Chapter 12: The Last Person Emily Trusted

Rachel refused to say the name inside the storage unit.

Not there.

Not where anyone could hear.

We drove until we reached a quiet park outside the city.

The same park where Emily and I used to take Sophie when she was little.

I hated that every corner of my life now seemed connected to a secret.

“Tell me,” I said.

Rachel looked at me.

“Emily found someone.””

“Who?””

“A scientist.””

I frowned.

“What does a scientist have to do with Sophie?””

Rachel looked down.

“Everything.””

I waited.

Finally, she said:

“His name was Dr. Adrian Cole.””

The name meant nothing.

But Rachel’s expression told me it should.

“Who was he?””

“Someone who worked with the fertility program.””

I felt sick.

“Was he Sophie’s father?””

Rachel shook her head.

“No.””

“Then why does Michael care?””

“Because Adrian created the technology that made the program possible.””

I stared at her.

“Technology?””

Rachel nodded.

“DNA manipulation.””

The words sounded impossible.

“You’re saying someone changed Sophie’s DNA?””

“Yes.””

I stood up.

“No.””

Rachel grabbed my arm.

“Daniel.””

“No. I raised her. Emily raised her. She’s a child, not an experiment.””

“I know.””

“Then why are you talking about her like she’s a file?””

Rachel’s eyes filled with sadness.

“Because that’s how Michael sees her.””

I looked away.

The thought made me angry.

Sophie wasn’t a mystery.

She wasn’t a secret.

She was my little girl.

The child who used to fall asleep holding my finger.

The child who still left drawings on my desk.

The child who called me Daddy.

My phone buzzed.

A video message.

From Michael.

I opened it.

Sophie was sitting in a chair.

She looked scared.

But she was okay.

“Daddy,” she said softly.

I almost broke.

“Sophie.””

Michael appeared behind her.

“She’s fine.””

“Let her go.””

“Not until I get what I need.””

“What do you need?””

“The truth.””

“You already know everything.””

“No.””

His voice hardened.

“I know what Emily wanted me to know.””

He leaned closer to the camera.

“But I don’t know what she discovered at the end.””

I stared at him.

“What are you talking about?””

Michael smiled.

“Emily found out who changed Sophie’s DNA.””

I froze.

“Who?””

He looked directly into the camera.

“Your wife.””

My heart stopped.

“Emily?””

“Yes.””

“That’s impossible.””

“Is it?””

The video ended.

I stared at the black screen.

Rachel looked at me.

“Daniel…”

I shook my head.

“No.””

But deep down, fear had already entered.

Because there was one thing I knew.

Emily had secrets.

She had hidden things.

And the person I trusted most in the world…

might have been hiding the biggest secret of all.

Then my phone received one final message.

A photo.

A laboratory.

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