Chapter 12 - The Father Who Died TwiceLuca stood in complete silence.
Marco spoke first.
“That isn't possible.”
Luca shook his head.
“I watched him die.”
“You were fourteen.”
“I saw his body.”
Mara stepped closer.
“Then someone wanted you to believe it.”
Luca stared at the blank screen.
His father had been alive.
All these years.
Watching.
Waiting.
Using Adrian.
Using him.
Using Emma.
His phone rang.
He answered.
His father's voice came through.
“You've grown.”
Luca's eyes burned.
“Where is my daughter?”
“Safe.”
“If you touch her…”
“You still threaten people like a child.”
Luca's jaw clenched.
“Why?”
“Because the project needs you.”
“I won't help you.”
“You misunderstand.”
A pause.
“You've already helped me.”
Luca frowned.
“What?”
“Your blood.”
Silence.
“Years ago, I took a sample.”
Luca remembered endless medical examinations as a child.
His father's doctors.
Needles.
Blood tests.
All suddenly sinister.
“Why?”
“To create a compatible treatment.”
“You killed people.”
“Necessary sacrifices.”
Luca's voice dropped.
“You're a monster.”
His father laughed.
“You sound like your mother.”
Luca froze.
“Where is she?”
“Dead.”
“No.”
“She died believing she could save you.”
Luca's breathing became uneven.
His father continued.
“Do you want to know why I left you alive?”
Luca said nothing.
“Because Adrian was too unstable.”
“What does that mean?”
“He could not survive the treatment.”
Luca's blood turned cold.
“And Emma?”
“Emma can.”
Luca looked at Mara.
The truth hit them simultaneously.
Emma wasn't merely valuable.
She was a perfect genetic match.
For Adrian.
For Luca.
Maybe even for the procedure itself.
His father spoke again.
“Bring Adrian.”
“What?”
“You have one hour.”
“Why?”
“Because he is the missing piece.”
Luca understood.
His father wanted both sons.
Adrian to provide the aggressive mutation.
Luca to provide the dormant one.
Emma to complete the sequence.
A family built around a medical nightmare.
“Where?”
“The old Bellini estate.”
“You expect me to walk into a trap?”
“No.”
His father laughed.
“I expect you to come because your daughter is there.”
The call ended.
Luca looked at his team.
“We go.”
Mara grabbed his arm.
“You may die.”
“I know.”
“You could trigger an arrhythmia.”
“I know.”
“You may not make it back.”
Luca looked at her.
“I've spent three years dying every day.”
He pulled away.
“I'd rather die once.”
Hours later, they reached the Bellini estate.
The gates opened.
No guards.
No resistance.
The house looked exactly as Luca remembered.
He entered.
The hallway.
The staircase.
His father's office.
His childhood room.
Everything preserved.
Then a voice came from upstairs.
“Luca.”
He looked up.
His father stood there.
Older.
Weaker.
But alive.
Beside him stood Emma.
Luca's heart nearly broke.
“Daddy!”
Emma ran.
A guard raised a gun.
Luca froze.
His father smiled.
“Come closer.”
Luca stepped forward.
Emma cried.
“Daddy!”
Luca looked at his father.
“Let her go.”
His father tilted his head.
“I will.”
Then he looked at Adrian, who had entered behind Luca.
“But first…”
He raised a remote.
The floor beneath Adrian opened.
Adrian fell into darkness.
Luca lunged.
“ADRIAN!”
His father pressed a button.
A steel door slammed shut.
May you like
And Emma whispered:
“Grandpa said Uncle Adrian is going to die.”
