CHAPTER 11 — THE WIFE I WAS FORCED TO FORGET
For a few seconds, nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Nobody spoke.
I stared at the woman standing beside Richard.
Sarah.
The name felt familiar.
Not like a name I'd heard recently.
Like a word buried somewhere deep inside my mind.
Something old.
Something painful.
Something I had been trying to remember without knowing I was remembering it.
I looked at Emily.
She was crying.
Not angry.
Not surprised.
Terrified.
"Tell me she's lying."
Emily couldn't answer.
"Emily."
She lowered her head.
"She's telling the truth."
The words hit harder than anything Richard had ever said to me.
I looked back at Sarah.
"You were my wife?"
She nodded.
"Yes."
"When?"
"Before Emily."
"How long?"
"Three years."
I shook my head.
"No."
Sarah took one step toward me.
"You don't remember."
"I would remember my wife."
"You remember loving me."
"I don't."
"You remember the house."
"I don't."
"You remember our wedding."
"I don't."
"You remember the night Lily was born."
My heart stopped.
"Lily wasn't born when we were married."
Sarah smiled sadly.
"That's what they wanted you to believe."
I looked at Emily.
She covered her face.
"Ryan..."
"Don't."
She stopped.
"Don't say my name like you still have the right."
Her tears fell.
"I never wanted this."
"Then tell me the truth."
"I will."
"Now."
Emily looked at Sarah.
Then at Richard.
Finally, she looked at Lily.
"I was never supposed to become your wife."
I felt numb.
"What were you supposed to be?"
"Your protection."
I laughed bitterly.
"That makes no sense."
"It will."
Sarah interrupted.
"Emily was assigned to you."
"Assigned?"
"By your father."
I stared at her.
"My father arranged my marriage?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because you were beginning to remember."
"Remember what?"
"Me."
Sarah's voice cracked.
"The first time they erased you."
I looked at her.
"Who erased me?"
She pointed at Richard.
"He did."
Richard smiled.
"Not alone."
Sarah continued.
"Your father helped."
My stomach turned.
"My father?"
"He believed he was protecting you."
"By erasing my wife?"
"He believed if you remembered me, Richard would kill you."
I shook my head.
"Why would Richard care whether I remembered Sarah?"
Sarah looked toward Lily.
"Because of her."
I tightened my arms around my daughter.
"What does Lily have to do with our marriage?"
"Everything."
Emily stepped closer.
"Ryan, listen to me."
I turned.
"You knew."
"I knew pieces."
"You knew Sarah was my wife."
"Yes."
"You knew my father erased my memories."
"Yes."
"You knew about Lily."
"Yes."
"And you still married me?"
Emily's face crumpled.
"I was trying to keep you alive."
"You lied to me for four years."
"I know."
"You let me bury you."
"I know."
"You let me believe my daughter had lost her mother."
"I know."
I couldn't stop the anger.
"How could you?"
Emily looked at Lily.
"Because the alternative was watching Richard take her."
Sarah stepped forward.
"And he would have."
Richard laughed quietly.
"Still blaming me for everything."
I turned toward him.
"You kidnapped my daughter."
"I protected her."
"You've been using her."
"Yes."
"You stole her money."
"I moved it."
"You experimented on children."
Richard's smile disappeared.
"You've been listening to too many recordings."
"Answer me."
"Yes."
The honesty shocked me.
Richard walked toward the center of the room.
"Project Echo existed long before you understood it."
"You destroyed families."
"I saved them."
"You call this saving?"
He pointed toward Sarah.
"She was dying."
Sarah looked away.
"What?"
"Sarah had a degenerative neurological condition."
I stared.
"She was seventeen when the first symptoms appeared."
Sarah said quietly:
"I forgot my mother's face."
I looked at her.
"What?"
"Then I forgot my school."
Her voice trembled.
"Then I forgot Ryan."
I felt something crack inside me.
Richard continued.
"Your grandmother funded the original research."
"To cure her?"
"To preserve memory."
"And then?"
"Then we discovered memory could be rewritten."
I looked at Sarah.
"Was the treatment successful?"
She nodded.
"Too successful."
"What does that mean?"
"Richard realized that if you could preserve a memory, you could also remove one."
I looked at my own hands.
"And he used it on me."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because you discovered what he was doing."
I frowned.
"What did I discover?"
Sarah answered.
"The children."
My stomach dropped.
"You found out about Project Echo."
Sarah nodded.
"You wanted to expose him."
"Yes."
"Then why didn't you?"
Richard smiled.
"Because I made Ryan forget."
I stared at him.
"What exactly did you erase?"
Sarah looked at me.
"Me."
My throat tightened.
"You erased our marriage?"
"Not just the marriage."
She stepped closer.
"Every memory connected to me."
"Every photograph."
"Every message."
"Every record."
"Every person who knew us."
"They were paid or threatened."
"Then what happened?"
"Your father found out."
"And stopped Richard?"
Sarah shook her head.
"Your father tried."
"What happened?"
"Richard arranged the accident."
Emily closed her eyes.
"The accident that supposedly killed me."
Sarah looked at her.
"No."
Then she looked at me.
"The accident that killed your father."
I froze.
"What?"
"My father died seven years ago."
"Officially."
Sarah's eyes filled with tears.
"But he didn't die seven years ago."
I felt cold.
"When did he die?"
"Four years ago."
The same year Emily disappeared.
The same year Lily vanished.
The same year Project Echo became active again.
I stared at Richard.
"You killed him."
Richard said nothing.
Sarah continued.
"Your father discovered that Richard had restarted the program."
"Using Northstar."
"Yes."
"He tried to shut it down."
"Yes."
"Richard killed him."
"Yes."
"And then blamed his death on his old illness."
"Yes."
I looked at Emily.
"And you?"
She swallowed.
"I helped your father."
"How?"
"I copied the records."
"Then Richard came after you."
"Yes."
"You took Lily and ran."
"Yes."
"But why didn't you come back?"
Emily's eyes filled with tears.
"Because Richard found me."
"When?"
"Three days after I disappeared."
"And then?"
"He showed me photographs."
"Of Lily?"
"Yes."
"He had her monitored."
"Everywhere."
"He told me that if I returned to you, he would kill her."
I looked down at Lily.
She was staring at all of us.
She didn't understand everything.
But she understood enough.
I knelt beside her.
"Sweetheart."
She looked at me.
"Yes?"
"Do you remember Mommy?"
She nodded.
"Always."
"Do you remember Sarah?"
Lily looked at Sarah.
Then smiled.
"Red."
Sarah began crying.
"You remember me?"
Lily nodded.
"You used to read me stories."
Sarah covered her mouth.
I looked at her.
"You knew Lily before I did?"
"Yes."
"How?"
Sarah knelt in front of Lily.
"I helped your mommy protect you."
Lily reached for her.
Sarah took her hand.
Then Lily said:
"You were there when Daddy forgot."
Sarah closed her eyes.
"Yes."
I felt a chill.
"When did I forget?"
"The night you were taken."
"Taken where?"
"The facility."
"Saint Mary's?"
Sarah nodded.
"What happened?"
"You were brought there after the accident."
"What accident?"
"The first one."
I frowned.
"First?"
Sarah looked at Emily.
Emily nodded.
"There were two."
I stood.
"Two accidents?"
"The first one was staged."
"Why?"
"To make everyone believe you were dead."
I stared.
"I was supposed to be dead?"
"Yes."
"Then why am I alive?"
Sarah smiled sadly.
"Because your father rescued you."
I couldn't understand.
"From Richard?"
"Yes."
"Then why erase my memories?"
"Because you were carrying evidence."
"What evidence?"
Sarah pointed at my head.
"Memory."
I stared.
"You remembered everything."
"Everything?"
"You remembered where the children were taken."
"You remembered who was involved."
"You remembered the research."
"You remembered me."
"So Richard couldn't control you."
"He tried."
"Your father stopped him."
"Then what happened?"
"Your father gave you the treatment himself."
I felt sick.
"He erased my memories?"
"To hide the evidence from Richard."
"Why didn't he tell me later?"
"Because he died before he could."
I looked at Richard.
He was watching me.
Almost patiently.
"What happened after that?"
Richard finally spoke.
"Emily happened."
I turned.
"What?"
"Your father asked her to protect you."
"She agreed."
"Then you married her."
I stared at Emily.
"Did you know I had been married before?"
"Yes."
"Did you know Sarah was alive?"
"Yes."
"Did you know my father erased my memories?"
"Yes."
"And you still stayed."
Emily nodded.
"Because I loved you."
I couldn't answer.
Sarah stood.
"That's not the whole truth."
Emily looked at her.
Sarah continued.
"Emily stayed because she was pregnant."
Silence.
I looked at Emily.
"What?"
Emily's lips trembled.
"Ryan..."
"You were pregnant?"
She nodded.
"With Lily?"
"Yes."
I stared at my daughter.
My heart pounded.
"Then why did Richard say Lily wasn't my biological daughter?"
"He lied."
"Why?"
"Because he wanted you to question everything."
I looked at Lily.
"She's mine?"
Emily nodded.
"She is."
"Then what's Anna?"
Sarah stepped forward.
"Anna was Lily's original designation."
"Why?"
"Because Project Echo doesn't use names."
"It uses numbers."
"Yes."
"Then why call her Anna?"
"Because your father gave her that name."
I looked at my sister.
"And Sarah?"
Sarah smiled faintly.
"Sarah is my real name."
"Then why was it hidden?"
"Because Richard thought I was dead."
"You're the second subject."
"Yes."
"And Anna was the first."
She shook her head.
"No."
I frowned.
"What?"
"I was Subject Zero."
My heart stopped.
"What does that mean?"
"I was the first person your grandmother ever treated."
"Before Project Echo?"
"Yes."
"Then who was Subject One?"
Sarah looked at Lily.
"Your daughter."
I couldn't breathe.
"But Lily is four."
"The project was restarted using her."
"Why?"
"Because her brain inherited the resistance."
"Resistance to memory manipulation."
"Yes."
"And that's why they wanted her."
"Yes."
I looked at Richard.
"You've been using my daughter."
He smiled.
"I've been studying her."
"You don't get to call that studying."
"I never harmed her."
I remembered the kitchen.
Her hair.
The dog bowl.
The locked laundry room.
"Vanessa did."
Richard's face remained calm.
"Vanessa was trying to frighten her."
"For what?"
"To trigger memory recall."
I felt sick.
"You ordered it."
"No."
"Then who did?"
Richard looked at Emily.
"Your wife."
Emily shook her head.
"No."
Richard smiled.
"Not Emily."
He looked at Sarah.
"Her."
Sarah froze.
I stared at her.
"Did you hurt Lily?"
"No."
"Did you order Vanessa to?"
"No."
"Then why did Richard say—"
"Because he wants you to doubt everyone."
Sarah stepped toward me.
"Ryan, I never hurt Lily."
I wanted to believe her.
But there were too many lies.
Too many secrets.
Too many people claiming they had been protecting me.
I couldn't trust any of them.
Then my phone vibrated.
I looked down.
A security notification.
HOME CAMERA — MOTION DETECTED.
I opened the feed.
My house.
Empty.
Then a figure entered the basement.
I zoomed in.
My blood froze.
It was Ethan.
My brother.
He walked directly toward the hidden vault.
I stared at the screen.
"Why is Ethan in my house?"
Nobody answered.
Then Ethan stopped.
He looked directly at the camera.
And smiled.
I felt the blood drain from my face.
"He knows we're watching."
Richard laughed.
"Of course he does."
I turned toward him.
"You know Ethan?"
Richard nodded.
"He's been working for me for six years."
My heart shattered.
"No."
"Ask him."
I called Ethan.
He answered.
"Ryan."
"Why are you in my house?"
Silence.
Then:
"Because you shouldn't have opened the vault."
I clenched my fist.
"Where's Lily's money?"
"I moved it."
"Why?"
"To protect it."
"From whom?"
"From you."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"You're my brother."
"I know."
"You betrayed me."
"No."
"You helped Richard."
"Yes."
"You watched Lily."
"Yes."
"You knew Emily was alive."
"Yes."
I felt rage boiling inside me.
"Why?"
"Because you weren't ready."
"For what?"
Ethan's voice became cold.
"To learn who you really are."
I looked at Sarah.
She was crying.
Emily was holding Lily.
Richard was smiling.
I suddenly understood.
Everyone had been hiding something from me.
But Ethan knew the final secret.
"What am I?"
Ethan didn't answer.
"What am I, Ethan?"
A long pause.
Then he said:
"You're the last Carter subject."
My blood froze.
"That isn't possible."
"It is."
"Project Echo wasn't just tested on children."
"No."
"Then what?"
Ethan whispered:
"It was tested on you first."
I looked at Sarah.
She nodded.
"You were the prototype."
My heart stopped.
I remembered the hospital.
The machines.
The bright light.
My father's voice.
And a little girl holding my hand.
Sarah.
Then I remembered something else.
Something that made my entire body go cold.
Lily wasn't the only child I had seen that night.
There had been another baby.
A baby in a glass incubator.
A baby with my eyes.
A baby Richard had carried away.
I looked at Sarah.
"Who was that baby?"
She didn't answer.
"Sarah."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"It was your son."
The room went silent.
I couldn't breathe.
"My son?"
Emily collapsed into a chair.
I stared at her.
"Emily."
She covered her face.
"I'm sorry."
"Did we have a son?"
She nodded.
"Before Lily."
I felt the world disappear.
"What happened to him?"
Richard stepped forward.
"Now..."
He smiled.
"You're finally ready to remember."
Then every light in the facility turned red.
A siren began screaming.
And from somewhere deep beneath the building...
a child's voice echoed through the speakers.
"Daddy?"
I froze.
That voice.
It sounded exactly like Lily.
But Lily was standing beside Emily.
I slowly turned toward Richard.
He smiled.
May you like
"Your son has been waiting for you for four years."
And then the steel doors slammed shut.
