CHAPTER 5 — THE WOMAN IN THE PRIVATE ROOM
CHAPTER 5 — THE WOMAN IN THE PRIVATE ROOM
The woman standing beneath the broken station lights looked at me as though she had been waiting years for this exact moment.
She was pale.
Thin.
Exhausted.
But unmistakably alive.
Luka couldn't move.
Neither could I.
“That's impossible,” he whispered.
The woman took another step forward.
“Is it?”
Luka's voice cracked.
“Sofia…”
She smiled sadly.
“You got old.”
For the first time since I had met him, Luka looked completely lost.
He walked toward her.
Slowly.
Carefully.
As if she might disappear if he moved too quickly.
“Sofia?”
She nodded.
He reached for her.
She allowed him to pull her into his arms.
And then the man who had spent days protecting me, lying to me, fighting for my daughter, and pretending nothing could break him—
broke.
His shoulders shook.
His face disappeared against his sister's hair.
I looked away.
I didn't want to watch.
Not because I wasn't moved.
Because I suddenly understood that whatever had happened to Sofia had been horrific.
And whatever she knew about my daughter was probably worse.
Richard Bennett watched them without emotion.
I turned toward him.
“You knew she was alive.”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
“Years.”
“You let Luka believe she was dead?”
“She was safer that way.”
“Safer?”
I couldn't control my voice.
“You kidnapped a child.”
Richard's expression remained calm.
“We preserved a valuable subject.”
The word made my stomach turn.
“Subject?”
He looked at Emma.
“Your father used the word too.”
“My father would never call a child a subject.”
Richard smiled.
“You didn't know your father as well as you think.”
I stepped forward.
“Don't talk about him.”
“You're defending a man who lied to you your entire life.”
“And you're asking me to trust you?”
“No.”
His answer was immediate.
“I don't expect you to trust me.”
“Then what do you want?”
Richard looked at my daughter.
“The same thing everyone wants.”
My grip tightened around Emma.
“What?”
“Her.”
Luka released Sofia.
He turned toward Richard.
“You're finished.”
Richard smiled.
“You've been saying that for fifteen years.”
Luka's face hardened.
“Let her go.”
Richard shook his head.
“You still don't understand.”
“Understand what?”
“Your father didn't build Meridian to control M-17.”
He looked at Sofia.
“He built it to protect it.”
I frowned.
“That makes no sense.”
Richard looked at me.
“Then perhaps you should ask your friend why he killed the first M-17 subject.”
I looked at Luka.
He didn't answer.
“Luka?”
Sofia stepped forward.
“Don't.”
I turned toward her.
“Don't what?”
“Don't believe him.”
Richard smiled.
“She still protects her brother.”
Sofia's eyes filled with anger.
“Because you destroyed our family.”
Richard didn't react.
“You destroyed my mother.”
“No.”
“You destroyed my father.”
“No.”
“You took me.”
“I saved you.”
“You locked me in a room for nine years.”
“I kept you alive.”
Sofia laughed bitterly.
“That's what you call it?”
Richard's expression hardened.
“You were dying.”
Silence.
I looked at Sofia.
“What does he mean?”
She didn't answer.
I looked at Luka.
“What does he mean?”
Luka finally spoke.
“Sofia was born with a severe neurological disorder.”
I stared.
“She was M-17.”
“Yes.”
“And she was sick?”
“Yes.”
Richard interrupted.
“Her condition made her the most valuable person in the program.”
Sofia looked at him.
“I wasn't a person to you.”
Richard said nothing.
I felt sick.
“What happened to her?”
Luka's voice was low.
“They experimented on her.”
My heart stopped.
“Why?”
“To stabilize the M-17 mutation.”
“And did it work?”
Sofia answered.
“Yes.”
I looked at her.
“How?”
She touched her temple.
“They changed me.”
“Genetically?”
“Yes.”
“Can it be reversed?”
“No.”
I looked at Emma.
“What does this have to do with my daughter?”
Sofia stared at the baby.
“Everything.”
She approached me.
Luka immediately stepped between us.
Sofia stopped.
“I'm not going to hurt her.”
Luka didn't move.
Sofia looked at me.
“Your daughter carries something I don't.”
“What?”
“A complete version.”
I frowned.
“I don't understand.”
“The original M-17 mutation was unstable.”
“Meaning?”
“It could cause neurological damage.”
“So why is Emma different?”
“Because your father fixed it.”
I felt cold.
“My father?”
“He spent years studying the mutation.”
“And?”
“He found a way to stabilize it.”
Richard interrupted.
“And he hid the method.”
I looked at him.
“Where?”
Richard smiled.
“Inside your daughter.”
My heart stopped.
“No.”
Sofia nodded.
“That's why they want her.”
“They want to use her.”
“Yes.”
“For experiments?”
“No.”
She looked directly into my eyes.
“They want her blood.”
I held Emma closer.
Richard stepped forward.
“We don't need the child.”
Luka's eyes narrowed.
“Then why are you here?”
“Because we need what she carries.”
“You'll never touch her.”
Richard smiled.
“That depends on the mother.”
I froze.
“What does that mean?”
Richard looked at me.
“Your DNA completes the sequence.”
I remembered what Luka had said.
My DNA was part of the key.
But I had assumed he meant access to the database.
Maybe it was something else.
Richard continued.
“Your father created a genetic lock.”
“And Emma is the key?”
“No.”
He pointed at me.
“You are.”
Then at Emma.
“She is the activation.”
My stomach turned.
“What happens if you combine them?”
Richard's voice became almost gentle.
“We can recreate the original M-17 sequence.”
Luka stepped forward.
“Over my dead body.”
Richard smiled.
“That's easily arranged.”
The men surrounding us raised their weapons.
I pulled Emma against my chest.
Luka moved in front of us.
Sofia suddenly shouted:
“Richard!”
Everyone looked at her.
“You said you'd let them go.”
Richard frowned.
“I said I would consider it.”
“You promised.”
“You were a child.”
“I was eighteen.”
“You were sick.”
“You lied.”
Richard's face hardened.
Sofia looked at me.
“There's another way.”
“What?”
She looked at Luka.
He immediately understood.
“No.”
Sofia nodded.
“We have to.”
“No.”
“Luka.”
“I said no.”
“What are you talking about?”
Sofia reached into her coat.
She removed a small silver key.
She held it out.
“To you.”
I stared.
“What is it?”
“The private room.”
“What private room?”
“The room where they kept me.”
Luka's face changed.
“It's still there?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
Sofia looked at Richard.
“Under the Bennett estate.”
Richard's expression finally changed.
Fear.
Real fear.
I noticed.
“So there is something there.”
Sofia nodded.
“Everything.”
“Everything?”
“Every M-17 record.”
“The children?”
“Yes.”
“Experiments?”
“Yes.”
“Names?”
“Yes.”
“And my father?”
Sofia looked at me.
“Your father left something for you.”
“What?”
“A confession.”
My heart pounded.
“Where?”
“In the private room.”
Richard suddenly stepped forward.
“Enough.”
Sofia turned.
“No.”
“You don't understand what you're doing.”
“I understand perfectly.”
“You will destroy yourself.”
“I already died once.”
Richard stared at her.
She smiled.
“And you couldn't keep me dead.”
Luka grabbed my arm.
“We're leaving.”
Richard raised his hand.
The men stepped forward.
Then Sofia did something unexpected.
She threw the silver key at me.
I caught it.
“Run!”
Luka grabbed me.
We sprinted.
Gunfire exploded behind us.
I screamed.
Luka pushed me behind a concrete pillar.
Bullets struck the wall.
Sofia ran in the opposite direction.
“Luka!”
He started after her.
I grabbed his jacket.
“No!”
“My sister!”
“She told us to run!”
He hesitated.
Then we ran.
We escaped through a maintenance tunnel beneath the station.
The tunnel was narrow.
Dark.
Wet.
I carried Emma while Luka led the way.
Behind us, voices echoed.
“They're coming!”
Luka looked back.
“Keep moving.”
I stumbled.
He caught me.
“Are you okay?”
“I just gave birth.”
“I know.”
“I can't run forever.”
“You don't have to.”
He lifted Emma from my arms.
I stared.
“What are you doing?”
“Saving your strength.”
He carried my daughter against his chest.
She didn't cry.
She simply slept.
Watching him hold her did something strange to me.
For a moment, he looked less like a dangerous stranger.
More like a father.
I hated that thought.
Because I didn't know what he had done.
I didn't know whether Daniel had been telling the truth.
And I didn't know whose blood ran through Emma's veins.
We reached the end of the tunnel.
Luka pushed open a rusted door.
Sunlight flooded in.
We emerged behind an abandoned warehouse.
A black SUV waited.
Luka unlocked it.
“Get in.”
I climbed inside.
He placed Emma beside me.
Then he got behind the wheel.
We drove.
For several minutes, neither of us spoke.
Finally I said:
“Who is Emma's father?”
Luka's hands tightened around the steering wheel.
“I don't know.”
“Don't lie.”
“I don't know.”
“Richard said Daniel isn't her father.”
“He may be telling the truth.”
“Then who is?”
Luka looked at me.
“That's what the private room will tell us.”
I looked at the silver key.
“Why is it important?”
“Because your father hid the original DNA records there.”
“And?”
“If we find them, we'll know.”
“Know what?”
“Who Emma's biological father is.”
I stared out the window.
“And if it's you?”
Luka went silent.
“Answer me.”
“I don't know.”
“You're avoiding the question.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because if it is me…”
He stopped.
“What?”
He looked back at the road.
“…then your entire pregnancy was a lie.”
My heart sank.
“What does that mean?”
“It means someone manipulated your medical records.”
I remembered the missing files.
The strange hospital staff.
Daniel's behavior.
The pregnancy appointments he insisted on attending.
The private doctor he recommended.
The way he had become obsessive about genetic testing.
I whispered:
“Daniel knew.”
“Yes.”
“He knew there was something wrong.”
“Yes.”
“And he still married me.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Luka didn't answer.
I looked at him.
“Tell me.”
“He may have believed Emma was his.”
“May have?”
“Until the birth.”
My mind raced.
“But he left immediately.”
“Yes.”
“Because he discovered the truth.”
“Yes.”
“Then why did he say he was protecting us?”
“Because maybe he was.”
I shook my head.
“I don't know what to believe anymore.”
“You don't have to believe anyone.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Find proof.”
I looked at Emma.
“Then that's what we'll do.”
The Bennett estate appeared at dusk.
I had never seen it before.
It was enormous.
Black iron gates.
Stone walls.
Ancient trees.
The mansion stood on a hill overlooking the valley.
It belonged to Daniel's family.
At least, that's what I thought.
Luka stopped the car.
“No lights.”
I looked toward the mansion.
Every window was dark.
“Is anyone there?”
“No.”
“How do you know?”
“Because the security system is offline.”
“Why?”
“Someone turned it off.”
I looked at him.
“Could be a trap.”
“Yes.”
“Then why are we going inside?”
“Because the private room is beneath the house.”
We entered through a side door.
The mansion was silent.
Too silent.
I held Emma close.
Luka led me through a hallway.
At the end was a portrait.
A portrait of Daniel's grandfather.
I stopped.
Something was written beneath it.
THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THOSE WHO CONTROL BLOOD.
I felt sick.
Luka pulled the portrait aside.
A hidden keypad appeared.
He entered a code.
The wall opened.
A staircase descended into darkness.
I stared.
“You knew about this.”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Your father showed me.”
“Then why didn't you come here before?”
“Because the door requires two people.”
“Why?”
“Two DNA signatures.”
“Whose?”
“Yours.”
“And?”
“Your father's.”
My heart sank.
“He's dead.”
Luka looked at me.
“That's why he left a substitute.”
I frowned.
“Who?”
He touched the scanner.
The machine activated.
A small compartment opened.
Inside was a vial.
Blood.
My father's name was written on it.
I covered my mouth.
“He preserved his DNA.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“So the door could still open after his death.”
Luka placed the vial into the machine.
Then he looked at me.
“Now you.”
The machine scanned my finger.
A green light appeared.
The door unlocked.
We descended.
The temperature dropped with every step.
At the bottom was a corridor.
Metal walls.
Glass windows.
Behind one of them was a room.
A child's room.
A bed.
A small desk.
Drawings covering the walls.
I stopped.
“Sofia.”
Luka nodded.
She had lived here.
Maybe for years.
I saw dates written beneath some drawings.
Eleven years old.
Twelve.
Thirteen.
Fourteen.
Fifteen.
Sixteen.
Then nothing.
I touched the glass.
“She was here until sixteen.”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
“They moved her.”
“Where?”
“That's what we're going to find out.”
We continued.
At the end of the corridor was a steel door.
Above it:
PRIVATE ROOM — M-17
Luka inserted the silver key.
The lock clicked.
The door opened.
Inside was a single table.
A computer.
A filing cabinet.
And a red envelope.
My name was written across it.
FOR MY DAUGHTER.
My hands trembled.
I opened it.
The first page contained only one sentence.
If you are reading this, Emma has been born.
I stopped breathing.
The second page:
That means I failed to keep her hidden.
The third:
There is something you must know about the man you married.
I turned the page.
Then froze.
Because the next sentence read:
Daniel Bennett is not Emma's biological father.
My knees weakened.
Luka caught me.
I pulled away.
“Don't.”
He stepped back.
I kept reading.
But he is not the man you should fear.
I turned another page.
There was a name.
One name.
A name I recognized.
A name that made no sense.
My own.
Below it was a sentence that made my blood run cold.
My daughter, the man who fathered your child has been searching for you since the day you were born.
I stared at the page.
Then at Luka.
“Who is he?”
Luka didn't answer.
“Luka.”
He looked at the document.
His face went pale.
“I know that name.”
“What name?”
He pointed.
At the bottom of the page was a handwritten signature.
Not my father's.
Not Daniel's.
Not Richard's.
It belonged to someone else.
Someone I had never met.
Someone my father had apparently feared more than anyone.
And underneath the signature were five words:
THE REAL FATHER IS ALIVE.
Then the lights went out.
A door slammed somewhere behind us.
And from the darkness came a man's voice.
“Finally.”
I froze.
The voice continued.
“I've been waiting twenty-five years to meet my daughter.”
Emma began to cry.
Luka stepped in front of us.
I couldn't see the man's face.
But I knew one thing.
May you like
Whoever stood in that darkness knew exactly who I was.
And he had been waiting for me long before I ever knew he existed.
