CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 14
VANESSA FALLS
The gunshot was still echoing through the underground laboratory when Roberto looked at Isabella.
His wife stood frozen.
Vanessa was still holding the gun.
Victoria lay on the floor, blood spreading across her black dress.
And somewhere behind them, one of the girls was crying.
But Roberto heard none of it.
He heard only one sentence.
The person who ordered me was your wife.
Isabella shook her head.
"Roberto..."
"Don't."
His voice was quiet.
Too quiet.
Vanessa lowered the gun.
"I didn't say she caused the crash."
Roberto stared at her.
"You said she ordered you."
"Yes."
"To kill Victoria."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Vanessa looked at Isabella.
"Because she knew what Victoria was planning."
Roberto turned toward his wife.
"Is that true?"
Isabella didn't answer.
"Isabella."
She closed her eyes.
"Yes."
Roberto took a step backward.
"You ordered Vanessa to kill someone."
"To stop her from killing you."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"I gave Vanessa the order."
Silence.
Roberto looked at his daughters.
Then back at Isabella.
"How long?"
"Three years."
His face changed.
"Three years."
"I found out Victoria was alive three years ago."
"And you never told me."
"I couldn't."
"You could have."
"No."
"You always could."
Isabella's voice broke.
"If I had told you, you would have gone after her."
"Yes."
"And she would have killed you."
"Maybe."
"Not maybe."
She stepped closer.
"She would have."
Roberto stared at her.
"You made the decision for me."
"Yes."
"You lied to me."
"Yes."
"You used Vanessa."
"Yes."
"You turned my wife into a murderer."
Isabella's eyes filled with tears.
"I tried to prevent a murder."
Roberto looked at Vanessa.
"And you?"
Vanessa lowered her head.
"I agreed."
"Why?"
"Because Isabella promised to protect my brother's daughter."
Roberto frowned.
"Your brother's daughter?"
Vanessa nodded.
"She's alive."
He stared.
"I thought Elena killed everyone."
"She killed my brother."
"But his daughter?"
"I hid her."
"Where?"
Vanessa swallowed.
"With people who could keep her safe."
Roberto looked at Isabella.
"Did you know?"
"Yes."
"Of course."
He laughed bitterly.
"Everyone knows everything except me."
Victoria suddenly coughed.
Everyone turned.
She was still alive.
Blood covered her lips.
She smiled.
"You see?"
Roberto looked at her.
"See what?"
"How easy it is to make you doubt them."
Isabella moved toward her.
"Don't listen to her."
Victoria laughed.
"You've been listening to lies your entire life."
Roberto stared at her.
"Who are you?"
"You know."
"Elena?"
"No."
"Victoria?"
"That's my name."
"Then why did everyone call you Elena?"
"Because names are useful."
"Why did you manipulate my family?"
Victoria smiled.
"Because your family belongs to me."
"No."
"Your blood does."
Roberto stepped forward.
"My blood belongs to my daughters."
Victoria laughed.
"That's exactly why I need them."
Isabella moved between them.
"You won't touch them."
Victoria's expression changed.
"You already gave me one."
Isabella froze.
"What?"
Victoria looked toward Sofía.
"She carries the suppressor."
Roberto's heart dropped.
"You knew?"
Isabella looked at him.
"I suspected."
"Another secret."
"I'm sorry."
Victoria smiled.
"She isn't the only one."
Roberto turned toward Amelia.
Victoria continued.
"Amelia carries something much more valuable."
"What?"
"The original mutation."
Roberto stared.
"She's seven."
"Seven years is all I needed."
"What happens when she turns eight?"
Victoria's smile disappeared.
"She becomes unstable."
Isabella went pale.
"No."
Victoria looked at her.
"You knew."
Isabella whispered:
"I thought the treatment had worked."
"It didn't."
Roberto turned toward Isabella.
"What happens?"
She couldn't answer.
Victoria did.
"She dies."
Roberto froze.
"No."
"Unless you give me your blood."
"Why?"
"Because your blood suppresses the mutation."
"Then take mine."
Victoria laughed.
"You still don't understand."
"What?"
"I don't need your blood."
She looked toward Amelia.
"I need the process."
Roberto frowned.
"What process?"
"The process your mother created."
He looked at Isabel.
His mother stepped forward.
"Don't tell her."
Victoria laughed.
"She won't."
"Why?"
"Because she knows what it costs."
Roberto looked at his mother.
"What does it cost?"
Isabel's face crumpled.
"Your life."
Silence.
Roberto stared.
"Explain."
"The treatment requires a living donor."
"You."
Isabel nodded.
"No."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because the original treatment was built from your genetic structure."
"But you said it was my blood."
"It is."
"Then why do I die?"
"Because the extraction destroys the donor."
Roberto looked at Amelia.
"So to save her..."
"Someone has to die."
His mother stepped forward.
"That's why I disappeared."
Roberto stared.
"You planned to sacrifice yourself."
"Yes."
"For Amelia."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Isabel looked at him.
"Because she is innocent."
Roberto shook his head.
"So are you."
His mother began crying.
"I already lost you once."
Victoria laughed softly.
"What a beautiful family."
Roberto turned.
"Shut up."
Victoria smiled.
"You think this is about saving Amelia."
"What else is it about?"
"Control."
She pointed toward the laboratory.
"That machine can extract the suppressor without killing the donor."
Isabella stared.
"What?"
Victoria smiled.
"Your mother never finished the research."
Roberto looked at Isabel.
"Is that true?"
Isabel shook her head.
"I didn't know."
"I did."
Victoria looked toward Vanessa.
"And Vanessa knows where the missing research is."
Everyone turned.
Vanessa froze.
"No."
Roberto stared at her.
"Where?"
"I don't know."
Victoria laughed.
"She knows."
"Tell me."
Vanessa shook her head.
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because if I tell you, they'll kill her."
"Who?"
Vanessa looked at Victoria.
"Her."
Victoria smiled.
"She finally understands."
Roberto grabbed Vanessa's arm.
"Where is the research?"
Vanessa looked at him.
"At the mansion."
His face hardened.
"The mansion?"
"Under the nursery."
Roberto froze.
"The nursery?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"Your mother hid it there."
Roberto remembered.
The room Sofía had always been forbidden to enter.
The locked room.
Chapter five.
The room nobody was allowed to open.
The room he had thought contained old family belongings.
It contained the missing research.
Roberto turned toward Daniel.
"Get the cars ready."
Daniel nodded.
"Now."
But Vanessa grabbed Roberto's arm.
"Wait."
He looked at her.
"There is something else."
"What?"
"The mansion isn't empty."
"Who is there?"
Vanessa's voice dropped.
"Rafael."
Roberto froze.
"He's alive."
"Yes."
"How?"
"He's been waiting."
"For what?"
"For you."
They moved quickly.
Victoria was restrained.
Mateo stayed behind to guard her.
María remained with the girls.
Roberto, Isabella, Vanessa, Daniel, and his mother left the laboratory.
Before they reached the stairs, Vanessa stopped.
"Roberto."
"What?"
"I need to tell you something."
"What?"
She looked at Isabella.
"She didn't order me to kill Victoria because she wanted Victoria dead."
Roberto frowned.
"Then why?"
"Because she knew I couldn't do it."
Isabella looked away.
Vanessa continued.
"She wanted me to get close enough to Victoria to find the research."
Roberto stared.
"So the shooting..."
"Wasn't supposed to happen."
"Then why did you shoot her?"
Vanessa's eyes filled with tears.
"Because Victoria killed someone."
"Who?"
Vanessa whispered:
"Your mother."
Roberto turned.
His mother was standing behind him.
Alive.
"What?"
Vanessa shook her head.
"Not this one."
She pointed toward Isabel.
"The other one."
Roberto frowned.
"What other one?"
Vanessa looked at him.
"Your grandmother."
Roberto froze.
"My grandmother?"
"Victoria killed her."
"When?"
"Years ago."
"Then why did you say she was alive?"
Vanessa swallowed.
"Because Victoria pretended to be her."
Roberto's mind raced.
"The woman who called me..."
"Was Victoria."
"The woman who called herself my mother?"
"Victoria."
He looked at Isabel.
His real mother.
She nodded.
"I knew."
Roberto's eyes narrowed.
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
"Because Victoria would have killed you."
Again.
Always the same answer.
Protection.
Fear.
Secrets.
Lies.
They reached the surface.
The night air felt cold.
Roberto stopped.
He looked at Vanessa.
"Why did you really protect Sofía?"
Vanessa's expression changed.
"Because she was the only innocent person in that house."
"And Amelia?"
"She wasn't there yet."
"What about Isabella?"
Vanessa looked at her.
"I hated her."
Roberto froze.
"Why?"
"Because I thought she was responsible."
"For what?"
"For my brother's death."
Isabella looked shocked.
"I never met your brother."
"Exactly."
Vanessa wiped her tears.
"You didn't know."
"Then who did?"
Vanessa looked at Roberto.
"Rafael."
Roberto closed his eyes.
"Everything comes back to him."
"Not everything."
Vanessa shook her head.
"Rafael was only a soldier."
"Then who was the commander?"
Vanessa looked toward the cemetery.
"Victoria."
They drove back to the mansion.
The gates were open.
The lights were on.
Every window glowed.
Roberto stared.
"Nobody should be here."
Daniel checked his weapon.
"They're expecting us."
They entered.
The mansion was silent.
Too silent.
Roberto walked into the foyer.
Memories flooded him.
Sofía running through the halls.
Isabella laughing.
Vanessa standing beside him.
María carrying laundry.
Everything looked normal.
But now he knew.
Every wall had hidden something.
Every room had a secret.
He looked toward the stairs.
"The nursery."
They climbed.
At the top, the locked door waited.
Roberto pulled out the key.
The lock clicked.
The door opened.
Dust filled the air.
Inside was a child's room.
Old toys.
A crib.
A wooden horse.
And a painting.
Roberto stared.
It showed a family.
A mother.
A father.
A little boy.
And a little girl.
He stepped closer.
"Who is she?"
His mother answered.
"Your sister."
Roberto stared at the painting.
"But she died."
"Yes."
"Then why is she here?"
His mother didn't answer.
Roberto looked around.
Then noticed something beneath the bed.
A metal box.
He pulled it out.
The box was locked.
Vanessa whispered:
"That's it."
"What?"
"The research."
Roberto opened it.
Inside were documents.
Photographs.
Medical files.
And a small notebook.
He opened the notebook.
The first page contained a single sentence.
IF YOU FOUND THIS, THEN VICTORIA FAILED.
Roberto's hands shook.
He turned the page.
THE DISEASE WAS NEVER DESIGNED TO KILL.
Another page.
IT WAS DESIGNED TO SELECT.
Another.
THE ALVAREZ FAMILY WAS SEARCHING FOR A GENETIC SUCCESSOR.
Another.
THE REYES BLOODLINE WAS THE MISSING COMPONENT.
Roberto looked at Isabella.
Then the final page.
His mother's handwriting.
THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL CHILD WAS NOT ROBERTO.
He froze.
"What?"
Isabella stepped closer.
Roberto read the next sentence.
THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL CHILD WAS HIS SISTER.
Silence.
His mother began crying.
Roberto slowly turned.
"You told me she died."
His mother shook her head.
"I thought she did."
"What happened?"
"She disappeared."
"Who took her?"
"We don't know."
Roberto stared at the painting.
His dead sister.
His missing sister.
The first successful child.
The original cure.
And suddenly he understood why Victoria wanted the girls.
She wasn't trying to create the cure.
She was trying to recreate someone.
Someone who had disappeared decades earlier.
Someone who had survived.
Someone who carried the original mutation.
Roberto whispered:
"My sister is alive."
His mother nodded.
"Yes."
"Where?"
"I don't know."
A sound came from behind them.
A child's voice.
"She's here."
Everyone turned.
Sofía stood in the doorway.
Roberto rushed toward her.
"Why are you awake?"
She pointed toward the hallway.
"Someone was talking to me."
"Who?"
She whispered:
"The woman in the red dress."
Roberto's blood went cold.
"Vanessa?"
Sofía shook her head.
"No."
"Who?"
Sofía pointed behind Roberto.
"The woman in the painting."
Everyone turned toward the portrait.
Nothing.
Then the lights went out.
A woman's voice came through the darkness.
"Hello, little brother."
Roberto froze.
Sofía screamed.
The lights returned.
The painting was empty.
The little girl was gone.
And on the floor beneath it was a photograph.
Roberto picked it up.
It showed a young woman.
Older now.
Alive.
The face was unmistakable.
His sister.
On the back of the photograph were four words:
I NEVER DIED.
Roberto stared.
Then a second line appeared.
AND I KNOW EVERYTHING.
Behind him, Isabella whispered:
"Roberto..."
He turned.
She was staring at the photograph.
"That's not your sister."
He frowned.
"What?"
Isabella's face was white.
"That's my sister."
Roberto's blood ran cold.
"What?"
Isabella began shaking.
"I thought she died in the crash."
Vanessa stepped backward.
"No."
Daniel raised his weapon.
"Everyone stay where you are."
Roberto stared at the photograph.
The woman wasn't his sister.
She was Isabella's.
The child from the old laboratory.
The girl Vanessa had been holding.
The first successful patient.
The missing piece.
The person Victoria had been searching for.
And suddenly the entire story changed.
Because the girl who had supposedly died decades ago...
had been alive all along.
And she had been hiding inside Roberto's family.
For seven years.
Roberto turned toward the hallway.
"Who is she?"
Isabella whispered:
"Her name is Elena."
Roberto froze.
"Elena?"
"Yes."
"The woman we thought was the mastermind."
"No."
Isabella shook her head.
"That was my sister."
Roberto stared.
"So Victoria..."
"Was controlling her."
"And Elena..."
"Was controlling everyone else."
Roberto looked at Vanessa.
Vanessa was crying.
"Then who was I working for?"
A voice answered from upstairs.
"Me."
Everyone looked up.
A woman stood on the balcony.
She was holding Amelia.
Roberto's blood froze.
"Put my daughter down."
The woman smiled.
"You've been looking for me."
Roberto stared.
It was the woman from the photograph.
Isabella's sister.
The first successful child.
The one who had supposedly died.
Elena.
She looked at Roberto.
"Hello."
Then she looked at Isabella.
"Hello, sister."
Isabella collapsed.
Roberto stepped forward.
"What do you want?"
Elena smiled.
"Nothing."
She looked at Amelia.
"I already have what I came for."
Roberto's voice became cold.
"Let her go."
Elena laughed.
"You still don't understand."
She looked at Sofía.
"She is the cure."
Then at Amelia.
"And she is the weapon."
Roberto froze.
"And together..."
Elena smiled.
"...they can change the world."
A gunshot rang out.
Vanessa dropped her weapon.
She had been shot.
She collapsed onto the marble floor.
Roberto screamed.
"VANESSA!"
Blood spread beneath her.
She looked at him.
And somehow smiled.
"I told you..."
She coughed.
"...I wasn't the threat."
Her eyes slowly closed.
Roberto fell beside her.
"Stay with me."
Vanessa whispered:
"Find... the third child."
"What?"
"The third child..."
Her breathing weakened.
"...before Elena does."
Roberto stared.
"Third child?"
Vanessa's eyes opened one last time.
"There were three."
Then she went still.
Roberto looked up at Elena.
"What third child?"
Elena smiled.
And behind her, another little girl stepped into the light.
A girl who looked exactly like Sofía.
Roberto stopped breathing.
Elena whispered:
"Your family never had two secrets."
She smiled.
"You had three."
May you like
The mansion doors slammed shut.
And the lights went out.
