PART 13 — THE OTHER LAURA

The countdown continued.
36:57
36:56
36:55
I stared at the woman standing outside the glass chamber.
My face.
My eyes.
My voice.
But she looked at me as though I were the stranger.
Adriana held my hand tightly.
“Mom…”
“I’m here.”
“Don’t let her touch you.”
I looked at her.
“Why?”
“Because she remembers how to become you.”
The other Laura smiled.
“That’s not exactly true.”
Adriana stepped backward.
“You’re lying.”

“No.”

The woman looked at me.

“She remembers how to become me.”

My father raised his weapon.

“Everyone stay back.”

The other Laura laughed.

“You still think a gun can stop this?”

My father didn’t lower it.

“I don’t need to stop you.”

She looked at him.

“I only need to stop you from hurting my daughter.”

The woman’s expression changed.

“Your daughter?”

She looked at me.

“You still don’t know what she is.”

I stepped between them.

“Enough.”

The countdown continued.

36:21

I pointed at the chamber.

“Tell me everything.”

The other Laura smiled.

“You’re not ready.”

“I’ve been lied to for twenty-nine years.”

“Then you’re finally ready.”

She walked toward me.

My father raised his weapon.

“Stop.”

She stopped.

“Do you know why Project Zero was created?”

I shook my head.

“To prevent the future.”

“No.”

She smiled.

“To create it.”

I frowned.

“What does that mean?”

“The first scientists believed the future could be predicted.”

She looked at Adriana.

“They were wrong.”

“Then what did they discover?”

“That the future could be remembered.”

I felt a chill.

“By Adriana?”

“By you.”

My heart stopped.

“Me?”

She nodded.

“You were the first.”

She pointed toward the chamber.

“The woman inside isn’t another Laura.”

I looked at the glass.

“Then who is she?”

The other Laura answered:

“The original.”

My breathing stopped.

The woman inside the chamber slowly sat up.

She looked exactly like me.

Then she smiled.

“Hello, daughter.”

Adriana froze.

“Mom?”

I couldn’t move.

The woman inside the chamber looked at Adriana.

“Yes.”

Adriana shook her head.

“No.”

The woman smiled.

“You don’t remember me?”

“I do.”

Her smile disappeared.

“But you’re not supposed to.”

Adriana stepped backward.

“You died.”

The woman nodded.

“I did.”

“Then how are you here?”

“Because your mother brought me back.”

I turned toward Adriana.

“What does she mean?”

Adriana’s eyes filled with tears.

“I didn’t know.”

The woman laughed softly.

“You knew enough.”

“No.”

“You always know.”

“Stop!”

Adriana screamed.

The entire room shook.

Every monitor flickered.

My father stared at her.

“What was that?”

Adriana covered her ears.

“She’s remembering.”

The other Laura looked at me.

“Do you feel it?”

“What?”

“The memories.”

I suddenly felt dizzy.

Images flashed through my mind.

A hospital.

A newborn.

A laboratory.

A man in a white coat.

A young version of my father.

My mother crying.

And a woman who looked exactly like me holding a baby.

Then another image.

Fire.

Screaming.

A countdown.

And Adriana.

Standing alone in a room filled with dead machines.

I grabbed my head.

“No…”

My father caught me.

“Laura!”

“I remember.”

Everyone froze.

“What do you remember?”

I looked at the woman in the chamber.

“You.”

She smiled.

“Yes.”

“You were my mother.”

My mother gasped.

“What?”

The other Laura shook her head.

“Not exactly.”

I stared.

“Then what?”

“I was you.”

The room became silent.

She continued.

“In the first timeline, you grew old.”

I swallowed.

“You became a scientist.”

I shook my head.

“No.”

“You did.”

“You created Project Zero.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

She looked at Adriana.

“Because I wanted to save my daughter.”

Adriana looked away.

“From what?”

The woman answered:

“From death.”

My heart tightened.

“What happened to her?”

“She died.”

“How?”

“Because the world was collapsing.”

I frowned.

“What does that mean?”

“The future became unstable.”

“How?”

“Because too many timelines were created.”

I looked at the countdown.

“So Project Zero was supposed to fix them?”

“Yes.”

“But it didn’t.”

“No.”

“What went wrong?”

She looked at me.

“I did.”

Silence.

“I became obsessed.”

“With what?”

“Saving Adriana.”

She looked at the little girl.

“I kept resetting the timeline.”

My heart sank.

“Twenty-three times.”

“Yes.”

“And every time…”

“I changed something.”

“And every time…”

“You died.”

I looked at Adriana.

“And she remembered.”

“Yes.”

The room felt smaller.

“Then why did she bring me back?”

The woman smiled.

“Because she finally understood something I didn’t.”

“What?”

“You can’t save someone by controlling their life.”

Adriana whispered:

“You have to let them choose.”

I looked at her.

She was crying.

“That’s why I brought you back.”

“Even though you knew I’d create another timeline?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I wanted one chance.”

“One chance for what?”

She looked at me.

“For you to choose differently.”

The countdown continued.

31:42

Suddenly the lights turned red.

An alarm began screaming.

My father looked toward the ceiling.

“Something’s coming.”

The other Laura shook her head.

“No.”

“What?”

“They’re already here.”

The laboratory doors slammed shut.

Heavy footsteps echoed outside.

My father moved toward the entrance.

“Everyone behind me.”

Diego picked up a metal rod.

Valeria grabbed a fire extinguisher.

My mother held Adriana.

Then—

BOOM.

The door shook.

Again.

BOOM.

A crack appeared.

The other Laura looked at me.

“You need to decide.”

“Decide what?”

“Whether you want to save the world…”

She pointed at Adriana.

“…or save your daughter.”

My heart broke.

“Why can’t I do both?”

“Because you couldn’t before.”

“That was before.”

“It’s still true.”

The door shook again.

A voice came through the speakers.

“OPEN THE FACILITY.”

My father recognized it.

“Elias.”

I looked at him.

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

The voice continued.

“Laura, if you can hear me, listen carefully.”

My father shouted:

“Don’t listen to him!”

Elias continued.

“The woman you’re standing with is not your sister.”

The other Laura smiled.

Elias continued.

“She is the architect.”

I looked at the woman.

She didn’t deny it.

“She’s the reason your daughter exists.”

I looked at Adriana.

“Is that true?”

Adriana nodded.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because she needed someone who could reset the timeline.”

“And you were chosen?”

“No.”

Adriana looked at me.

“I volunteered.”

My heart stopped.

“You volunteered?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I knew what would happen to you.”

I shook my head.

“You knew I’d die?”

“Yes.”

“And you chose to come back?”

“Yes.”

“For me?”

“Yes.”

I began crying.

“Adriana…”

She hugged me.

“I’ve been trying to save you for so long.”

I held her tightly.

Then I heard something behind us.

A click.

I turned.

The other Laura was holding a weapon.

Pointed at Adriana.

“I’m sorry.”

My father immediately raised his gun.

“Put it down.”

The woman looked at him.

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because if Adriana survives…”

She looked at me.

“…the timeline collapses.”

Adriana stepped forward.

“She’s right.”

“No!”

I grabbed her.

“Don’t.”

“Mom.”

“No.”

“You have to let me go.”

“I won’t.”

“You have to.”

“I’m your mother.”

“And you’re the reason I kept coming back.”

I looked at her.

“What?”

She smiled through tears.

“Because every time I died…”

She touched my face.

“…you came looking for me.”

The countdown reached:

28:00

The facility shook.

Dust fell from the ceiling.

My father shouted:

“We’re running out of time!”

I looked at Adriana.

“Then we find another way.”

She shook her head.

“There isn’t one.”

“There is.”

“No.”

“There has to be.”

The other Laura spoke quietly.

“There is.”

Everyone turned toward her.

She lowered the weapon.

“There is another way.”

I stared.

“What?”

She pointed at the chamber.

“The original machine.”

My father frowned.

“What machine?”

“The one that started Project Zero.”

She walked toward the chamber.

“It doesn’t reset timelines.”

“Then what does it do?”

“It merges them.”

My heart stopped.

“Merge?”

“Yes.”

“What happens if we merge all twenty-four?”

“Every version of you remembers.”

“And Adriana?”

“She becomes one person.”

“Will she survive?”

The woman hesitated.

“I don’t know.”

I looked at Adriana.

She smiled.

“It’s worth trying.”

“No.”

“Mom.”

“No.”

“You always tell me to be brave.”

“I tell you to be careful.”

“Then be brave for me.”

I held her.

“I’m scared.”

“So am I.”

The countdown continued.

25:11

My father moved toward the machine.

“Show me.”

The other Laura nodded.

They opened a hidden panel.

Inside was a circular chamber surrounded by cables.

My father stared.

“This technology is decades ahead.”

“It was built decades ago.”

“Impossible.”

The woman smiled.

“That’s the point.”

Diego stepped closer.

“What happens when it’s activated?”

She looked at him.

“The timeline becomes one.”

“And everyone remembers?”

“Yes.”

“Then people will remember their deaths.”

“Yes.”

“Millions of people will remember dying.”

“Yes.”

Diego looked horrified.

“And that’s safe?”

“No.”

I stared at the machine.

“What happens to the people who shouldn’t exist?”

The woman answered:

“They disappear.”

I looked at Adriana.

“What does that mean?”

She understood immediately.

“Some versions of us will be erased.”

“Which ones?”

“The ones that don’t belong.”

I grabbed her hand.

“Then how do we know you’re the one who belongs?”

She looked at me.

“We don’t.”

The machine began powering up.

A deep hum filled the room.

The monitors displayed:

TIMELINE MERGE — 60%

My father shouted:

“We have to choose now!”

Elias’s voice returned through the speakers.

“Laura!”

I looked up.

“Listen to me!”

My father shouted:

“Don’t!”

Elias continued:

“I know you don’t trust me.”

“That’s because you’re a murderer!”

“Yes.”

Silence.

“But I’m the only person who knows what happens after the merge.”

I froze.

“What?”

Elias said:

“Your daughter dies.”

Adriana closed her eyes.

My heart broke.

“Is that true?”

She whispered:

“Yes.”

Elias continued:

“And when she dies, you become the woman you saw in the chamber.”

I looked at the other Laura.

She didn’t deny it.

Elias said:

“You’ll spend the rest of your life trying to bring her back.”

My mother cried.

“No…”

Elias continued:

“And eventually…”

His voice lowered.

“…you will create Project Zero.”

I stared at the machine.

The entire cycle.

It wasn’t a circle.

It was a trap.

I looked at Adriana.

“You knew.”

She nodded.

“I knew.”

“You knew that if I save you, I become her.”

“Yes.”

“And if I don’t save you?”

“You become her anyway.”

I felt tears running down my face.

“So there is no way out.”

Adriana stepped closer.

“There is.”

“What?”

“You stop trying to save me.”

I shook my head.

“I can’t.”

“You can.”

“I love you.”

“I know.”

“I can’t lose you.”

“You already have.”

Her words broke me.

“Twenty-three times.”

She smiled.

“Maybe this time you have to let me go.”

“No.”

“Mom…”

“No!”

The machine reached:

90%

The facility began collapsing.

My father shouted:

“Laura!”

I looked at him.

“Make the choice!”

I looked at Adriana.

Then the other Laura.

Then my mother.

Then Diego.

Then the machine.

I suddenly understood.

The machine wasn’t asking me who should live.

It was asking me whether I was willing to accept that I couldn’t control everything.

I walked toward the console.

Adriana followed.

“What are you doing?”

“I don’t know.”

I placed my hand on the control panel.

A message appeared.

SELECT PRIMARY TIMELINE.

There were two choices.

TIMELINE 1 — ORIGINAL

TIMELINE 24 — CURRENT

I stared.

The other Laura whispered:

“Choose the original.”

Adriana whispered:

“Choose the current.”

My father shouted:

“Laura!”

Elias screamed through the speakers:

“DON’T CHOOSE EITHER!”

Everyone froze.

I looked up.

Elias continued:

“That’s the trick!”

“What trick?”

“The machine doesn’t need a timeline.”

“Then what does it need?”

Elias answered:

“It needs a person.”

The screen changed.

SELECT PRIMARY SUBJECT.

Three names appeared.

LAURA

ADRIANA

UNKNOWN

My heart stopped.

“What is UNKNOWN?”

Nobody answered.

Then the chamber door opened.

A figure stepped out.

A man.

Older.

Scarred.

Wearing a white coat.

I recognized him instantly.

My grandfather.

But he looked different.

Younger.

Much younger.

He smiled at me.

“Hello, Laura.”

My father raised his weapon.

“You.”

The man smiled.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment.”

I stared at him.

“You created Project Zero.”

“No.”

He looked at Adriana.

“She did.”

Adriana’s face went pale.

I turned toward her.

“What?”

My grandfather smiled.

“Your daughter is the creator.”

Adriana whispered:

“No.”

He continued:

“She just doesn’t remember yet.”

The machine began screaming.

100%

The entire facility shook.

The screen flashed one final message:

PRIMARY SUBJECT FOUND.

Then a name appeared.

Not Laura.

Not Adriana.

Not my grandfather.

A name I had never seen before.

DIEGO.

Diego stared at the screen.

“No…”

My father turned toward him.

“What did you do?”

Diego backed away.

“I didn’t know.”

The machine locked onto him.

A bright light surrounded his body.

He screamed.

And suddenly—

I remembered.

Everything.

The first timeline.

The second.

The third.

All twenty-three.

And the truth I had been missing was finally clear.

Diego wasn’t the man who killed me.

He wasn’t the man who betrayed me.

He wasn’t even the man who loved me.

He was the first person who remembered all the timelines.

And he had been waiting for me to remember too.

He looked at me through the light.

His eyes filled with tears.

“Laura…”

I stepped toward him.

“What are you?”

He smiled.

“The first Subject Zero.”

Then the machine exploded with light.

And the last thing I heard before the world disappeared was Adriana screaming:

“MOM!”

When I opened my eyes…

I was somewhere else.

Somewhere I had never been.

A hospital room.

A newborn baby cried beside me.

A man sat next to the bed.

I turned toward him.

My heart stopped.

It was Diego.

But he was young again.

He smiled.

“It’s a girl.”

I looked down.

The nurse placed the baby in my arms.

She opened her eyes.

And whispered my name.

“Laura…”

I froze.

The baby smiled.

Then she said:

“Again.”

The lights went out.

And somewhere outside the hospital…

a clock began counting backward.

23

22

21

And I realized with horror—

We hadn’t escaped the timeline.

We had gone back to the beginning.

But this time…

I remembered everything…..

Click Here to continuous Read​​​​ Full Ending Story👉PART(14): – My husband had a vasectomy, yet two months later…