CHAPTER 13 — THE NIGHT EMILY WAS TAKEN
Emily's fingers tightened around Vincent's hand.
The cemetery had fallen strangely quiet.
Police lights flashed across the snow.
Men were being restrained.
Margaret lay unconscious several yards away.
Bellamy stood wounded near the chapel steps.
Sofia stared at her daughter as though she were seeing her for the first time.
Vincent crouched in front of Emily.
“What do you remember?”
Emily swallowed.
“The night they took me.”
Sofia covered her mouth.
Vincent's voice softened.
“Take your time.”
Emily closed her eyes.
At first, nothing happened.
Then her breathing changed.
Her face became distant.
“I remember the house.”
Vincent frowned.
“What house?”
“The old house.”
“What old house?”
“Grandpa's house.”
Sofia stepped closer.
“Emily, sweetheart, which grandfather?”
Emily opened her eyes.
“The one who wasn't really Grandpa.”
Vincent's expression hardened.
“Richard.”
She nodded.
“I was five.”
Sofia's face drained of color.
Emily continued.
“Mom was crying.”
Vincent looked at Sofia.
Sofia shook her head.
“I don't remember.”
Emily looked at her.
“You were wearing the blue dress.”
Sofia froze.
“The one with the broken button.”
Sofia's hand moved instinctively to her chest.
Emily continued.
“You were holding me.”
Then her voice became quieter.
“And you said you were sorry.”
Sofia closed her eyes.
“Oh God.”
Vincent looked at her.
“What happened?”
Sofia whispered:
“I remember.”
Emily nodded.
“We were in the basement.”
Vincent's jaw tightened.
“There was a man.”
“What man?”
Emily looked at Bellamy.
“Him.”
Everyone turned.
Bellamy went pale.
“You remember?”
Emily nodded.
“You were younger.”
Bellamy lowered his eyes.
“You were crying.”
He whispered:
“I know.”
“You told Mom to give you the baby.”
Sofia suddenly grabbed Vincent's arm.
“That's enough.”
Emily looked confused.
“But Mom…”
Sofia shook her head.
“Not here.”
Vincent stared at her.
“You remember?”
Sofia nodded.
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
Sofia looked at Emily.
Then at Bellamy.
Then at the old cemetery.
“They took her.”
Vincent's voice became cold.
“Who?”
“Margaret.”
“Richard?”
“No.”
Sofia's eyes filled with tears.
“Margaret.”
The police moved Margaret to an ambulance.
She was alive.
Barely conscious.
Vincent watched from a distance.
He wanted answers.
He also wanted her dead.
But Emily was beside him.
So he controlled himself.
Sofia stood next to him.
“You said Margaret ordered it.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To protect the program.”
“What program?”
Sofia hesitated.
“The one your grandfather started.”
Vincent looked at her.
“You told me they created Emily.”
“They did.”
“Why?”
Sofia looked at Emily.
“Because of her blood.”
Vincent frowned.
“Explain.”
Sofia took a breath.
“Your grandfather discovered that certain members of the family carried a rare genetic trait.”
“What trait?”
“Resistance.”
“To what?”
“Memory manipulation.”
Vincent's expression changed.
“They couldn't erase their memories.”
“No.”
“Daniel?”
“Yes.”
“Emily?”
“Yes.”
Vincent looked at his daughter.
“And me?”
Sofia hesitated.
“You were different.”
“How?”
“They could damage your memories.”
“But not completely erase them.”
Vincent thought about the fragments.
The hospital.
The baby.
His father's voice.
The basement.
It suddenly made sense.
Sofia continued.
“Your grandfather wanted to find out why.”
“So he experimented.”
“Yes.”
“On children.”
“Yes.”
Vincent's hands curled into fists.
“That's why there were eleven.”
Sofia nodded.
“Eleven bloodlines.”
“Eleven children.”
“Each one tested.”
“And Emily?”
Sofia whispered:
“She was the first successful one.”
Vincent looked at her.
“Successful?”
Sofia's voice broke.
“She was born with the strongest resistance.”
Inside the ambulance, Margaret opened her eyes.
A paramedic leaned over her.
“Ma'am?”
Margaret stared upward.
“Where is Vincent?”
“You need to remain still.”
“Where is Vincent?”
The paramedic ignored her.
Margaret smiled faintly.
“You don't understand.”
Then she whispered:
“He's already lost.”
Bellamy sat against the chapel wall.
Vincent approached him.
“Tell me everything.”
Bellamy looked up.
“I don't have much time.”
“You'll have enough.”
“You think I'm dying?”
“You're bleeding.”
Bellamy looked down.
“It's not the worst thing I've done.”
Vincent stared.
“You helped them.”
“Yes.”
“You helped erase my memories.”
“Yes.”
“You helped take my daughter.”
“Yes.”
“Why should I listen to anything you say?”
Bellamy looked at Sofia.
“Because she knows.”
Sofia nodded.
“Let him speak.”
Vincent frowned.
Bellamy continued.
“Your grandfather discovered the resistance trait.”
“He wanted to control it.”
“But your father refused.”
“Alexander.”
“Yes.”
“He tried to destroy the program.”
“What happened?”
“Richard stopped him.”
Vincent's eyes narrowed.
“Richard?”
Bellamy nodded.
“Your uncle.”
“The man everyone called Richard Moretti.”
“He was never the true head.”
“Who was?”
Bellamy looked toward Margaret's ambulance.
“Her.”
Vincent stared.
“Margaret.”
“Yes.”
“Then why did she use Richard's identity?”
“Because Richard was useful.”
“How?”
“He was a public face.”
“A family name.”
“A threat.”
Vincent looked confused.
Bellamy explained.
“Margaret operated from behind him.”
“She created shell companies.”
“She moved children.”
“She bought judges.”
“She controlled medical facilities.”
“She created the trust.”
Vincent stared.
“And my father?”
“He tried to expose her.”
“Then why did he disappear?”
“Because she threatened you.”
Vincent looked toward Alexander.
“He went into hiding.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't he come back?”
Bellamy smiled sadly.
“Because he thought you were safer without him.”
Vincent looked at Alexander.
The old man lowered his eyes.
“I was wrong.”
Emily stood beside Daniel.
The two children watched the adults argue.
Daniel whispered:
“Do you remember everything?”
Emily nodded.
“Not everything.”
“What do you remember?”
She looked toward the cemetery.
“The room.”
“What room?”
“The white room.”
Daniel's expression changed.
“You remember it too?”
Emily nodded.
“I remember the woman.”
“Margaret?”
“No.”
Daniel frowned.
“Who?”
Emily whispered:
“The doctor.”
“What doctor?”
“The woman with the blue eyes.”
Daniel's face became pale.
“I remember her.”
Emily looked at him.
“She said something.”
“What?”
“That we weren't children.”
Daniel swallowed.
“What were we?”
Emily looked toward Vincent.
“Evidence.”
A police officer approached Vincent.
“Mr. Moretti.”
Vincent turned.
“We found something.”
“What?”
“Under the mausoleum.”
Vincent's eyes narrowed.
“What?”
“A hidden chamber.”
“Show me.”
The officer shook his head.
“You need to see this first.”
He handed Vincent a tablet.
Security footage.
The cemetery from earlier.
Vincent watched.
Margaret stood beside Emily.
Then the footage changed.
A second camera.
The old chapel.
A third.
The underground chamber.
Then a fourth.
Inside the chamber stood Sofia.
Vincent frowned.
Sofia looked at the screen.
“That isn't possible.”
“What?”
“I've never been there.”
The footage showed Sofia walking toward a table.
On it was the original ledger.
She opened it.
Then looked directly at the camera.
And spoke.
Vincent raised the volume.
Her voice came through.
“If you're watching this…”
She paused.
“…then I failed.”
Vincent looked at the real Sofia.
She was trembling.
The recording continued.
“Vincent cannot know the truth until Emily is ready.”
Vincent's eyes widened.
The recording had been made years ago.
Before Sofia disappeared.
She continued:
“If I tell him too early, they will kill him.”
“If I tell him too late…”
She looked down.
“…Emily will become what they designed her to become.”
Vincent's jaw tightened.
“What did they design her to become?”
The recording continued.
“A witness.”
“A survivor.”
“And eventually…”
Sofia looked directly into the camera.
“…the owner.”
The video ended.
Vincent stared at the blank screen.
“What owner?”
Sofia whispered:
“The empire.”
The underground chamber beneath the cemetery was enormous.
Vincent descended with Sofia, Daniel, Emily, Michael, Alexander, and Bellamy.
At the center stood a circular machine.
It looked decades ahead of its time.
Screens surrounded it.
Each screen contained a child's photograph.
Eleven children.
Seven marked alive.
Four marked missing.
Then the machine recognized Emily.
The lights came on.
PRIMARY HEIR DETECTED.
Emily stepped back.
“Dad.”
Vincent immediately moved beside her.
“I'm here.”
The machine spoke again.
MEMORY ARCHIVE READY.
Sofia stared.
“Don't.”
Vincent looked at her.
“Why?”
“If it opens…”
“What?”
“It will show everything.”
“That's what we need.”
“No.”
Sofia shook her head.
“Some memories were never meant to be seen.”
Vincent looked at Emily.
“It's her choice.”
Emily looked at the machine.
Then nodded.
“I want to know.”
Sofia closed her eyes.
“Okay.”
Emily placed her hand against the scanner.
The machine activated.
Every screen went black.
Then one came alive.
A hospital room.
Eight years earlier.
Sofia was lying in bed.
Vincent sat beside her.
A newborn Emily slept between them.
Alexander stood near the door.
Margaret entered.
Vincent immediately stood.
“What are you doing here?”
Margaret smiled.
“Congratulations.”
Vincent moved between her and Sofia.
“You're not welcome.”
Margaret looked at the baby.
“She is beautiful.”
“Leave.”
Margaret ignored him.
“She has the trait.”
Vincent frowned.
“What trait?”
Margaret smiled.
“The one your grandfather spent twenty years searching for.”
Sofia looked frightened.
“Get out.”
Margaret leaned toward the baby.
“She's perfect.”
Vincent grabbed her arm.
“Don't touch my daughter.”
Margaret looked at him.
“That's exactly why we need her.”
The video changed.
Vincent was unconscious.
Sofia was crying.
Bellamy stood beside the bed.
Margaret held Emily.
Sofia begged:
“Please.”
Margaret said:
“You have two choices.”
“Give us the child.”
“Or watch Vincent die.”
Sofia cried.
“I'll do anything.”
Margaret smiled.
“Then sign.”
Sofia looked at the document.
She signed.
The video changed again.
Sofia was holding Emily.
Bellamy stood nearby.
“Where are you taking her?”
“Somewhere safe.”
“I want to come.”
“No.”
“Then I won't cooperate.”
Bellamy looked at her.
“You don't understand.”
Sofia whispered:
“I understand perfectly.”
She leaned toward Emily.
“Remember me.”
Then she kissed her daughter's forehead.
“Remember your father.”
The screen went black.
Emily began crying.
Vincent pulled her into his arms.
Sofia collapsed beside them.
“I tried.”
Vincent held both of them.
“I know.”
The machine activated again.
A new file appeared.
SUBJECT 11 — EMILY CARTER
Then:
PARENTAL ORIGIN: UNKNOWN
Vincent frowned.
“Unknown?”
Sofia stared.
“No.”
The machine displayed:
MATERNAL: SOFIA MORETTI
Then:
PATERNAL: ERROR
Vincent froze.
“Error?”
The machine beeped.
PATERNAL IDENTITY SEALED.
Vincent looked at Sofia.
“What does that mean?”
She didn't answer.
“Who is Emily's father?”
Sofia's eyes filled with tears.
“You.”
Vincent shook his head.
“Then why is it sealed?”
“I don't know.”
“You do.”
“I don't.”
Vincent stepped closer.
“Sofia.”
She looked at him.
“I swear.”
The machine suddenly displayed a second name.
PATERNAL CANDIDATE: ALEXANDER MORETTI
Everyone froze.
Vincent looked toward Alexander.
The old man stared at the screen.
“No.”
Vincent's face became pale.
Alexander whispered:
“They altered the records.”
The machine beeped.
PATERNAL IDENTITY CONFLICT.
Then a third name appeared.
PATERNAL CANDIDATE: VINCENT MORETTI
Vincent exhaled.
“So I am her father.”
Sofia nodded.
“Yes.”
“But why was Alexander listed?”
“Because they wanted to confuse the bloodline.”
“Why?”
“Because if they could prove Emily wasn't yours…”
Sofia stopped.
Vincent finished:
“…they could control her.”
“Yes.”
The machine flashed again.
FINAL PATERNAL STATUS: CONFIRMED.
VINCENT MORETTI — BIOLOGICAL FATHER.
Vincent closed his eyes.
For the first time, there was no uncertainty.
Emily was his daughter.
His blood.
His family.
His responsibility.
Then another message appeared.
SECONDARY HEIR DETECTED.
Everyone turned toward Daniel.
Daniel stepped back.
“No.”
The machine scanned him.
SECONDARY HEIR: DANIEL MORETTI
Vincent looked at Sofia.
“What is this?”
Sofia shook her head.
“I don't know.”
Daniel's face went pale.
Then the machine displayed:
PATERNAL LINE: MICHAEL MORETTI
Michael stepped forward.
“That can't be.”
The machine confirmed:
CONFIRMED.
Michael stared at Daniel.
His eyes filled with tears.
“My son.”
Daniel looked at him.
“Dad?”
Michael nodded.
“Yes.”
Daniel stared.
For ten years, he had believed he had no father.
Now the truth had finally found him.
But the machine wasn't finished.
A final file appeared.
SUBJECT ZERO
The photograph loaded.
Everyone froze.
It was Vincent.
But the age was wrong.
The photograph showed Vincent as a child.
Beside him stood Margaret.
And behind them—
a woman nobody recognized.
The machine displayed her name.
DR. ELENA VALE.
Sofia's face went white.
Vincent looked at her.
“You know her.”
Sofia whispered:
“She delivered Emily.”
“What else?”
“She ran the program.”
“Where is she?”
Sofia stared at the photograph.
“She died.”
The machine beeped.
STATUS: ALIVE.
Vincent's blood ran cold.
A new image appeared.
Dr. Elena Vale.
Older.
Still alive.
Standing inside a laboratory.
Beside her stood a little girl.
Emily.
But the photograph had been taken three days ago.
Vincent stared.
“No.”
Sofia covered her mouth.
Emily stepped closer.
“Dad…”
Vincent looked at her.
“What?”
She pointed at the screen.
“That woman.”
“What about her?”
Emily's voice became barely audible.
“She was the one who taught me to remember.”
Vincent froze.
“When?”
Emily looked terrified.
“Yesterday.”
Silence.
Vincent turned toward Bellamy.
“You knew.”
Bellamy shook his head.
“No.”
“You knew she was alive.”
“No.”
Then Bellamy's phone rang.
Everyone looked at it.
Bellamy slowly answered.
Nobody spoke.
A woman's voice came through.
“Charles.”
Bellamy went pale.
“Dr. Vale.”
Vincent grabbed the phone.
“Where are you?”
A soft laugh.
“Closer than you think.”
“Where is Emily's real file?”
“With me.”
“What do you want?”
The woman answered:
“Her.”
Vincent's eyes hardened.
“You'll never get her.”
“Oh, Vincent…”
The woman laughed softly.
“You already gave her to me.”
Vincent froze.
“What?”
“Eight years ago.”
The call ended.
Then every screen in the underground chamber displayed a live video.
A laboratory.
Dr. Elena Vale stood beside a glass wall.
Behind her—
a row of children.
Not seven.
Not eleven.
Dozens.
And at the center stood a teenage girl.
She looked almost exactly like Emily.
Same eyes.
Same dark hair.
Same face.
Sofia whispered:
“No…”
Vincent stared.
“Who is that?”
Sofia's face turned white.
“Her.”
“Who?”
“The first.”
Vincent looked at the screen.
The teenage girl slowly raised her head.
She looked directly into the camera.
Then smiled.
The screen displayed:
SUBJECT ZERO — ALIVE.
And beneath it:
EMILY WAS NEVER THE FIRST HEIR.
Vincent's blood ran cold.
Because the girl on the screen looked at Emily—
May you like
and whispered through the camera:
“Little sister.”
