Chapter 13 - The knife touched my mother's throat.A thin red line appeared.
I stepped forward.
“Let her go.”
Margaret smiled.
“You still think this is a choice.”
Adrian moved beside me.
“No.”
Margaret looked at him.
“It always was.”
He stared at her.
“You used me.”
“Yes.”
“You lied to me.”
“Yes.”
“You made me believe my entire life was real.”
“It was real enough.”
He laughed bitterly.
“Was any of it real?”
Margaret hesitated.
For the first time, I saw emotion in her eyes.
Then it vanished.
“Sentiment is why your father failed.”
I looked toward the system.
The transmission continued.
“We can stop it,” Margaret said.
“No.”
She tightened the knife.
“I can.”
My mother gasped.
Margaret looked at me.
“Choose.”
I stared at the screen.
The verified criminal records were already being transmitted.
If I stopped the system, powerful people would remain protected.
If I continued, my mother could die.
There had to be another way.
I looked at Nico through the security camera feed.
He was in the corridor.
I raised two fingers.
He understood.
Delay.
He nodded.
I turned back.
“Fine.”
Margaret smiled.
“I knew you'd choose family.”
“I need one thing.”
“What?”
“Tell me the truth.”
She laughed.
“You have spent your entire life asking that.”
“Who killed my father?”
Margaret was silent.
Then she answered.
“Victor.”
“Who ordered it?”
She looked at my mother.
“Your mother.”
My mother began sobbing.
“Why?”
Margaret's expression softened.
“Because Richard wanted to expose Project M.”
“And you?”
“I wanted to control it.”
I looked at Adrian.
“And him?”
“Insurance.”
“For whom?”
“For Elena.”
I frowned.
She continued.
“Richard believed that if you had a second key, the system could survive.”
“Adrian.”
“Yes.”
“Then why did you help him marry me?”
“Because the system required emotional proximity.”
My stomach turned.
“You wanted us to become dependent on each other.”
“Yes.”
“And Vanessa?”
“A distraction.”
“Was the affair supposed to happen?”
“No.”
I stared.
Margaret looked at Adrian.
“That was his choice.”
Adrian closed his eyes.
He could not deny it.
I understood something then.
Not every betrayal had been scripted.
Some had been his.
That mattered.
Margaret continued.
“The beating wasn't supposed to happen.”
“But it did.”
“She became greedy.”
“Vanessa.”
Margaret nodded.
“She wanted Adrian.”
“So she framed me.”
“Yes.”
“And you let it happen.”
Margaret sighed.
“I thought public humiliation would push you into leaving him.”
“You could have simply asked me.”
She laughed.
“You would never have left.”
“Why?”
“Because you loved him.”
I looked at Adrian.
The answer hurt.
Because she was right.
I had loved him.
Maybe some part of me still did.
But love was not permission.
It was not forgiveness.
It was not a reset button.
It was a wound that had to close on its own.
Nico appeared behind Margaret.
He raised his weapon.
“Put the knife down.”
Margaret turned.
She fired.
Nico ducked.
My mother grabbed Margaret's wrist.
The knife fell.
I rushed forward.
Adrian tackled Margaret.
The four of us crashed against the server console.
An alarm sounded.
SYSTEM INTEGRITY FAILURE.
Gabriel shouted through the radio.
“Get out!”
“What?”
“The servers are overheating.”
I looked at the screens.
Smoke began rising.
Margaret stared.
“You activated the purge.”
“No.”
“Then who?”
Gabriel answered.
“Samuel.”
The floor shook.
A blast erupted behind the server wall.
The machines began shutting down.
Margaret's face changed.
“He destroyed it.”
I looked around.
Years of secrets disappearing.
Maybe that was exactly what my father wanted.
Maybe Project M had always been temporary.
Maybe the real inheritance was knowing when to let go.
Adrian grabbed my arm.
“Move!”
We ran.
My mother stumbled.
I caught her.
Margaret followed.
Then the corridor exploded behind us.
We reached the upper level.
The cathedral was empty.
Everyone else had escaped.
Rain poured through the shattered windows.
I looked back.
The underground facility was collapsing.
Margaret stood beside us.
Covered in dust.
For a moment, she looked human.
Not a villain.
Not a strategist.
Just a tired woman who had spent twenty years making terrible choices.
She looked at Adrian.
“I never wanted you to know the truth.”
He stared at her.
“Why?”
“Because I was ashamed.”
Then she looked at me.
“And because I knew Elena would hate me.”
I answered quietly.
“You were right.”
Police sirens approached in the distance.
Luca had made the call.
Investigators would arrive soon.
The system was almost gone.
Then my phone buzzed.
One final message.
Unknown number.
YOU THINK THIS IS OVER.
Attached was a photograph.
My father.
Alive.
Not from twenty years ago.
Recent.
Taken six months ago.
I froze.
“Dominic.”
He came over.
I handed him the phone.
Everyone stared.
Then another message appeared.
HE HAS BEEN WATCHING YOU.
A final image loaded.
My father sitting in a chair.
Older.
Alive.
And beside him...
Evelyn.
My heart stopped.
May you like
Then the message arrived.
COME ALONE, ELENA.
