Chapter 8: The Second Son
For several seconds, Emily forgot how to breathe.
The screen showed a man standing behind Amina.
Same height.
Same face.
Same eyes.
Same voice.
It was Adam.
Except Adam was standing right beside her.
The real Adam.
Or at least...
The man she thought was real.
Emily slowly looked from the phone screen to the man beside her.
Then back again.
The two faces stared back at her.
Identical.
The impossible had become real.
"No..."
Adam whispered.
His voice wasn't filled with fear.
It was filled with pain.
Like someone had opened a wound that never healed.
Emily noticed.
He wasn't surprised.
Not completely.
"You knew."
Adam didn't answer.
Emily stepped away from him.
"You knew there was another person."
Adam looked down.
"I thought he was dead."
The words made everyone silent.
Daniel smiled.
"There it is."
He walked slowly around them.
"The truth always comes out eventually."
Emily stared at Adam.
"Who is he?"
Adam closed his eyes.
"My twin brother."
The abandoned station became silent.
"His name is Elias."
Emily looked at the screen.
The man who looked exactly like Adam stood beside Amina.
"Why did you tell everyone he was dead?"
Adam didn't answer.
Daniel did.
"Because Adam killed him."
The accusation hit like a blade.
Emily turned.
"Is that true?"
Adam's face changed.
"No."
His answer came instantly.
But there was something hidden behind it.
Pain.
Regret.
A memory he had buried.
Daniel continued.
"When they were children, the Rahman family had two sons."
He looked at Adam.
"One was loved."
Then at the screen.
"One was forgotten."
Adam's jaw tightened.
"Stop."
"No."
Daniel smiled.
"It's time everyone knew."
He turned toward Emily.
"Amina's family built their fortune on secrets."
He raised one finger.
"The first secret was their mother."
Another.
"The second was their father."
Another.
"The third..."
He looked at Adam.
"Was Elias."
Emily looked at Adam.
"What happened?"
Adam remained silent.
So Daniel answered.
"When their father died, the family needed an heir."
He laughed softly.
"But one son was unstable."
The screen showed Elias standing behind Amina.
His expression was cold.
Empty.
"Everyone believed Elias was dangerous."
Adam whispered:
"He was sick."
Daniel looked at him.
"You mean different."
Adam didn't respond.
"Your family sent him away."
Daniel continued.
"Private facilities. Fake records. A forgotten child."
Emily felt uncomfortable.
"Why?"
"Because powerful families don't have problems."
Daniel smiled.
"They have disappearances."
A cold silence followed.
Emily looked at Adam.
"And you let it happen?"
Adam looked destroyed.
"I was sixteen."
"That doesn't answer the question."
"No."
His voice broke.
"It doesn't."
For a moment, Emily saw something different.
Not a criminal.
Not a hero.
Just someone carrying years of guilt.
"I tried to find him."
Adam looked at the screen.
"But when I found him..."
He stopped.
Emily waited.
"When I found him, he wasn't Elias anymore."
Daniel smiled.
"He had become someone else."
The video suddenly changed.
Amina looked directly into the camera.
Her eyes were full of fear.
Then she spoke.
"Emily."
Everyone froze.
The recording wasn't live.
It was a message.
"If you are watching this..."
Amina swallowed.
"Then Daniel already showed you Elias."
Adam moved closer to the phone.
"Amina..."
Her voice continued.
"Do not trust either of them."
Emily felt cold.
Either?
Meaning Adam and Elias?
Amina continued:
"They both believe they are saving me."
A pause.
"But neither of them knows the full truth."
The video glitched.
Then Amina said something that made Emily's blood run cold.
"The man who destroyed my family..."
The screen flickered.
"...is not Daniel Voss."
Everyone froze.
Daniel's smile disappeared.
For the first time.
Real fear appeared in his eyes.
Amina continued:
"Daniel is only a follower."
The video stopped.
Nobody spoke.
Emily slowly looked at Daniel.
The powerful man who seemed to control everything.
The man everyone feared.
He looked genuinely shocked.
"Who is above you?"
Emily asked.
Daniel didn't answer.
Because he was listening.
A sound came from behind them.
A slow clap.
Everyone turned.
A woman stood at the entrance of the abandoned station.
Wearing a black dress.
Her face hidden beneath a veil.
Daniel stepped back.
Impossible.
"No..."
The woman's voice was calm.
"You always were terrible at following orders, Daniel."
Emily felt a chill.
She knew that voice.
Everyone knew that voice.
Because it belonged to someone who should not exist.
Someone who was supposed to be dead.
The woman removed her veil.
Adam collapsed emotionally.
"Sara..."
No.
Not Sara.
Emily stared.
Because she recognized the face.
The face from old photographs.
The face from the family records.
The face of the woman whose death started everything.
Amina's mother.
Nadia Rahman.
May you like
Alive.
End of Chapter 8
