CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 12
MARIA
I couldn't breathe.
My daughter.
My granddaughter.
My mother.
None of the words made sense anymore.
I looked at Lily sleeping in my arms.
Then at Eva.
"Say it again."
Eva's eyes filled with tears.
"She's your granddaughter."
"No."
My voice came out as a whisper.
"She's my daughter."
"I know what you believe."
"She's my daughter."
"I know."
"Then why are you saying she's my granddaughter?"
Eva stepped closer.
"Because the woman who gave birth to Lily isn't the Elena you think you are."
My head spun.
"What does that mean?"
"It means the Elena who gave birth to Lily was created from your genetic material."
I stared at her.
"That's me."
"No."
She shook her head.
"That's what they wanted you to believe."
Daniel stepped forward.
"Eva."
She looked at him.
"Tell her everything."
Eva nodded.
Then she said:
"Maria is not your mother."
My heart broke.
"Then who is she?"
Eva looked toward the chapel.
"The woman you called Maria was M-05."
I stared at the photograph.
The little girl.
The same face.
The same eyes.
But older.
"She was a child."
"Yes."
"Then how did she become my mother?"
"She didn't."
I shook my head.
"I remember her."
"Those memories were implanted."
I froze.
"What?"
"Your childhood memories."
"Your memories of Maria."
"Your memories of the house."
"Your memories of being loved."
"Some were real."
"Some weren't."
I looked at Lily.
"What was real?"
Eva's voice softened.
"Maria loved you."
"Then she was my mother."
"No."
"Love doesn't make someone your mother?"
"It should."
Eva's eyes filled with tears.
"But in M-17, blood wasn't the only thing they changed."
I couldn't speak.
Daniel looked at me.
"They changed identities."
"Why?"
"To protect the project."
"From whom?"
"From everyone."
I closed my eyes.
A memory came.
Maria brushing my hair.
Maria singing.
Maria telling me not to be afraid.
I remembered being six.
Seven.
Ten.
Fifteen.
Was it real?
Or was it something someone had put inside my head?
I opened my eyes.
"Where is the real Maria?"
Eva looked away.
"She died."
"When?"
"Twenty-five years ago."
"How?"
"She tried to destroy M-17."
I looked at the photograph.
M-05.
"She was a child."
"Yes."
"How could a child destroy a laboratory?"
"She wasn't a child when she died."
I frowned.
"How old?"
"Twenty-three."
"Then the photograph..."
"Was taken when she was young."
I looked at Eva.
"How did she survive?"
Eva sat down.
"I'll tell you."
She took a breath.
"Maria was one of Marcus's first successful subjects."
"She could regenerate damaged tissue."
"She could survive procedures that killed others."
"Marcus believed she was the key."
"To what?"
"To immortality."
I stared.
"Immortality?"
"Not in the way you think."
Eva looked at Lily.
"Genetic regeneration."
"Cells that don't age normally."
"Cells that repair themselves."
I felt cold.
"That's what M-17 was about."
"Yes."
"Then why did they need me?"
"Because Maria's body rejected the final sequence."
"And mine didn't."
"No."
"Yours accepted it."
I looked down at Lily.
"Then what happened?"
Eva's voice became quiet.
"You were born."
I waited.
"And Marcus realized something."
"What?"
"Your body wasn't just accepting the sequence."
"It was improving it."
I stared.
"So Lily..."
"Is the first naturally inherited carrier."
I swallowed.
"Then why does she have two paternal signatures?"
Eva hesitated.
"Because the second signature isn't from a man."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
"The test was misinterpreted."
"Then whose DNA is it?"
"Yours."
I stared.
"My DNA?"
"Yes."
"That's impossible."
"Not with the procedure they used."
"What procedure?"
Eva looked at Daniel.
He nodded.
"Tell her."
Eva continued.
"Before you were born, Marcus used a technique to combine genetic material."
"From whom?"
"From Maria."
"From Marcus."
"From Robert."
"And from you."
I felt sick.
"So I was genetically engineered."
"Yes."
"And Lily inherited all of it."
"Yes."
"Then the DNA result showing Luka..."
"Was a decoy."
I looked at Luka.
He stood silently near the door.
"You knew."
He shook his head.
"I suspected."
"Why?"
"Because my DNA was taken."
"When?"
"Years ago."
"By Marcus?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
Eva answered:
"To create the false paternal signature."
I looked at Luka.
"So you aren't Lily's father."
"No."
I didn't know whether I felt relief or disappointment.
Maybe both.
Then I remembered something.
The night before my wedding.
Victor.
The room.
The missing memory.
"Then what happened with Victor?"
Eva looked at me.
"He used you."
I nodded.
"But Lily isn't his."
"No."
"Then why did he claim her?"
"Because he believed she carried something he needed."
"What?"
"The Maria sequence."
I looked at the baby.
"Can it be extracted?"
Eva didn't answer.
I understood.
"That's why they want her."
"Yes."
"Then we leave."
Luka immediately nodded.
"Now."
Daniel stood.
"We can't."
I looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because Maria is still alive."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
He pulled a photograph from his pocket.
It showed a woman sitting inside a hospital room.
Older.
Pale.
Connected to machines.
But unmistakable.
The face.
The eyes.
The scar.
I knew her.
Maria.
I took the photograph.
"Where?"
Daniel looked at me.
"St. Agnes."
"The hospital."
"Yes."
"She's alive."
"Yes."
"Why did Marcus say she was dead?"
"Because he wanted you to believe that."
"Then why tell me now?"
Daniel hesitated.
"Because she woke up."
"When?"
"Three days ago."
I stared.
"Three days?"
He nodded.
"And she asked for you."
My heart pounded.
"What did she say?"
Daniel looked at Luka.
Then Eva.
Then me.
"She asked for Elena."
"I'm Elena."
"No."
His voice was quiet.
"She asked for the real Elena."
I froze.
"What does that mean?"
"She said the woman carrying Lily isn't the original."
I looked at Eva.
She closed her eyes.
"She's right."
I couldn't breathe.
"Then who am I?"
Eva stepped closer.
"You are Elena."
"Then why do you keep saying I'm not?"
"Because there were two."
I stared.
"Two?"
"The original Elena."
"And you."
I felt dizzy.
"Where is the original?"
Eva pointed toward the photograph.
"St. Agnes."
My heart stopped.
"Maria knows."
"Yes."
"Then we go."
Luka stepped forward.
"I'm coming."
Daniel nodded.
"So am I."
Eva looked at us.
"All of us."
St. Agnes was abandoned.
The hospital had been closed for years.
Yet there were lights inside.
Security cameras.
Guards.
Someone was still operating it.
We entered through the emergency entrance.
The hallways were silent.
Too silent.
Luka moved ahead.
Daniel stayed behind me.
Eva carried a small bag.
I held Lily.
Every step felt familiar.
Like I had walked these halls before.
A smell.
Antiseptic.
Metal.
Old blood.
My body remembered what my mind didn't.
I stopped.
"Room 317."
Luka looked at me.
"How do you know?"
"I don't."
But I did.
We found the room.
The door was open.
Inside was a woman lying in a hospital bed.
She looked exactly like the woman in the photograph.
Maria.
She opened her eyes.
And smiled.
"Elena."
I froze.
"Mom?"
Her smile disappeared.
"No."
My heart broke.
"You're not my mother."
She shook her head.
"I'm sorry."
"Who are you?"
She reached toward me.
I didn't move.
"My name is Maria Moretti."
"But you're M-05."
Her eyes widened.
"Who told you?"
"Marcus."
She looked terrified.
"He's alive?"
"Yes."
Maria tried to sit up.
"No."
Luka helped her.
"You need to leave."
"Why?"
"Because Marcus isn't the only one looking for you."
"Who else?"
Maria looked at Lily.
"Everyone."
I held my daughter tighter.
"Why?"
Maria whispered:
"Because she is the last one."
"The last what?"
"The last Moretti."
I stared.
"That's impossible."
"No."
Maria shook her head.
"Everyone else is dead."
"Eva?"
"Not a true Moretti."
"Luka?"
"Not a true Moretti."
"Marcus?"
"Not anymore."
I frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Maria looked at me.
"He changed his blood."
"Why?"
"To survive."
I felt sick.
"Then who is a true Moretti?"
Maria pointed toward Lily.
"Her."
I stared at my daughter.
"Why?"
"Because she carries the original sequence."
"The one from Adrian?"
Maria nodded.
"Adrian was the first."
"Lily is the final."
I looked at her.
"Then what happened to Adrian?"
Maria's eyes filled with tears.
"Marcus killed him."
"Why?"
"Because Adrian refused to cooperate."
"With what?"
Maria looked at Luka.
Then Eva.
Then me.
"With the breeding program."
I froze.
"What breeding program?"
Maria's voice trembled.
"Marcus wanted to create children who could inherit the sequence naturally."
"That's why there were sixteen."
"Yes."
"Then Lily..."
"Was the first successful child."
My heart pounded.
"Who is her father?"
Maria looked at me.
"You already know."
"No."
"You do."
"Tell me."
She whispered:
"Daniel."
I froze.
Daniel stepped backward.
"No."
Maria nodded.
"He is the biological father."
I stared at him.
"You said you weren't."
"I didn't know."
"How could you not know?"
"Because they altered my DNA too."
Maria shook her head.
"Victor used Daniel's identity."
"What?"
"Daniel was genetically modified before he met you."
"So the father result..."
"Was Daniel."
I looked at Lily.
Then Daniel.
His face was white.
"You're her father."
He started crying.
"I didn't know."
I believed him.
For the first time, I believed him.
Then Maria grabbed my wrist.
"There's more."
"What?"
"Your husband was chosen because his DNA was compatible with yours."
"Daniel?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because Lily needed two compatible sequences."
I felt sick.
"Then Victor?"
"A decoy."
"Luka?"
"Another decoy."
"Marcus?"
"Another."
I looked at Maria.
"Then why did everyone think Luka was the father?"
"Because Marcus wanted you to believe it."
"Why?"
"To keep you away from Daniel."
"Why would he care?"
Maria's face became frightened.
"Because Daniel is the only person who can activate Lily's sequence."
I stared.
"Activate?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"Through blood."
I felt cold.
"Whose blood?"
"His."
She pointed at Daniel.
Daniel stepped back.
"No."
Maria nodded.
"That's why Victor wanted him dead."
I looked at Daniel.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't know."
"You knew something."
"I knew I was being watched."
"Not this."
He shook his head.
"No."
Maria suddenly coughed.
Luka moved toward her.
She grabbed his arm.
"Listen to me."
"What?"
"You have to find the original Elena."
I froze.
"Where?"
Maria looked at me.
"She's closer than you think."
"What does that mean?"
Maria pointed toward the mirror.
I turned.
My reflection stared back.
Then I noticed something.
The scar beneath my eyebrow.
The same scar Eva had.
The same scar Maria had.
But there was another scar.
Hidden behind my ear.
I touched it.
A tiny number.
E-02.
My blood froze.
I remembered.
The laboratory.
The white room.
The voice.
"Subject E-02 is awake."
I stumbled backward.
"No."
Maria whispered:
"You are E-02."
"I know."
"No."
She shook her head.
"You misunderstood."
"What?"
"E-02 wasn't your designation."
"Then what?"
Maria looked at me.
"It was your mother's."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
She pointed toward the mirror.
"You're not E-02."
I stared at the number.
"Then who am I?"
Maria's eyes filled with tears.
"The original Elena."
Silence.
"Then who was E-02?"
Maria whispered:
"Me."
I couldn't breathe.
Maria continued:
"Twenty-five years ago, they made a replacement for you."
"Who?"
She looked at Daniel.
"Your mother."
I stared.
"Maria?"
She nodded.
"The woman you thought was your mother wasn't."
"Then who was she?"
Maria closed her eyes.
"A clone."
I felt the room spinning.
"And me?"
"You're the original."
"Then why don't I remember?"
"Because they didn't erase your memories."
She opened her eyes.
"They replaced them."
I stared at her.
"With whose?"
Maria's voice broke.
"Your daughter's."
I looked at Lily.
"What?"
"Every memory you have of being a mother..."
Maria whispered:
"...belongs to someone else."
My blood ran cold.
"Whose memories?"
Maria looked at Lily.
"Her mother's."
I froze.
"Then who is Lily's real mother?"
Maria smiled sadly.
"You."
I stared.
"But you said..."
"You are her mother."
"Then why did you say she's my granddaughter?"
"Because you are both."
I couldn't understand.
Maria took my hand.
"The experiment created a genetic loop."
"Your DNA created Lily."
"Lily's DNA recreated you."
I stared.
"That's impossible."
Maria shook her head.
"Not anymore."
Then she reached under her pillow.
She pulled out a sealed envelope.
The label made my heart stop.
DNA TEST — ELENA / LILY
I took it.
Maria whispered:
"Open it."
I tore the envelope.
Inside was one page.
I read the first line.
MATERNAL GENETIC RELATIONSHIP: 100%
I exhaled.
"Of course."
Then I read the next line.
MATERNAL IDENTITY: INCONCLUSIVE.
My heart stopped.
"What?"
Maria smiled sadly.
"Because the DNA is the same."
I looked at her.
"How?"
She whispered:
"Because Lily's DNA and yours are genetically identical."
The room went silent.
Daniel stared at the report.
Luka looked horrified.
Eva covered her mouth.
I looked at my daughter.
My beautiful baby.
My blood.
My mirror.
My beginning.
My ending.
And then I saw the final line.
GENETIC RELATIONSHIP: MOTHER / DAUGHTER — OR IDENTICAL GENETIC SOURCE.
I couldn't breathe.
Maria squeezed my hand.
"Now you understand."
"No."
I shook my head.
"I don't."
Maria looked at me.
"Then you need to see what happened twenty-five years ago."
She pointed toward the door.
"Because the woman who died that night..."
A tear ran down her cheek.
"...wasn't you."
I stared.
"Who died?"
Maria whispered:
"Elena."
The lights suddenly went out.
A gunshot exploded through the room.
Maria's body jerked.
I screamed.
"Mom!"
She collapsed.
Blood spread across the sheets.
Luka dragged me behind the bed.
Daniel pulled Lily from my arms.
Eva screamed:
"Sniper!"
Another shot shattered the window.
I crawled toward Maria.
"Stay with me."
Her eyes opened.
She grabbed my hand.
"Don't trust..."
Her voice faded.
"Who?"
She looked toward Daniel.
Then Luka.
Then me.
"...the father."
Her hand went limp.
I froze.
"No."
Luka pulled me away.
"We have to go."
"But she's dying."
"Elena!"
Another bullet struck the wall.
We ran.
Daniel carried Lily.
Eva opened the emergency exit.
We escaped into the rain.
Behind us, St. Agnes burned.
I looked at Daniel.
Then Luka.
Then Lily.
And I realized something.
Maria had said:
Don't trust the father.
But which father?
Daniel?
Luka?
Victor?
Or someone else?
Then my phone vibrated.
One message.
From Maria's number.
Sent thirty seconds after she had been shot.
I opened it.
There was only one sentence:
THE MAN CARRYING LILY IS NOT HER FATHER.
I looked at Daniel.
He was carrying my daughter.
My blood ran cold.
Because the message wasn't just a warning.
It was a clue.
May you like
And somewhere in the darkness, someone was watching us.
Waiting for me to discover the truth.
