Chapter 12 - Nathan drove home like a man chasing the end of the world.Lily was standing in the foyer when he arrived.
She ran into his arms.
“Daddy!”
He held her.
“Where's Noah?”
She pointed upstairs.
“He's in your room.”
Nathan slowly climbed the stairs.
The door was open.
Noah was sitting on the bed.
Alone.
Nathan entered.
“Buddy.”
Noah looked up.
His expression was strange.
Too calm.
“Where is Victoria?”
Noah said nothing.
“Where is she?”
He pointed toward the closet.
Nathan opened it.
Victoria was inside.
Bound.
Alive.
Nathan freed her.
She immediately grabbed his arm.
“Get Noah out.”
“Why?”
“He's not acting like himself.”
Nathan turned.
Noah was standing in the doorway.
His eyes were empty.
Then he spoke.
“I remember.”
Nathan froze.
“What?”
Noah pointed to the hallway.
“Mommy used to hide me there.”
Nathan approached carefully.
“Emma?”
Noah nodded.
“She said Grandpa was bad.”
Nathan's heart pounded.
“What else?”
Noah looked at Victoria.
“She said not to trust her.”
Victoria closed her eyes.
Nathan asked:
“Why?”
Noah answered:
“Because she was supposed to kill Mommy.”
Victoria looked up.
“No.”
Noah continued.
“But she didn't.”
Nathan stared.
“Then why didn't she?”
Noah smiled faintly.
“Because Daddy saved her.”
Nathan froze.
“Noah…”
“Not you.”
The room became silent.
Noah pointed behind Nathan.
“Ethan.”
Nathan turned.
The bedroom window was open.
Ethan stood outside on the balcony.
Nathan raised the gun.
“How long have you been there?”
“Long enough.”
Victoria whispered:
“Ethan, please.”
He ignored her.
He walked into the room.
Noah ran toward him.
“Daddy!”
Nathan froze.
Ethan caught the boy.
Held him.
Noah buried his face against his chest.
Nathan stared.
“You're his father.”
Ethan nodded.
“Yes.”
“Why didn't Emma tell me?”
“She wanted to.”
“What stopped her?”
Ethan looked at Victoria.
“She did.”
Victoria's face collapsed.
Nathan turned.
“Is that true?”
Victoria shook her head.
“I was protecting Emma.”
Ethan laughed bitterly.
“You were protecting yourself.”
A gunshot cracked.
Ethan fell.
Nathan spun toward the window.
No one.
A sniper.
Ethan was bleeding.
Noah screamed.
Nathan dropped beside him.
“Ethan!”
Ethan looked at him.
“There's no time.”
“Who shot you?”
“Your father.”
Nathan clenched his jaw.
“Where is he?”
Ethan grabbed his wrist.
“Stop chasing him.”
“He took my life.”
“He's trying to make you chase the wrong enemy.”
Nathan stared.
“Then who is the real enemy?”
Ethan whispered:
“Victoria's father.”
Nathan froze.
“Her father?”
Ethan nodded.
“He built the system.”
Victoria started shaking.
“No.”
“Yes.”
Ethan looked at her.
“You knew.”
“I was sixteen.”
“You knew.”
Victoria began crying.
Nathan looked between them.
“What system?”
Ethan whispered:
“The children.”
Nathan felt sick.
“They weren't kidnapped randomly.”
“No.”
“They were replaced.”
“Yes.”
“With what?”
“Identities.”
Ethan pointed toward Noah.
“Your father needed an heir.”
Nathan stared at Noah.
“And Noah?”
Ethan's face changed.
“He isn't my son.”
Nathan froze.
“What?”
“I believed he was.”
“Then whose?”
Ethan looked at Victoria.
She whispered:
“Yours.”
Nathan stared.
“What?”
Victoria continued through tears.
“Noah is your biological son.”
Nathan shook his head.
“You said he was Ethan's.”
“I lied.”
“Why?”
“Because I needed to protect him.”
Ethan looked confused.
“Why would you say he was mine?”
Victoria's face turned white.
“Because your father believed he was Ethan's.”
Nathan stared.
“Then who is Noah?”
Victoria whispered:
“The last piece of the ledger.”
Silence.
Nathan looked at Noah.
“What does that mean?”
Victoria took a breath.
“The ledger is encoded in his medical records.”
Nathan frowned.
“Why?”
“Because your father hid the key inside his DNA.”
Nathan felt a chill.
“So they don't want the child.”
“No.”
“They want what's inside him.”
“Yes.”
Then the front door exploded open.
Men rushed into the house.
Nathan pulled Lily behind him.
Ethan raised his weapon.
Victoria grabbed Noah.
And from somewhere downstairs, a familiar voice called out:
“Bring me the boy.”
Nathan knew that voice.
His father.
But the person who walked into the room wasn't his father.
It was Marcus.
Holding Sarah at gunpoint.
May you like
Marcus smiled.
“Now we can finally finish what we started.”
