CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 15
FIVE MINUTES TOO LATE
For five seconds, Roberto couldn't breathe.
He stared at the little girl standing beside Elena.
Same dark hair.
Same small face.
Same delicate hands.
Same expression Sofía had worn when she was frightened but trying not to show it.
For one impossible moment, Roberto thought he was looking at his daughter.
Then Sofía screamed.
"That's not me!"
The girl flinched.
Elena tightened her grip around Amelia.
Roberto stood.
"Put my daughter down."
Elena smiled.
"You still think this is about Amelia."
"It is."
"No."
She looked toward the second little girl.
"This is about what your family has been trying to create for three generations."
Roberto stepped forward.
"Let her go."
Elena shook her head.
"You arrived five minutes too late."
The words struck him.
Five minutes.
Again.
The same number.
The same cruel coincidence that had started everything.
Five minutes early had revealed Vanessa.
Five minutes late had brought him here.
And now five minutes might cost him his daughter.
Roberto's voice dropped.
"Who is that girl?"
Elena smiled.
"Ask your wife."
Everyone looked at Isabella.
She was staring at the child as though she had seen a ghost.
"No."
Roberto turned toward her.
"You know her."
Isabella couldn't speak.
"Isabella."
Her lips trembled.
"Yes."
"Who is she?"
She closed her eyes.
"Her name is Clara."
Roberto stared.
"Who is Clara?"
Isabella looked at the girl.
"My daughter."
Silence.
Roberto felt as though the floor had disappeared beneath him.
"Your daughter?"
Isabella nodded.
"Before Sofía."
Roberto stared at her.
"You had another child."
"Yes."
"You told me Sofía was your first."
"I lied."
His face hardened.
"Of course you did."
Elena smiled.
"Now you understand."
Roberto looked at Isabella.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I thought she was dead."
"When?"
"After the crash."
"She survived."
"Yes."
"And Elena took her."
Isabella nodded.
"Yes."
Roberto looked at the girl.
Clara.
The third child.
The missing child.
The child Vanessa had warned him about.
He slowly approached.
"Clara."
The girl looked at him.
Her eyes were wet.
"Are you my father?"
Roberto stopped.
He couldn't answer.
Isabella began crying.
Clara looked toward her.
"Mommy?"
Isabella covered her mouth.
The word shattered her.
"Clara."
The little girl reached toward her.
Elena pulled her back.
"No."
Isabella stepped forward.
"Please."
Elena smiled.
"After all these years, you finally get to see her."
"Let her go."
"Why?"
"She's my daughter."
"Exactly."
Elena looked at Roberto.
"And that makes her valuable."
Vanessa was still lying on the floor.
Roberto looked at her.
"Call an ambulance."
Daniel shook his head.
"The phone lines are dead."
"Use the radio."
"Already tried."
Roberto knelt beside Vanessa.
Her eyes were barely open.
"Stay with me."
She smiled weakly.
"You're always five minutes early."
Roberto swallowed.
"Don't talk."
"Too late."
"No."
"Listen."
She struggled to breathe.
"The third child..."
"I know."
"She isn't the only one."
Roberto froze.
"What?"
Vanessa looked toward Elena.
"She lied."
Elena's expression changed.
For the first time, fear appeared in her eyes.
Vanessa whispered:
"Clara isn't the third."
Roberto stared.
"Then who is?"
Vanessa's eyes closed.
Roberto shook her shoulder.
"Vanessa."
Nothing.
He checked her pulse.
Weak.
Still there.
He stood.
"Who is the third child?"
Elena raised her chin.
"Vanessa doesn't know."
But Isabella suddenly screamed.
"I do."
Everyone turned.
Isabella looked at Elena.
"You didn't tell her."
Elena's face hardened.
"You don't know anything."
"I know exactly what you did."
"What did she do?"
Isabella looked at Roberto.
"Clara isn't the third child."
She pointed toward Sofía.
"She is the third."
Roberto frowned.
"What?"
"Clara was the first."
"Amelia was the second."
"Sofía was the third."
Roberto stared.
"But Sofía was born years before Amelia."
"Yes."
"Then how?"
Isabella's voice shook.
"Because Elena changed the records."
Roberto looked at the girls.
"Why?"
"To make you believe Amelia was the final child."
Elena laughed.
"You're finally understanding."
Roberto looked at her.
"What does Sofía carry?"
Elena's smile disappeared.
"The suppressor."
"And Amelia?"
"The mutation."
"And Clara?"
"The original."
Roberto froze.
"Original what?"
Elena whispered:
"The original gene."
The room became silent.
Roberto looked at his daughters.
Three children.
Three different genetic pieces.
Three generations of experiments.
And somehow, his family had been at the center of all of it.
He looked at Isabella.
"You knew."
"I knew Clara existed."
"But not about Sofía?"
"I knew she was different."
"How?"
"Her bloodwork."
"You tested her."
"Only once."
"When?"
"After the accident."
Roberto stared.
"And that's when you discovered the suppressor."
"Yes."
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
"Because Elena was watching."
He looked at Elena.
She smiled.
"Your wife was smarter than you think."
Roberto's voice hardened.
"She lied."
"To protect you."
"Everyone says that."
Elena laughed.
"Because it's true."
Roberto stepped forward.
"You manipulated all of us."
"Yes."
"You killed people."
"Some."
"You destroyed families."
"Yes."
"You used children."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Elena's expression became almost peaceful.
"Because your family created the problem."
"And you wanted to solve it."
"No."
She looked at the girls.
"I wanted to perfect it."
A gunshot cracked through the room.
Everyone ducked.
Mateo fired from the hallway.
Elena pulled Amelia behind a pillar.
Daniel grabbed Sofía.
Roberto ran toward Clara.
Isabella ran after him.
The mansion erupted into chaos.
Glass shattered.
Furniture overturned.
Someone screamed.
Roberto reached Clara.
"It's okay."
She stared at him.
"Are you my daddy?"
He looked at Isabella.
She was crying.
Roberto nodded.
"Yes."
Clara reached for him.
He picked her up.
She immediately buried her face against his chest.
"I'm scared."
"I know."
"Don't let her take me."
"I won't."
Roberto carried her toward Sofía.
The two girls touched hands.
Sofía whispered:
"You're my sister."
Clara nodded.
"I know."
"How?"
Clara looked at Elena.
"She told me."
Roberto froze.
"What else did she tell you?"
Clara whispered:
"That Daddy would come."
Roberto looked toward Elena.
She was gone.
"Where is she?"
Daniel shouted:
"She's heading downstairs!"
Roberto handed Clara to Isabella.
"Stay here."
"Roberto!"
He ran.
He followed Elena through the hidden corridor.
Down.
Past the laboratory.
Past the old medical rooms.
Past photographs of his family.
He finally reached a steel door.
Elena stood on the other side.
She held Amelia.
Roberto stopped.
"Let her go."
Elena smiled.
"Come closer."
He did.
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere your father never found."
"Where?"
She opened the door.
Inside was a massive chamber.
Machines covered the walls.
Tanks filled with liquid.
Computer screens.
Medical equipment.
And hundreds of photographs.
Children.
Dozens of them.
Roberto stared.
"What is this?"
"The beginning."
"How many children?"
"Forty-seven."
His stomach turned.
"Where are they?"
"Dead."
Roberto looked at her.
"You killed them."
"No."
"Then who?"
"Their parents."
"What?"
"They chose."
"Chose what?"
"Which child would receive the treatment."
Roberto stared.
"And the others?"
"Didn't survive."
He felt sick.
"This is monstrous."
Elena looked at Amelia.
"This is science."
"No."
"It's murder."
She smiled.
"Science has always required sacrifice."
Roberto moved closer.
"You're not taking my daughter."
"I don't need to."
She pressed a button.
The chamber doors locked.
Roberto looked around.
"What did you do?"
Elena smiled.
"You walked into the trap."
Gas began filling the room.
Roberto covered his mouth.
"Let her go!"
Elena walked toward another door.
"You have five minutes."
Roberto stared.
"Five minutes for what?"
"To decide."
"Decide what?"
"Which daughter lives."
She disappeared.
Roberto ran toward the door.
Locked.
He looked at Amelia.
She was coughing.
"Daddy."
He grabbed her.
"I'm here."
"I can't breathe."
"Hold on."
He searched the room.
There was no exit.
The clock started.
05:00
04:59
04:58
Roberto stared at the timer.
Five minutes.
Again.
The cruel number.
He had been five minutes early.
Five minutes too late.
And now he had five minutes to choose between his children.
Then he noticed something.
The gas wasn't spreading everywhere.
Only around Amelia.
The chamber was divided.
A transparent wall separated her from another section.
And behind that wall stood Sofía.
Roberto's heart stopped.
"Sofía!"
She was trapped inside too.
Daniel appeared behind the glass.
He was pounding on it.
"Roberto!"
Roberto ran toward him.
"What happened?"
"Elena locked us in."
"Where's Isabella?"
"Trying to open the main door."
Roberto looked at the timer.
03:41
He turned.
Amelia was crying.
Sofía was terrified.
Two daughters.
Two chambers.
One choice.
Elena's voice came through the speakers.
"Now you understand."
Roberto screamed:
"YOU'RE A MONSTER!"
Her voice remained calm.
"Choose."
He looked at Amelia.
Then Sofía.
"No."
"Choose one."
"No."
"The system can only stabilize one."
"No."
"If you don't choose, both die."
Roberto stared at the machine.
There had to be another way.
He looked at the monitors.
Blood levels.
Genetic markers.
Suppressor response.
Mutation response.
Then he saw something.
A line of text.
COMBINED GENETIC SEQUENCE REQUIRED.
Roberto's eyes widened.
"They need each other."
Elena's voice went silent.
Roberto smiled.
"You lied."
No answer.
"You said only one could survive."
Silence.
"That's not true."
The timer continued.
02:17
Roberto looked at Daniel.
"Break the glass."
"Which?"
"Both."
Daniel fired.
The first panel cracked.
Again.
The second shattered.
Roberto grabbed Amelia.
Daniel grabbed Sofía.
The gas alarm screamed.
Isabella burst through the door.
"Roberto!"
"Get them out!"
They ran.
Behind them, Elena appeared.
She was holding a gun.
"Stop!"
Roberto turned.
"You're finished."
She smiled.
"No."
She pointed at Isabella.
"She is."
A gunshot.
Isabella fell.
"Mommy!"
Roberto dropped beside her.
Blood spread across her dress.
"No."
Isabella looked at him.
"Take the girls."
"Stay with me."
"Roberto..."
"No."
"Listen."
She grabbed his hand.
"Your mother..."
He froze.
"What about her?"
"She knew."
"Knew what?"
"The crash."
Roberto's face changed.
"What?"
Isabella whispered:
"She knew Rafael would attack."
"But..."
"She didn't know who would be driving."
Roberto stared.
"What does that mean?"
Isabella coughed.
"The woman driving wasn't Victoria."
"Then who?"
Isabella looked toward Elena.
"Her."
Roberto turned.
Elena was standing by the door.
"Elena caused the crash?"
Isabella nodded.
"She was the one."
Elena smiled.
"Finally."
Roberto stood.
"You killed my mother."
"No."
"You caused the crash."
"Yes."
"You killed my sister."
"No."
"You stole Clara."
"Yes."
"You manipulated Isabella."
"Yes."
"You used Vanessa."
"Yes."
"You destroyed my family."
Elena smiled.
"No."
She raised the gun.
"Your family destroyed itself."
She fired.
Roberto moved.
The bullet struck Elena.
She staggered.
Vanessa stood behind her.
Blood covered her shoulder.
She was barely standing.
Roberto stared.
"You..."
Vanessa smiled weakly.
"Not dead yet."
Elena fell.
Vanessa dropped the gun.
Roberto ran to her.
"Why did you come back?"
Vanessa smiled.
"Because..."
She looked at Sofía.
"...she once called me Mommy."
Roberto froze.
Sofía looked at Vanessa.
"I remember."
Vanessa began crying.
"I know."
Sofía walked toward her.
Vanessa knelt.
"I'm sorry."
Sofía touched her face.
"You saved me."
Vanessa closed her eyes.
"I should have saved you sooner."
Sofía hugged her.
Vanessa broke down.
For the first time in seven years, she allowed herself to cry.
Police sirens finally filled the night.
The surviving conspirators were arrested.
Victoria survived the shooting.
Elena survived as well.
Both were taken into custody.
Daniel handed over the research.
María gave investigators the hidden records.
Alejandro's body was recovered from the underground laboratory.
Roberto's mother disappeared before the police arrived.
Nobody knew where she went.
But she left one letter.
For Roberto.
He opened it at sunrise.
My son,
I spent my life believing that protecting you meant hiding the truth.
I was wrong.
Protection without honesty becomes another kind of prison.
I am sorry.
I am sorry for every birthday I missed.
Every Christmas.
Every night you wondered whether I loved you.
I did.
I always did.
But there is one final thing you must know.
Your father did not die in the crash.
Rafael did.
The man who survived was not Rafael.
It was Alejandro.
And the man who was buried under Rafael's name...
was someone else.
I don't know who.
Find him.
Because he is the last person who knows what happened that night.
Roberto lowered the letter.
He looked at Isabella.
She was alive.
The bullet had missed her heart.
Sofía and Amelia were asleep together.
Clara was beside them.
Three sisters.
Finally together.
Vanessa was alive too.
Barely.
But alive.
Roberto looked through the hospital window.
For the first time, there were no cameras.
No guards.
No hidden rooms.
No secret laboratories.
Only sunrise.
He thought it was over.
Then his phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
One message.
YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THE WRONG GRAVE.
Another message arrived.
RAFAEL ALVAREZ IS ALIVE.
Roberto's blood ran cold.
He looked toward the hospital corridor.
A man in a dark coat was walking away.
Roberto ran after him.
"Hey!"
The man stopped.
Turned.
Roberto froze.
The face was familiar.
It was the face from the old photographs.
The face of Rafael Alvarez.
Roberto stared.
"You."
The man smiled.
"Hello, son."
Roberto couldn't breathe.
"You died."
"No."
"You were in the crash."
"No."
"Who died?"
The man smiled.
"Someone who looked like me."
Roberto's hands clenched.
"Why?"
Rafael stepped closer.
"Because your mother needed the world to believe I was dead."
"Why?"
"Because if they knew I survived..."
He leaned closer.
"...they would have come for you."
Roberto stared.
"Who?"
Rafael's smile disappeared.
"The people who started this."
"Victoria?"
"No."
"Elena?"
"No."
"Then who?"
Rafael looked toward the sleeping children.
"The government."
Roberto froze.
"What?"
Rafael whispered:
"The Alvarez family wasn't running the experiment."
He paused.
"We were working for someone."
Roberto's heart sank.
"For whom?"
Rafael looked over his shoulder.
A black vehicle stopped outside.
Three men stepped out.
All wearing the same insignia.
Roberto recognized it.
It was on the old medical files.
The files his mother had hidden.
The files marked:
PROJECT ORIGIN.
Rafael whispered:
"Now they know you've survived."
Roberto stared at the men.
One of them raised a phone.
It rang.
Roberto's phone rang at the same moment.
He answered.
A distorted voice spoke.
"Mr. Alvarez."
Roberto said nothing.
"We have been waiting twenty-six years."
"Who are you?"
The voice laughed.
"You've spent fifteen chapters looking for the person behind your family's secrets."
Roberto froze.
"Fifteen chapters?"
The voice continued.
"You still haven't asked the most important question."
"What?"
"Why were you born?"
Roberto stared at the hospital.
At Sofía.
At Amelia.
At Clara.
At Isabella.
At Vanessa.
Then the voice said:
"Because you were never the experiment."
A pause.
"You were the creator."
The call ended.
Roberto stood frozen.
Behind him, Isabella whispered:
"Roberto?"
He turned.
She looked frightened.
"What happened?"
He stared at her.
Then at his daughters.
Finally, at the three men standing outside.
For the first time, he understood that the story had never been about uncovering the past.
It had been about discovering who had written it.
And somewhere beyond the hospital walls, someone had just opened a file bearing his name.
PROJECT ROBERTO.
The final page contained only one sentence.
SUBJECT HAS FINALLY REMEMBERED.
Roberto closed his eyes.
May you like
The nightmare wasn't over.
It had only just begun.
