CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 10
THE WOMAN WHO PLANNED EVERYTHING
The hospital had been abandoned for six years.
At least, that was what the official records said.
The building stood at the edge of the city, hidden behind a row of dead trees and rusted fencing.
Its windows were dark.
Its entrance was chained.
The sign above the door had been removed years ago.
But Roberto knew the place.
He had spent three weeks there after the crash.
Three weeks beside Sofía's hospital bed.
Three weeks believing Isabella had died.
Three weeks listening to doctors tell him that his daughter might never recover.
He had never returned.
Now he stood outside the same building at two in the morning.
And for the first time in seven years, he wondered what had really happened behind those walls.
Miguel checked his weapon.
Daniel stood beside him.
Mateo remained several steps away.
Vanessa sat in the back of the vehicle, staring at the hospital.
Roberto looked at her.
"You're coming."
Vanessa shook her head.
"No."
"You know what's inside."
"That's exactly why I'm not going."
Roberto opened the door.
"You lied to me for seven years."
"I know."
"You helped them."
"I know."
"Then you're going to help me fix it."
Vanessa looked at him.
"You don't understand."
"Then explain."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"If you go inside, you won't just find Isabella."
"What will I find?"
"The reason she disappeared."
Roberto stared at her.
"And?"
Vanessa whispered:
"The woman who planned everything."
They entered through the basement.
The door was unlocked.
That frightened Miguel more than a locked door would have.
Someone had been there recently.
Fresh footprints crossed the dust.
Roberto followed them.
The hospital smelled of mold, disinfectant, and something metallic.
Old fluorescent lights flickered overhead.
The corridors were exactly as Roberto remembered.
But there was something different.
The walls had been repainted.
The room numbers changed.
The children's wing had disappeared.
"Why would anyone renovate an abandoned hospital?" Miguel asked.
Daniel answered:
"They didn't."
He pointed toward a camera hidden above the ceiling.
"Someone is still using it."
Roberto stopped.
"Who?"
Daniel looked at him.
"Rafael."
They reached the basement elevator.
It had no buttons.
Daniel pressed his palm against a scanner.
A green light appeared.
Roberto stared.
"You've been here before."
"Once."
"When?"
"Seven years ago."
"With Isabella?"
Daniel hesitated.
"Yes."
Roberto stepped closer.
"You were with my wife the night of the crash."
Daniel nodded.
"She called me."
"Why?"
"Because she knew the crash was coming."
Roberto froze.
"She knew?"
"She suspected."
"Then why didn't she tell me?"
"Because she knew you were being watched."
"By Rafael?"
"Not only Rafael."
Roberto's eyes narrowed.
"Who else?"
The elevator doors opened.
Daniel stepped inside.
"The person Rafael answered to."
The doors closed.
The elevator descended.
Ten floors.
Fifteen.
Twenty.
Roberto watched the numbers.
The hospital had only eight floors above ground.
Miguel noticed too.
"This place goes deeper than the original plans."
Daniel nodded.
"It was built over an older facility."
"What kind?"
"A research center."
"For what?"
Daniel looked at Roberto.
"Genetics."
The elevator stopped.
The doors opened.
A corridor stretched ahead.
Bright white.
Sterile.
Completely different from the abandoned hospital above.
Roberto stared.
"How long has this been here?"
"Decades."
They moved forward.
Glass rooms lined both sides.
Inside were medical machines.
Computers.
Empty beds.
And photographs.
Children.
Hundreds of them.
Some were newborns.
Some were toddlers.
Some were older.
Roberto stopped.
"What is this?"
Daniel didn't answer.
Mateo stepped forward.
"Rafael's project."
"What project?"
Mateo pointed at the photographs.
"Selective inheritance."
Roberto frowned.
"Explain."
"They were looking for children who carried specific genetic traits."
"Why?"
"To create a bloodline that couldn't be challenged."
Roberto stared.
"That's insane."
Mateo shook his head.
"No."
He looked through the glass.
"It's worse."
"They weren't creating heirs."
"They were eliminating weaknesses."
Roberto turned.
"What weaknesses?"
"Anything they believed could damage the family."
Physical diseases.
Mental illnesses.
Inherited conditions.
Even personality traits.
Roberto's stomach turned.
"How?"
"By choosing which children lived."
Silence.
Then Vanessa spoke.
"They called it the Alvarez Continuity Program."
Everyone turned.
She had followed them.
Roberto stared.
"You came."
"I told you."
"What?"
"I knew where this place was."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I was afraid."
"Of Rafael?"
Vanessa shook her head.
"Of her."
"Who?"
Vanessa pointed down the corridor.
At a photograph.
An elderly woman.
Silver hair.
Perfect posture.
Cold eyes.
Roberto recognized her immediately.
He had seen her at family events when he was young.
His grandmother.
Elena Alvarez.
But Elena had died twenty years ago.
Roberto whispered:
"My grandmother."
Vanessa nodded.
"She was never dead."
Roberto stared.
"She planned this."
"Yes."
"Rafael worked for her."
"Yes."
"And my father?"
"Her son."
Roberto looked at Mateo.
"Did you know?"
Mateo shook his head.
"Not until recently."
Roberto turned back to Vanessa.
"What did she want?"
Vanessa looked at the photograph.
"Control."
A door opened at the end of the corridor.
Everyone raised their weapons.
A woman stepped out.
Older.
Elegant.
Walking slowly with a cane.
Her silver hair was perfectly arranged.
Her expression was calm.
Roberto stared.
"Grandmother."
Elena smiled.
"You look exactly like your father."
Roberto's jaw tightened.
"You're alive."
"I've been alive for a long time."
"You let me believe you were dead."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because dead people are difficult to question."
Roberto stepped forward.
"You destroyed my family."
Elena's expression didn't change.
"No."
She looked at him.
"I built your family."
Roberto laughed bitterly.
"You call this a family?"
Elena glanced at the photographs.
"Everything you have came from my decisions."
"My wife?"
"Yes."
"My daughters?"
"Especially them."
"My brother?"
"An unfortunate complication."
Mateo raised his weapon.
"You killed me."
Elena looked at him.
"No."
"You tried."
"Because you were becoming dangerous."
Mateo's face hardened.
"To whom?"
"To the family."
Roberto stepped between them.
"What did you do to Isabella?"
Elena smiled.
"She made a choice."
"What choice?"
"She chose to protect you."
"From what?"
"From the truth."
Roberto's voice trembled.
"Tell me."
Elena looked at him for several seconds.
Then said:
"Your wife discovered that you were not the man you believed yourself to be."
Roberto froze.
"What?"
Elena continued.
"Your father isn't your biological father."
Roberto stared.
"I know."
"No."
She shook her head.
"You know Rafael isn't an Alvarez."
"But you don't know who your real father was."
Roberto couldn't speak.
Elena looked at Mateo.
"Neither does he."
Mateo's face changed.
"What are you saying?"
Elena smiled.
"Your mother had an affair."
Roberto felt the room disappear.
"With whom?"
Elena didn't answer.
Instead, she pointed at Daniel.
"Ask him."
Everyone turned.
Daniel went pale.
Roberto looked at him.
"Who was my father?"
Daniel shook his head.
"Roberto..."
"Tell me."
"I can't."
"Tell me!"
Daniel closed his eyes.
Then whispered:
"My father."
Silence.
Roberto stared.
"Your father?"
Daniel nodded.
"Yes."
"You mean..."
"Your biological father was Alejandro Reyes."
Roberto stepped backward.
"The enemy of my family?"
"Yes."
Mateo stared at Daniel.
"Then we're not brothers."
Daniel looked at him.
"No."
Roberto's entire world seemed to shift.
Rafael wasn't his father.
Mateo wasn't his brother.
The Alvarez family wasn't his bloodline.
Everything he had built—
everything he had inherited—
everything he had believed—
was based on a lie.
Elena smiled.
"Now you understand why Isabella had to disappear."
Roberto looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because she found out."
"What?"
"That the two girls weren't the only children involved."
Roberto's heart pounded.
"What do you mean?"
Elena walked toward a glass room.
Inside was a single chair.
And a blood-analysis machine.
She pressed a button.
A screen illuminated.
Three DNA profiles appeared.
ROBERTO ALVAREZ.
SOFÍA ALVAREZ.
AMELIA REYES.
Then a fourth.
UNKNOWN FEMALE.
Roberto stared.
"Who is that?"
Elena smiled.
"Your grandmother."
Roberto frowned.
"Why is her DNA here?"
"Because one of the girls carries my mutation."
"Which one?"
Elena pointed.
The screen highlighted Amelia.
Roberto's heart stopped.
"Amelia."
Elena nodded.
"She is the perfect carrier."
"For what?"
"Immortality."
Roberto stared at her.
"You're insane."
Elena smiled.
"Perhaps."
She walked closer.
"But you haven't asked the most important question."
"What?"
"Why Isabella volunteered."
Roberto's voice became quiet.
"Why?"
Elena's expression finally changed.
For the first time, there was something almost emotional in her eyes.
"Because she knew she was dying."
Roberto froze.
"What?"
"Isabella had the same disease that killed the women in our family."
Roberto shook his head.
"She never told me."
"She couldn't."
"Why?"
"Because she was pregnant."
Roberto stared.
"With Amelia."
Elena nodded.
"She knew the child might inherit the disease."
"So she joined your research."
"Yes."
"To save her?"
"Yes."
Roberto's eyes filled with tears.
"And Rafael?"
"He wanted to destroy the research."
"Why?"
"Because if Amelia survived, he would lose control."
"Control over what?"
Elena looked at him.
"The family."
A scream echoed through the corridor.
Everyone turned.
It was Isabella.
Roberto ran.
"ISABELLA!"
He reached the end of the hallway.
A heavy door stood there.
He pulled it open.
Inside was a small medical chamber.
Isabella was strapped to a chair.
Her wrists were bruised.
Her face was thin.
Her eyes were filled with tears.
But she was alive.
Roberto rushed toward her.
"Isabella."
She stared at him.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then she whispered:
"You're alive."
He laughed through tears.
"So are you."
He knelt beside her.
"I thought you were dead."
"I wanted you to."
"Why?"
"Because Rafael was watching."
"Who took you?"
She looked toward Elena.
"Her."
Roberto turned.
Elena stood in the doorway.
"You kidnapped my wife."
Elena shook her head.
"I protected her."
"From whom?"
"Everyone."
Isabella shook her head.
"No."
She looked at Roberto.
"She kept me alive because she needed my daughter."
Elena's expression hardened.
"Don't."
Isabella continued.
"Amelia wasn't created here."
Roberto froze.
"What?"
"She was born naturally."
Elena stepped forward.
"Enough."
Isabella looked at Roberto.
"Amelia was never part of the experiment."
"Then what was?"
"Me."
Roberto stared.
Isabella's voice broke.
"They used my cells."
"Why?"
"To repair the disease."
"Did it work?"
She shook her head.
"No."
"Then why Amelia?"
"Because she inherited it."
Roberto's heart sank.
"Is she sick?"
Isabella closed her eyes.
"Not yet."
"Not yet?"
"She's seven."
"Then what happens?"
Isabella looked at him.
"At eight, the symptoms begin."
Roberto's face went pale.
"How do we stop it?"
Isabella whispered:
"That's why Elena needs her."
Roberto looked at Elena.
"What does she need?"
Elena answered calmly.
"Amelia's bone marrow."
Roberto froze.
"No."
"One extraction."
"She's seven."
"She'll survive."
"You're lying."
Elena smiled.
"Perhaps."
Isabella began struggling against the restraints.
"Don't listen to her!"
Elena walked toward her.
"Your daughter is the only compatible donor."
Roberto stepped between them.
"You will never touch her."
Elena stared at him.
"Then she will die."
Roberto's face hardened.
"Find another way."
"There isn't one."
"Then make one."
Elena smiled.
"That is exactly what Isabella tried to do."
Roberto looked at his wife.
"What did you discover?"
Isabella's eyes filled with tears.
"A cure."
Elena's face changed.
Roberto noticed.
"A cure?"
Isabella nodded.
"I found a way to stop the disease without taking Amelia's marrow."
"Where is it?"
Isabella looked toward Elena.
"She destroyed it."
Roberto turned.
"Why?"
Elena answered:
"Because a cure gives people freedom."
Roberto stared.
"And you want control."
Elena smiled.
"Now you understand."
Suddenly the entire facility shook.
An alarm began screaming.
Red lights flashed.
Daniel ran into the room.
"Rafael has activated the purge system."
Elena's face changed.
"What?"
"The lower levels are flooding with gas."
Roberto grabbed Isabella's restraints.
"Get her out."
Mateo rushed to help.
Vanessa grabbed the medical files.
Daniel looked at the monitors.
"We have six minutes."
"Until what?"
"Everything burns."
Roberto looked at Elena.
"You planned this."
Elena shook her head.
"No."
"Then who?"
Everyone turned toward the hallway.
Rafael stood there.
He was holding Amelia's hand.
The little girl looked frightened.
Rafael smiled.
"Me."
Roberto stepped forward.
"Let her go."
Rafael shook his head.
"You still don't understand."
"What?"
Rafael looked at Elena.
Then at Isabella.
Then at Roberto.
"This was never about Amelia."
Roberto froze.
"Then what is it about?"
Rafael smiled.
"Her."
He pointed at Isabella.
Roberto stared.
"Why?"
"Because she knows where the original research is."
Elena's expression changed.
"Rafael."
He ignored her.
"The cure."
Roberto's eyes widened.
"She has it?"
Rafael nodded.
"Hidden."
"Where?"
Rafael smiled.
"Inside the crash."
Roberto stared.
"What?"
"The real cure was never destroyed."
He looked at Isabella.
"She hid it the night of the accident."
Roberto looked at his wife.
"Where?"
Isabella was crying.
She whispered:
"In the car."
Roberto's heart stopped.
"The car was never destroyed."
Rafael smiled.
"It was recovered."
"Where?"
"Under the old highway."
Roberto stared.
"Seven years."
"Seven years."
"You kept the car?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because Isabella hid the cure somewhere inside it."
Roberto's mind raced.
The crash.
The car.
The hospital.
The twins.
Everything was connected.
Then Isabella whispered:
"The trunk."
Roberto turned.
"What?"
"The trunk."
"What is inside?"
She looked at him.
"The truth."
A violent explosion shook the building.
The ceiling cracked.
Dust rained down.
Rafael pulled Amelia closer.
Elena screamed:
"Get them out!"
Roberto grabbed Isabella.
Mateo grabbed Sofía.
Daniel took Vanessa's arm.
They ran.
Behind them, fire spread through the corridor.
But before Roberto reached the elevator, Rafael shouted:
"Roberto!"
He turned.
Rafael stood in the burning hallway.
"If you want the cure..."
Roberto stared.
"You'll have to choose."
"Choose what?"
Rafael looked at the two girls.
"Which daughter lives."
The explosion behind him grew louder.
Roberto stared at Sofía.
Then Amelia.
His two daughters.
Two lives.
One impossible choice.
May you like
And Rafael smiled.
Because that was exactly what he had planned from the beginning.
