tell me.”
He smiled.
“Your daughter was an accident.”
I stared at Lily.
“No.”
“She wasn't genetically engineered.”
“Good.”
“She wasn't selected.”
“Good.”
“She wasn't registered.”
“Then why does she matter?”
Elias leaned toward the camera.
“Because she carries something the others don't.”
“What?”
“Free blood.”
I frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“Your family has spent generations manipulating the succession line.”
“Victor tried to manufacture heirs.”
“Your father tried to hide them.”
“And you…”
He paused.
“…tried to control them.”
I looked at Lily.
“She wasn't controlled.”
“No.”
“She was born outside the system.”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you afraid of her?”
Elias smiled.
“Because she cannot be controlled.”
The room fell silent.
My daughter looked at me.
“Daddy?”
I knelt beside her.
“I'm here.”
“Why are they afraid of me?”
I didn't know what to say.
So I told her the truth.
“Because you're stronger than they expected.”
She wiped her eyes.
“I don't feel strong.”
“You don't have to.”
I hugged her.
“You just have to stay you.”
A loud metallic crash came from the entrance.
Marcus ran toward us.
“They're inside.”
“How many?”
“Too many.”
My father looked toward the back exit.
“We need to move.”
Elias laughed through the speakers.
“You can run.”
I looked at the screen.
“But?”
“But every exit leads to me.”
The warehouse lights turned red.
A countdown appeared.
05:00
“What is that?”
Jonathan's face went pale.
“Self-destruct.”
I stared at him.
“You built this place.”
“Yes.”
“Then stop it.”
“I can't.”
“Why?”
“Because Elias has the master code.”
The countdown continued.
04:32
Marcus shouted:
“Everyone move!”
We ran.
My mother grabbed Lily.
Lena grabbed Emma.
Alexander stayed beside me.
We reached the underground tunnel.
Behind us, gunfire erupted.
Men were storming the warehouse.
We ran harder.
Then Noah's voice came through my phone.
“Dad!”
I stopped.
“Where are you?”
“I don't know!”
“Can you hear me?”
“Yes!”
“Is Victor with you?”
“No.”
“Who is there?”
Silence.
Then Noah whispered:
“Grandpa.”
My blood froze.
“Elias?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
A pause.
“Jonathan.”
I looked behind me.
My father was standing beside us.
The phone was still in my hand.
Noah's voice continued:
“He says he's my real grandfather.”
I stared at Jonathan.
He went pale.
“No.”
“Dad?”
I couldn't answer.
Noah cried:
“There's another man here.”
“Who?”
“He looks like you.”
I froze.
“Like me?”
“Yes.”
“What's his name?”
Noah whispered:
“Adrian.”
My heart stopped.
Alexander grabbed my shoulder.
“What did he say?”
I repeated it.
Alexander's face changed.
“That's impossible.”
Then Noah screamed.
The call dropped.
I tried calling again.
Nothing.
“NOAH!”
No response.
I turned toward my father.
“What did he mean?”
Jonathan shook his head.
“I don't know.”
“Someone who looks like me?”
“I don't know.”
“You keep saying that!”
“I swear!”
The tunnel suddenly shook.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
The warehouse was collapsing.
We kept moving.
At the end of the tunnel was a steel door.
Marcus opened it.
We emerged into an underground parking structure.
Several vehicles waited.
We climbed into the first one.
I sat beside Lily.
Emma sat opposite me.
Alexander drove.
Lena held my hand.
For the first time in hours, nobody spoke.
Then Emma looked at me.
“Daddy.”
“Yes?”
“I know who the other Adrian is.”
I turned.
“Who?”
She looked at Lily.
“He's not another Adrian.”
“Then what?”
“He's the first one.”
My heart stopped.
“What does that mean?”
Emma lowered her voice.
“The man you know as Adrian Cole…”
She pointed toward me.
“…isn't the original.”
I stared at her.
“What?”
She continued.
“Victor told me the truth.”
Alexander turned the steering wheel sharply.
“Don't listen to her.”
Emma looked at him.
“You know I'm right.”
He didn't answer.
I looked between them.
“Someone explain.”
Emma's voice trembled.
“When you were twelve, they didn't erase your memories.”
“What did they do?”
“They replaced them.”
My stomach tightened.
“With what?”
“With another boy's memories.”
I stared at her.
“That makes no sense.”
Emma shook her head.
“You were never Adrian.”
I looked at Lena.
She was crying.
I looked at my father.
He couldn't meet my eyes.
Then I looked at Lily.
She was staring at me with the same frightened expression Noah had worn in the basement.
I whispered:
“Who am I?”
No one answered.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A man's voice spoke.
My voice.
Exactly my voice.
“Hello, Adrian.”
I froze.
“Who is this?”
The man laughed.
“You.”
“No.”
“You've been searching for me your entire life.”
“Where are you?”
“Closer than you think.”
“Where's Noah?”
“He's with me.”
“Put him on.”
“No.”
“What do you want?”
“I want my life back.”
I looked at Alexander.
The voice continued.
“You took my name.”
“I took your family.”
“You took everything.”
I felt cold.
“Who are you?”
The answer came softly.
“I am the real Adrian Cole.”
The call ended.
Nobody moved.
Then Alexander looked at me.
His face was filled with fear.
“Now you know why Victor wanted you removed.”
“Why?”
Alexander swallowed.
“Because the man on that phone…”
He looked toward Lily.
“…was the boy who was supposed to inherit everything.”
I stared at the dark screen.
Then a new message appeared.
YOU HAVE 30 MINUTES TO BRING ME LILY.
Beneath it was a photograph.
Noah was sitting in a chair.
Beside him stood the man who looked exactly like me.
And behind them…
stood Victor.
But Victor wasn't looking at Noah.
May you like
He was looking directly at the camera.
And he was smiling.
