CHAPTER 8 — THE BEST FRIEND WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
CHAPTER 8 — THE BEST FRIEND WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
"Give me the children."
Elias's voice echoed through the tunnel.
I tightened my arms around Daniel.
Maya stood beside me, gripping my hand so hard that her fingernails dug into my skin.
Julian raised his gun.
"You'll have to kill me first."
Elias smiled.
"I expected that."
Men appeared at both ends of the tunnel.
Six.
Maybe eight.
All armed.
Vivian whispered:
"We can't fight our way out."
Julian glanced at her.
"Then we find another way."
Elias took one step forward.
"Julian."
Julian's jaw tightened.
"You've spent your entire life believing you're different from us."
Elias smiled.
"But blood has a way of revealing itself."
"Stay away from my family."
"Your family?"
Elias laughed softly.
"That's precisely the problem."
He pointed toward Daniel.
"That child isn't merely your son."
Then he pointed toward Maya.
"And she isn't merely your daughter."
"They are the last successful products of a genetic line that your family has been trying to control for generations."
I felt sick.
"My children aren't products."
Elias looked at me.
"Not to you."
"To me, they're the future."
I stepped forward.
"You're not taking them."
His smile disappeared.
"Then perhaps we should discuss the woman who made all of this possible."
My stomach tightened.
"Who?"
Elias turned.
The men behind him separated.
A woman stepped into the light.
Sienna.
My former best friend.
She was wearing the same hospital gown she'd had earlier.
Her face was pale.
Her eyes swollen from crying.
But she wasn't alone.
Two men held her arms.
I stared at her.
"What are you doing here?"
Sienna looked at me.
"I tried to warn you."
"You betrayed me."
"I know."
"You stole my son."
"I know."
"You lied about my infertility."
"I know."
"Then why are you here?"
She looked at Elias.
"Because I know too much."
Elias's expression hardened.
Sienna swallowed.
"And now they want me dead."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Elias gestured toward her.
"She knows nothing."
Sienna laughed bitterly.
"I know enough."
"You know what we allowed you to know."
"No."
She looked at me.
"I know what happened to Clara."
I felt my heart pound.
"What happened?"
Sienna's eyes filled with tears.
"Everything."
She looked at Julian.
"And he knows."
Julian lowered his weapon slightly.
"Sienna."
"Don't."
She shook her head.
"You've lied to her for a year."
"I was trying to protect her."
"That's what everyone says."
She looked at me.
"That's what your mother said."
"That's what Julian said."
"That's what Marianne said."
"That's what I said."
She gave a broken laugh.
"And every one of us destroyed you."
I stared at her.
"Then tell me the truth."
Sienna nodded.
"I will."
Elias suddenly raised his hand.
"Enough."
Two men moved toward her.
I stepped forward.
"No."
Elias looked at me.
"She has served her purpose."
Sienna screamed:
"Clara!"
I understood.
He was going to kill her.
"Tell me what you know!"
Sienna shouted:
"The fertility clinic wasn't chosen by Julian!"
I froze.
"It was chosen by Marianne."
I looked at Julian.
He nodded slowly.
"I found that out later."
Sienna continued.
"Marianne had already been working with the clinic."
"She had your records."
"She had your genetic profile."
"She knew you were capable of producing a child with the mutation they wanted."
My stomach turned.
"And you?"
"I was brought in later."
"Why?"
"Because Marianne needed someone close to you."
I stared at her.
"You became my best friend."
"Yes."
"Because she told you to?"
Sienna shook her head.
"At first."
"Then?"
"I loved you."
Her voice cracked.
"I really did."
"Then why betray me?"
"Because they threatened my brother."
I froze.
"Your brother?"
Sienna nodded.
"They had him."
"Who?"
"The foundation."
"They told me if I didn't cooperate, he'd disappear."
I stared at her.
"You never told me."
"I was ashamed."
"You should have trusted me."
"I know."
"Instead, you helped destroy my life."
"I know."
I looked at her.
"Did you know about Maya?"
Sienna hesitated.
"Yes."
"From the beginning?"
"No."
"When?"
"After your first fertility treatment."
"What did you learn?"
She looked toward Elias.
"That you had already given birth once."
I felt my chest tighten.
"And you knew."
"Yes."
"You knew my mother was alive."
"Yes."
"You knew Maya was alive."
"Yes."
"You knew Daniel was mine."
"Yes."
"And you still stood beside Julian while he called me infertile."
Sienna began crying.
"Yes."
I closed my eyes.
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
Then I opened them.
"Why?"
Sienna whispered:
"Because Marianne told me the baby would die if you found out."
"What?"
"She said the foundation would terminate the pregnancy."
I looked at Daniel.
Sienna continued.
"They wanted the child alive."
"Why?"
"Because they needed his genetic material."
I stared at Elias.
"Did you know?"
He smiled.
"Of course."
Sienna shook her head.
"But there was something Marianne didn't know."
"What?"
Sienna looked at me.
"The embryo wasn't the one they thought it was."
I frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"The clinic switched the embryos."
Julian stepped forward.
"What?"
Sienna nodded.
"Marianne thought she was taking Clara's first embryo."
"But she took the second."
My heart stopped.
"The second?"
Sienna looked at Daniel.
"Yes."
"The child she wanted wasn't Daniel."
I stared at my son.
"Then who?"
Sienna's face became terrified.
"The child they were really looking for."
I whispered:
"Maya."
Sienna nodded.
"Yes."
The tunnel suddenly went silent.
Elias's expression changed.
For the first time, he looked afraid.
He turned toward Sienna.
"Who told you?"
She smiled through her tears.
"Marianne."
Elias stepped toward her.
"You've been speaking to her."
"Yes."
"Where?"
Sienna shook her head.
"She's alive."
"I know."
"And she told me everything."
Elias's jaw tightened.
"Where is she?"
Sienna laughed.
"You don't know?"
"No."
"Then you're not as powerful as you think."
Elias raised his weapon.
I stepped forward.
"Stop."
He looked at me.
"She knows where your mother is."
I stared at Sienna.
"Where?"
Sienna looked toward the ceiling.
"At the hospital."
"What?"
"She's been hiding in the old psychiatric wing."
I couldn't breathe.
"My mother is at St. Jude?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't she come to me?"
"Because she was afraid."
"Of what?"
Sienna whispered:
"Of Julian."
I turned.
Julian's face went pale.
"What did you tell her?"
Sienna shook her head.
"I didn't tell her anything."
"Then why is she afraid of me?"
"Because she believes you still work for them."
Julian stepped backward.
"I never did."
"I know."
Sienna looked at him.
"But she doesn't."
I stared at Julian.
"Did you?"
"No."
"Did you ever?"
He looked at me.
"I signed the agreement."
"But I never joined them."
Sienna nodded.
"That's true."
Elias suddenly laughed.
"All these years."
He looked at Julian.
"You still don't understand."
Julian frowned.
"What?"
"You never escaped."
Elias pointed toward him.
"Your blood made you part of this."
Julian's expression hardened.
"My blood doesn't decide who I am."
Elias smiled.
"Then why did you come here?"
Julian didn't answer.
"Why did you spend sixteen years searching for Maya?"
"Why did you secretly protect Clara?"
"Why did you keep the embryo records?"
"Why did you destroy the original research?"
Julian's face changed.
I looked at him.
"You destroyed the research?"
He nodded.
"Yes."
"When?"
"After our divorce."
"Why?"
"Because I finally realized what they were doing."
Elias laughed.
"You destroyed one laboratory."
"Not the program."
Julian raised his gun.
"Not yet."
Suddenly, the lights went out.
Complete darkness.
I heard shouting.
Gunfire.
Someone grabbed my arm.
I screamed.
"Clara!"
Julian.
I held Daniel against my chest.
Maya grabbed my other hand.
"Don't let go!"
"I'm here!"
We moved blindly.
Then a bright emergency light came on.
Sienna was gone.
Elias was gone.
Half the men were gone.
Only Julian, Vivian, Maya, Daniel and I remained.
I looked around.
"Where's Sienna?"
Vivian shook her head.
"She disappeared."
Julian pointed toward the tunnel.
"She knows another exit."
I looked at him.
"Then we follow her."
We found the exit behind an old maintenance building.
Outside, snow had begun falling.
I wrapped Daniel in my coat.
Maya stood beside me.
Julian looked around.
"We need a car."
A black sedan stopped at the curb.
The door opened.
Sienna stepped out.
I froze.
She looked at me.
"Get in."
Julian raised his gun.
"Why should we trust you?"
"Because I know where your mother is."
I stared at her.
"Where?"
"St. Jude."
"Take us there."
She nodded.
Julian lowered his weapon.
We climbed into the car.
Sienna drove.
For several minutes, nobody spoke.
Then I asked:
"Why did you really betray me?"
She kept her eyes on the road.
"I told you."
"No."
I looked at her.
"You told me why you were afraid."
"That's different."
She was silent.
"Why did you choose me?"
She finally answered.
"Because I envied you."
I frowned.
"You had something I didn't."
"What?"
"A family."
I almost laughed.
"You destroyed mine."
"I know."
"Then why help me now?"
She looked at me through the mirror.
"Because I finally realized something."
"What?"
"You were never my enemy."
I stared at her.
"Who was?"
She looked ahead.
"The person who taught me to hate you."
"Marianne?"
"No."
My heart stopped.
"Who?"
Sienna whispered:
"Your father."
Silence.
I stared at her.
"My father is dead."
"I know."
"He died twenty years ago."
Sienna shook her head.
"That's what everyone thinks."
I felt the world tilt.
"What are you saying?"
She looked at me.
"Your father is alive."
My blood ran cold.
"And he's the one who started the Aster Foundation."
I couldn't speak.
Julian looked at Sienna.
"That's impossible."
"No."
She shook her head.
"Your grandfather built it."
"Clara's father took control."
"And Elias was never the real founder."
I stared at her.
"Then who was?"
Sienna stopped the car.
We had reached St. Jude.
She turned toward me.
"Your father."
I felt my heart pound.
"What is his name?"
She whispered:
"Richard Hart."
My father's name.
A man I had buried in my memory twenty years ago.
A man I had mourned.
A man everyone had told me was dead.
Sienna looked terrified.
"He has been alive all this time."
I opened the door.
"Where is he?"
She pointed toward the hospital.
"He's waiting for you."
We entered St. Jude through the service entrance.
The hospital was strangely quiet.
Too quiet.
Maya stayed close to me.
Julian walked behind us.
Sienna led the way.
We reached the old psychiatric wing.
The hallway lights flickered.
A door stood open at the end.
Sienna stopped.
"He's inside."
I looked at Julian.
Then at Maya.
Then at Daniel.
I took a breath.
And walked through the door.
A man stood beside the window.
Older.
Gray-haired.
Thin.
His back was turned toward me.
I knew that silhouette.
I knew that voice.
I knew those hands.
He slowly turned.
My heart stopped.
"Clara."
The voice I had heard in my childhood.
The voice I had believed was gone forever.
My father.
Alive.
I couldn't move.
He smiled.
"You've grown up."
Tears filled my eyes.
"You're dead."
"No."
He shook his head.
"I only needed you to believe I was."
I stared at him.
"Why?"
He looked toward Daniel.
Then Maya.
"Because I needed to protect my grandchildren."
I shook my head.
"You destroyed my life."
His expression didn't change.
"No."
He stepped closer.
"Your mother did."
I froze.
"What?"
He smiled.
"And Marianne."
"Then Julian."
"Sienna."
"Elias."
"But not me."
I stared at him.
He whispered:
"I was the only one trying to save you."
I wanted to believe him.
I desperately wanted to believe him.
But then Maya screamed.
"That's a lie!"
Everyone turned.
She was staring at my father.
"Grandma told me never to trust him."
My father smiled.
"Your grandmother always was a coward."
I stepped in front of Maya.
"Don't come near her."
His smile disappeared.
"Clara."
"What?"
"You don't understand what your children are."
"They're my children."
"They are the only proof that the experiment worked."
I felt sick.
"What experiment?"
He looked at me.
"The one your mother spent sixteen years trying to destroy."
He reached into his coat.
Pulled out a photograph.
Then placed it on the table.
I looked down.
It showed a laboratory.
A pregnant teenage girl.
Me.
My stomach turned.
Behind me, Julian whispered:
"No."
My father smiled.
"Welcome home, Clara."
Then the hospital doors slammed shut.
And every exit locked automatically.
We were trapped.
Again.
May you like
But this time—
the person holding the key was my father.
