Chapter 7 - Julian stared at the paper.His own name.
Written in Evelyn's handwriting.
“No.”
Mara stepped backward.
“You knew?”
“I didn't.”
“You're lying.”
“I swear.”
“You've been lying since we met.”
Julian couldn't answer.
The evidence was horrifying.
His name.
His family.
His father's network.
His wife's death.
Mara's stolen baby.
And now this.
He took the paper.
Read it again.
There was no ambiguity.
JULIAN MERCER.
Mara's voice shook.
“Why would she write your name?”
“I don't know.”
“Did you ever sign anything at the hospital?”
Julian thought.
“Birth certificate.”
“What else?”
“Consent forms.”
“Genetic testing?”
He stopped.
“Yes.”
Mara's eyes widened.
“Why?”
“Evelyn told me the hospital required DNA testing because of complications.”
Mara stared.
“Did you see the results?”
“No.”
Julian suddenly realized he had never seen a single medical report from the pregnancy.
Everything had been handled by Evelyn.
Her doctors.
Her lawyers.
Her foundation.
Julian had simply trusted her.
A metallic click came from behind them.
Mara turned.
A woman stood in the doorway.
Evelyn.
The real Evelyn.
She wasn't wearing the blue dress anymore.
She wore black.
Her face was expressionless.
Julian raised the gun.
She raised both hands.
“Don't.”
Mara stepped between them.
“You stole my baby.”
Evelyn looked at Noah.
“I saved him.”
“You let me believe he died.”
“I had to.”
“You could have told me.”
“They would have killed you.”
“You let me suffer.”
Evelyn's eyes filled with tears.
“Yes.”
Mara stared at her.
“You're my sister.”
Evelyn smiled sadly.
“I never stopped being your sister.”
Julian lowered his weapon slightly.
“You've been alive this whole time.”
“I was never dead.”
“Then who died?”
“A woman who looked enough like me to satisfy people who didn't ask questions.”
Julian felt sick.
“Why did you marry me?”
Evelyn looked at him.
“Because Victor told me to.”
Julian flinched.
“My father?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because he wanted access to the Mercer trust.”
“And Noah?”
“He wasn't supposed to exist.”
Julian looked at Mara.
Evelyn continued.
“Your sister became pregnant through a private fertility program your father's people were financing.”
Mara whispered:
“I never used a fertility program.”
“You were sedated during your surgery.”
Mara shook her head.
“No.”
“They took your eggs.”
The room went silent.
Julian looked stunned.
Evelyn continued.
“They created embryos using Mercer genetic material.”
Mara's voice barely existed.
“So Noah…”
“Is genetically yours and Julian's.”
Julian closed his eyes.
Every lie suddenly made sense.
The pregnancy.
The timing.
The forged records.
The hospital.
The inheritance.
Evelyn looked at Mara.
“I found out after the embryo was transferred into your body.”
Mara stared.
“You mean I carried him…”
“Yes.”
“Then why was the baby registered as yours?”
Evelyn swallowed.
“Because the transfer was illegal.”
“Why?”
“Your father wanted an heir he could control.”
Julian frowned.
“But I had a son.”
“You had nothing.”
“What?”
Evelyn looked at him.
“You think Noah was born into your family.”
She shook her head.
“Noah was manufactured for it.”
Mara held him tighter.
Julian felt a wave of disgust.
“Where is the original file?”
Evelyn pointed at the boxes.
“Somewhere in there.”
“And the woman pretending to be you?”
Evelyn's expression changed.
“She's not pretending.”
Julian stared.
“She believes she is me.”
Mara frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Evelyn took a breath.
“She was created by your father's program.”
Julian felt cold.
“A clone?”
Evelyn nodded.
“Not a perfect one.”
Mara stepped backward.
“Then why does she have Evelyn's memories?”
Evelyn smiled bitterly.
“They implanted them.”
Julian stared.
“How?”
“Neural conditioning.”
Evelyn looked at Noah.
“Your family spent fifteen years trying to perfect a human replacement.”
Mara's voice cracked.
“And you were the template?”
“Yes.”
Julian looked toward the door.
“What happens now?”
Evelyn's face hardened.
“Now they come for Noah.”
As if summoned by her words, the house shook.
A car crashed through the front gate.
Then another.
Lights flooded the basement window.
Evelyn immediately grabbed Noah.
Mara screamed.
“Give him back!”
Evelyn turned.
“For the first time in my life, trust me.”
Julian heard shouting upstairs.
Then a voice over a loudspeaker.
“Julian Mercer!”
The voice belonged to his father's former security director.
“Hand over the child.”
Another voice joined him.
A woman's voice.
Soft.
Almost identical to Evelyn's.
“You're running out of places to hide, Julian.”
Evelyn looked at Mara.
“They found us.”
Mara grabbed Noah.
Then Evelyn whispered:
“They also found the woman who can prove everything.”
Mara looked confused.
“Who?”
Evelyn looked toward the hidden wall.
“The woman who gave birth to you.”
Mara froze.
“My mother?”
Evelyn shook her head.
“No.”
She looked at Julian.
“Your mother.”
Julian's face went white.
“My mother died twenty years ago.”
Evelyn whispered:
May you like
“No, Julian.”
“She was taken.”
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