\u201cHello, Laura.\u201d My voice cracked.<\/p>\n \u201cYou died.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI had to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou died!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou let us bury an empty coffin?\u201d<\/p>\n He didn’t answer.<\/p>\n I looked at Samuel.<\/p>\n He had gone completely pale.<\/p>\n \u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n Samuel shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew Daniel was alive.\u201d<\/p>\n My eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n \u201cYou knew?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn’t know he was working with Elias.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel smiled faintly.<\/p>\n \u201cSamuel always believed he could save you.\u201d<\/p>\n He leaned closer to my mother.<\/p>\n She was crying.<\/p>\n I shouted:<\/p>\n \u201cLet her go!\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cShe hasn’t been harmed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen release her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you come here.\u201d<\/p>\n Samuel immediately stepped between me and the screen.<\/p>\n \u201cDon’t listen to him.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cStill protecting her after all these years?\u201d<\/p>\n Samuel’s expression hardened.<\/p>\n \u201cYou’ve already taken too much.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel looked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou took everything from me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know exactly what I’m talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked between them.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened between you?\u201d<\/p>\n Neither answered.<\/p>\n I stepped forward.<\/p>\n \u201cI want the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cYou always did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou were always the curious one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was a child.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was forced to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBy whom?\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel looked at Samuel.<\/p>\n \u201cAsk him.\u201d<\/p>\n I turned to Samuel.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n Samuel shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn’t kill Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen why did he fake his death?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause Elias wanted him dead.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s not what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n Samuel stared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou’re lying.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI survived because you failed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStop!\u201d<\/p>\n My voice echoed through the room.<\/p>\n Both men went silent.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t care who betrayed whom.\u201d<\/p>\n I pointed at the screen.<\/p>\n \u201cMy mother is there.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at Samuel.<\/p>\n \u201cMy children are inside me.\u201d<\/p>\n I touched my stomach.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I want answers.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cThen you’re finally ready.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReady for what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo learn why you were created.\u201d<\/p>\n I felt a chill.<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn’t created.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel’s smile disappeared.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Laura.\u201d<\/p>\n He said it quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cYou were.\u201d<\/p>\n I shook my head.<\/p>\n \u201cI was born.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou were born after someone decided exactly what genetic material would be used.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat doesn’t mean I was created.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt does when the purpose of your existence was determined before your mother ever became pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n My stomach turned.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat purpose?\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel looked directly at me.<\/p>\n \u201cTo cure me.\u201d<\/p>\n Silence.<\/p>\n I didn’t understand.<\/p>\n \u201cYou?\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cI was sick.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat disease?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSomething genetic.\u201d<\/p>\n Samuel spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cDaniel inherited a rare disorder.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel glared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cDon’t simplify it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen explain it yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel turned back toward me.<\/p>\n \u201cMy condition was considered incurable.\u201d<\/p>\n I listened.<\/p>\n \u201cYour mother was one of the first patients selected for a genetic research program.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy her?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause she had a particular genetic profile.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd my father?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour father was compatible with the treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n I frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I was born to cure you?\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s what they intended.\u201d<\/p>\n My eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n \u201cThat can’t be true.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou weren’t supposed to live with your parents.\u201d<\/p>\n I felt sick.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe original agreement was that you would be transferred to the research facility after birth.\u201d<\/p>\n My mother screamed from the screen:<\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel looked at her.<\/p>\n \u201cYou broke the agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was your sister-in-law!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou stole my chance.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI stole nothing!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou took the child.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI took my daughter!\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel’s expression hardened.<\/p>\n \u201cShe wasn’t yours.\u201d<\/p>\n My mother cried.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was my baby!\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn’t listen anymore.<\/p>\n I turned away.<\/p>\n My entire childhood was collapsing around me.<\/p>\n The birthday cakes.<\/p>\n The school photographs.<\/p>\n My father’s hugs.<\/p>\n My mother’s bedtime stories.<\/p>\n Everything.<\/p>\n Had I really been born as part of a medical experiment?<\/p>\n Had my parents spent my entire life hiding it?<\/p>\n Had Daniel spent twenty-nine years believing I belonged to him?<\/p>\n Then I remembered something.<\/p>\n The file.<\/p>\n Subject Seven.<\/p>\n The other eleven children.<\/p>\n I turned toward Samuel.<\/p>\n \u201cYou said the other subjects died.\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEight confirmed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEight?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the others?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart pounded.<\/p>\n \u201cYou said eleven disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel interrupted.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause three survived.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are they?\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s what Elias wants you to find.\u201d<\/p>\n Samuel suddenly shouted:<\/p>\n \u201cDon’t!\u201d<\/p>\n The screen flickered.<\/p>\n Daniel looked amused.<\/p>\n \u201cSamuel never told you about the others.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat others?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSubjects Four, Nine, and Eleven.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are they?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlive.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart jumped.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel leaned toward the camera.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of them has been searching for you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour entire life.\u201d<\/p>\n I felt cold.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause he believes you caused his family to die.\u201d<\/p>\n I shook my head.<\/p>\n \u201cI was a baby.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat doesn’t matter to him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho is he?\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cSubject Eleven.\u201d<\/p>\n The screen went black.<\/p>\n I stared at it.<\/p>\n \u201cDaniel!\u201d<\/p>\n Nothing.<\/p>\n I turned toward Samuel.<\/p>\n \u201cWho is Subject Eleven?\u201d<\/p>\n He didn’t answer.<\/p>\n \u201cTell me!\u201d<\/p>\n Samuel looked away.<\/p>\n I stepped closer.<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n Finally, he whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cYour brother.\u201d<\/p>\n The word hit me like a physical blow.<\/p>\n \u201cMy\u2026 brother?\u201d<\/p>\n Samuel nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cYou had a twin.\u201d<\/p>\n I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot an identical twin.\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn’t speak.<\/p>\n \u201cYour mother gave birth to two children.\u201d<\/p>\n My eyes moved toward the screen.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy didn’t I know?\u201d<\/p>\n Samuel looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause they took him.\u201d<\/p>\n My hands shook.<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cElias.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause he wasn’t compatible.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe carried the wrong mutation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I carried the right one?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo they kept me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd discarded him.\u201d<\/p>\n I felt sick.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is he now?\u201d<\/p>\n Samuel hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cAlive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou’re lying.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI swear.\u201d<\/p>\n I stepped backward.<\/p>\n Then a thought hit me.<\/p>\n The twins.<\/p>\n My twins.<\/p>\n The babies inside me.<\/p>\n If I had been one of twelve experimental children\u2026<\/p>\n what did that mean for them?<\/p>\n I looked down.<\/p>\n \u201cAre my babies being watched?\u201d<\/p>\n Samuel’s expression changed.<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBy whom?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart sank.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause they’re the first generation born naturally from Subject Seven.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat makes them special?\u201d<\/p>\n Samuel stared at my stomach.<\/p>\n \u201cThey inherited your genetic markers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey also inherited something from their biological father.\u201d<\/p>\n I froze.<\/p>\n \u201cDiego?\u201d<\/p>\n Samuel didn’t answer.<\/p>\n \u201cIs Diego their father?\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean you don’t know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe paternity records were altered.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBy whom?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cElias.\u201d<\/p>\n I felt dizzy.<\/p>\n \u201cSo the twins might not be Diego’s.\u201d<\/p>\n Samuel nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cThen whose are they?\u201d<\/p>\n He whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to find out before they are born.\u201d<\/p>\n My phone suddenly rang.<\/p>\n I answered.<\/p>\n It was Paula.<\/p>\n Her voice was shaking.<\/p>\n \u201cLaura.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI escaped.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cElias had me too.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart pounded.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPaula!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI’ve been running.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTell me where you are.\u201d<\/p>\n She whispered an address.<\/p>\n I recognized it.<\/p>\n It was the old hospital where I had my first ultrasound.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you doing there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI found something.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe original pregnancy file.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRead it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can’t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause there’s something else here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n Her voice dropped.<\/p>\n \u201cA man.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n She stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cPaula?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think it’s Subject Eleven.\u201d<\/p>\n The line went dead.<\/p>\n I stared at the phone.<\/p>\n Samuel looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can’t go there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLaura\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy mother is missing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDaniel has her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Paula may have found my brother.\u201d<\/p>\n Samuel stepped closer.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s a trap.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEverything is a trap.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I’m done running.\u201d<\/p>\n We reached the old hospital twenty minutes later.<\/p>\n The building was almost completely abandoned.<\/p>\n Only one floor still had electricity.<\/p>\n The fourth floor.<\/p>\n The same floor where my first ultrasound had been performed.<\/p>\n I walked through the corridor.<\/p>\n Every step brought back memories.<\/p>\n The first time I heard the heartbeat.<\/p>\n The first time the doctor told me there were two babies.<\/p>\n The first time Diego looked terrified.<\/p>\n Now I knew that maybe none of it had been coincidence.<\/p>\n We reached the ultrasound room.<\/p>\n The door was open.<\/p>\n Paula was inside.<\/p>\n She was sitting on the floor.<\/p>\n Blood was on her forehead.<\/p>\n I rushed toward her.<\/p>\n \u201cPaula!\u201d<\/p>\n She looked up.<\/p>\n \u201cLaura\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe came.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed toward the hallway.<\/p>\n \u201cYour brother.\u201d<\/p>\n I froze.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe left.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere did he go?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did he look like?\u201d<\/p>\n She began crying.<\/p>\n \u201cHe looks like you.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe has your eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn’t breathe.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is the file?\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed to the examination table.<\/p>\n I picked it up.<\/p>\n The folder was old.<\/p>\n Yellowed.<\/p>\n My name was written across it.<\/p>\n But beneath my name was another.<\/p>\n SUBJECT 11 \u2014 MALE.<\/strong><\/p>\n I opened the first page.<\/p>\n Date of birth.<\/p>\n The same as mine.<\/p>\n I stared.<\/p>\n \u201cTwin?\u201d<\/p>\n Paula nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cLook at the bottom.\u201d<\/p>\n I did.<\/p>\n There was a handwritten note.<\/p>\n SUBJECT 07 \u2014 RETAIN.<\/strong><\/p>\n SUBJECT 11 \u2014 REMOVE.<\/strong><\/p>\n I felt sick.<\/p>\n \u201cRemove?\u201d<\/p>\n Paula whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cThey separated you.\u201d<\/p>\n I turned the page.<\/p>\n Another note.<\/p>\n SUBJECT 11 TRANSFERRED TO PRIVATE CUSTODY.<\/strong><\/p>\n I stared.<\/p>\n \u201cPrivate custody?\u201d<\/p>\n Paula nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone adopted him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed to the next page.<\/p>\n I read the name.<\/p>\n My heart stopped.<\/p>\n Daniel Varela.<\/strong><\/p>\n My uncle.<\/p>\n The man who was supposed to be dead.<\/p>\n The man currently holding my mother.<\/p>\n He had raised my brother.<\/p>\n My whole body shook.<\/p>\n \u201cDaniel knew.\u201d<\/p>\n Paula nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cHe knew everything.\u201d<\/p>\n I flipped through the remaining documents.<\/p>\n Then I saw something that made me stop.<\/p>\n A photograph.<\/p>\n A little boy.<\/p>\n Maybe five years old.<\/p>\n Standing beside Daniel.<\/p>\n His eyes were mine.<\/p>\n His smile was mine.<\/p>\n And on the back of the photograph was written:<\/p>\n Subject Eleven \u2014 Adrian.<\/strong><\/p>\n My brother had a name.<\/p>\n Adrian.<\/p>\n I whispered it.<\/p>\n \u201cAdrian.\u201d<\/p>\n Then I heard a voice behind me.<\/p>\n \u201cYou finally found me.\u201d<\/p>\n I turned.<\/p>\n A man stood in the doorway.<\/p>\n He was around my age.<\/p>\n Dark hair.<\/p>\n Tired eyes.<\/p>\n A scar along his cheek.<\/p>\n And when he looked at me\u2026<\/p>\n I saw myself.<\/p>\n Not exactly.<\/p>\n But enough.<\/p>\n My heart pounded.<\/p>\n \u201cAdrian?\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn’t speak.<\/p>\n He stepped closer.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don’t remember me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou shouldn’t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause they erased me from your life.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n He laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone.\u201d<\/p>\n He pointed at the file.<\/p>\n \u201cYour mother.\u201d<\/p>\n I shook my head.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour father.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSamuel.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cEven Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause they were afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf what?\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at my stomach.<\/p>\n \u201cOf what you would become.\u201d<\/p>\n I instinctively covered my belly.<\/p>\n Adrian’s expression softened.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m not here to hurt you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen why are you here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo warn you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour children.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart raced.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about them?\u201d<\/p>\n He stepped closer.<\/p>\n \u201cThey aren’t safe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n He shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don’t.\u201d<\/p>\n He pulled a small device from his pocket.<\/p>\n \u201cYour twins have already been registered.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRegistered where?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA genetic database.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBy whom?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cElias.\u201d<\/p>\n I felt cold.<\/p>\n \u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n Adrian looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause the moment you became pregnant, the system recognized the genetic markers.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour pregnancy was never supposed to happen naturally.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause Subject Seven was considered sterile after the treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n I frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat treatment?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe treatment they performed after you were born.\u201d<\/p>\n My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat treatment?\u201d<\/p>\n Adrian looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cThey changed something in your body.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n He whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cThey activated the genes.\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn’t breathe.<\/p>\n \u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo you could carry the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou’re saying I was designed to have these babies?\u201d<\/p>\n Adrian nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n My eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n He reached into his pocket.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is something else.\u201d<\/p>\n He handed me a small memory card.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat’s on it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour mother’s confession.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cShe recorded it before they took her.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at the card.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does she confess?\u201d<\/p>\n Adrian looked away.<\/p>\n \u201cThat she knew the twins weren’t Diego’s.\u201d<\/p>\n Silence.<\/p>\n I felt as though the floor had disappeared beneath me.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe knew before the first ultrasound.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe knew before you even told Diego.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe knew because she was the one who arranged it.\u201d<\/p>\n My blood ran cold.<\/p>\n \u201cMy mother?\u201d<\/p>\n Adrian nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cShe chose the donor.\u201d<\/p>\n My hands shook.<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n Adrian looked directly at me.<\/p>\n Then he said:<\/p>\n \u201cSamuel.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cMy biological father?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn’t breathe.<\/p>\n My twins\u2026<\/p>\n might be carrying genetic material from the same man who had fathered me.<\/p>\n The thought was horrifying.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Adrian immediately shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cNot like that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen explain!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe donor wasn’t Samuel’s ordinary genetic material.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe had a modified genome.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared.<\/p>\n \u201cThe embryos were created from modified cells.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the twins?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour body combined those markers with Diego’s.\u201d<\/p>\n I froze.<\/p>\n \u201cThen Diego is their father?\u201d<\/p>\n Adrian nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cBiologically, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n A wave of relief.<\/p>\n Then another thought.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy did Samuel say he didn’t know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause he wanted you to doubt Diego.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo make you easier to control.\u201d<\/p>\n I opened my eyes.<\/p>\n Adrian looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cThere’s one more thing you need to know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n He hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cYour twins aren’t the only babies involved.\u201d<\/p>\n My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone else is pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPaula.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe was part of the same program.\u201d<\/p>\n My blood ran cold.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was never just Diego’s affair.\u201d<\/p>\n Adrian looked toward the hallway.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was selected years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo carry another generation.\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn’t speak.<\/p>\n Then suddenly\u2014<\/p>\n The hospital lights went out.<\/p>\n Complete darkness.<\/p>\n Paula screamed.<\/p>\n Adrian grabbed my hand.<\/p>\n \u201cDon’t move.\u201d<\/p>\n A door slammed somewhere nearby.<\/p>\n Footsteps.<\/p>\n Several people.<\/p>\n Coming toward us.<\/p>\n Adrian whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cThey found us.\u201d<\/p>\n I heard a voice from the hallway.<\/p>\n Daniel.<\/p>\n \u201cLaura.\u201d<\/p>\n My blood froze.<\/p>\n \u201cCome out.\u201d<\/p>\n Another voice.<\/p>\n Samuel.<\/p>\n \u201cDaniel, stop.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cYou still think you can save her?\u201d<\/p>\n Then another voice joined them.<\/p>\n Cold.<\/p>\n Calm.<\/p>\n Familiar.<\/p>\n Elias.<\/p>\n \u201cBring her to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Adrian tightened his grip on my hand.<\/p>\n \u201cThere’s a back exit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBehind the ultrasound room.\u201d<\/p>\n We ran.<\/p>\n Paula followed.<\/p>\n The corridor was dark.<\/p>\n Behind us, doors slammed open.<\/p>\n Someone shouted:<\/p>\n \u201cStop!\u201d<\/p>\n We reached the back stairwell.<\/p>\n Adrian pushed the door open.<\/p>\n \u201cGo!\u201d<\/p>\n I ran down the stairs.<\/p>\n But halfway down, I heard Paula scream.<\/p>\n I turned.<\/p>\n She was gone.<\/p>\n \u201cPaula!\u201d<\/p>\n Adrian grabbed me.<\/p>\n \u201cKeep moving!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey took her!\u201d<\/p>\n We reached the basement.<\/p>\n A single emergency light flickered.<\/p>\n Adrian opened a metal door.<\/p>\n Inside was a tunnel.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere does this go?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOutside.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI escaped through here years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n We ran.<\/p>\n Then I heard something behind us.<\/p>\n Footsteps.<\/p>\n Adrian stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cKeep going.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI’ll hold them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLaura.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cYou’re my sister.\u201d<\/p>\n My eyes filled.<\/p>\n \u201cI just found you.\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cThen don’t lose me again.\u201d<\/p>\n He turned.<\/p>\n I ran.<\/p>\n Behind me, I heard shouting.<\/p>\n Then a gunshot.<\/p>\n I stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cAdrian!\u201d<\/p>\n Another gunshot.<\/p>\n I turned back.<\/p>\n But he was gone.<\/p>\n I ran through the tunnel until I reached the exit.<\/p>\n Outside, the sky was beginning to brighten.<\/p>\n Dawn.<\/p>\n I collapsed against the wall.<\/p>\n My phone vibrated.<\/p>\n One new message.<\/p>\n Unknown number.<\/p>\n I opened it.<\/p>\n A photograph.<\/p>\n Adrian.<\/p>\n Alive.<\/p>\n But he was tied to a chair.<\/p>\n Beside him was Paula.<\/p>\n And behind them stood Daniel.<\/p>\n The message said:<\/p>\n You have one hour.<\/strong><\/p>\n Then another message appeared.<\/p>\n Bring Subject Seven alone.<\/strong><\/p>\n And finally:<\/p>\n Or your brother and Paula die.<\/strong><\/p>\n I stared at the screen.<\/p>\n My hands trembled.<\/p>\n Then the phone rang.<\/p>\n I answered.<\/p>\n Daniel’s voice came through.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have something I need.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe twins.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou’re insane.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n He laughed softly.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m their uncle.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou’re not.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou kidnapped my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe knows too much.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou took Adrian.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe belongs to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe’s my brother!\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel went silent.<\/p>\n Then he said:<\/p>\n \u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI want you to come home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere it all began.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n He gave me an address.<\/p>\n My mother’s old fertility clinic.<\/p>\n The clinic where I had been born.<\/p>\n The clinic that had supposedly been abandoned twenty-nine years ago.<\/p>\n Then he said:<\/p>\n \u201cCome alone.\u201d<\/p>\n The call ended.<\/p>\n I looked at the sunrise.<\/p>\n Then at my stomach.<\/p>\n I placed my hand over the twins.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m coming.\u201d<\/p>\n But I wasn’t going alone.<\/p>\n Because for the first time in my life, I knew exactly what I was fighting for.<\/p>\n My mother.<\/p>\n My brother.<\/p>\n My unborn children.<\/p>\n And the truth.<\/p>\n I turned toward the road.<\/p>\n A black car was waiting.<\/p>\n The driver’s window lowered.<\/p>\n Valeria was behind the wheel.<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn’t think I’d let you go alone, did you?\u201d<\/p>\n I climbed in.<\/p>\n She looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n I handed her the phone.<\/p>\n She read the messages.<\/p>\n Her face became serious.<\/p>\n \u201cThen we’re going to that clinic.\u201d<\/p>\n I nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we’re not walking into their trap.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are we doing?\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at the old photograph of the twelve babies.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re turning the trap around.\u201d<\/p>\n Valeria started the engine.<\/p>\n We drove toward the clinic.<\/p>\n Neither of us knew that inside the abandoned building, Daniel was already waiting.<\/p>\n Neither of us knew that Samuel had been taken.<\/p>\n Neither of us knew that Paula had discovered a secret that could destroy the entire program.<\/p>\n And neither of us knew that Adrian had managed to leave one final message before he was captured.<\/p>\n A message that arrived on my phone just as we reached the clinic.<\/p>\n I opened it.<\/p>\n There was no text.<\/p>\n Only a photograph.<\/p>\n A newborn baby.<\/p>\n Numbered 13<\/strong>.<\/p>\n My heart stopped.<\/p>\n Underneath the photograph was a date.<\/p>\n Tomorrow.<\/strong><\/p>\n Then one final sentence appeared:<\/p>\n Subject 13 is already alive.<\/strong><\/p>\n I looked at Valeria.<\/p>\n \u201cWho is Subject 13?\u201d<\/p>\n She stared at the screen.<\/p>\n Then her face went completely white.<\/p>\n \u201cLaura\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n She whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cI think I know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n She looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cYour mother.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at her.<\/p>\n \u201cThat makes no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n Valeria shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n She zoomed in on the photograph.<\/p>\n \u201cThat isn’t a newborn.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked closer.<\/p>\n The image had been manipulated.<\/p>\n The baby wasn’t the important part.<\/p>\n There was a reflection in the glass beside it.<\/p>\n A woman’s face.<\/p>\n Older.<\/p>\n Terrified.<\/p>\n Alive.<\/p>\n My mother.<\/p>\n But beneath her reflection was another image.<\/p>\n A hospital wristband.<\/p>\n And the name printed on it was not my mother’s.<\/p>\n It was mine.<\/p>\n LAURA VARELA \u2014 SUBJECT 13.<\/strong><\/p>\n My heart stopped.<\/p>\n I looked at Valeria.<\/p>\n \u201cI was Subject Seven.\u201d<\/p>\n She nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cThen why does this say Subject Thirteen?\u201d<\/p>\n Neither of us had an answer.<\/p>\n Until my phone rang again.<\/p>\n This time, the caller ID wasn’t unknown.<\/p>\n It was my mother’s number.<\/p>\n I answered.<\/p>\n No one spoke.<\/p>\n Then I heard a baby’s cry.<\/p>\n My blood turned cold.<\/p>\n A man’s voice whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cWelcome to the final stage, Subject Seven.\u201d<\/p>\n The call ended.<\/p>\n And from inside the abandoned clinic\u2026<\/p>\n a second baby’s cry answered.<\/p>\n
\nI stopped breathing.
\nFor several seconds, I couldn’t even understand what I was seeing.
\nThe man standing behind my mother was supposed to be dead.
\nNot missing.
\nNot hiding.
\nNot living somewhere under another name.
\nDead.
\n<\/strong>My uncle Daniel.
\nMy father’s younger brother.
\nThe man who had carried me on his shoulders when I was a little girl.
\nThe man who had taught me how to ride a bicycle.
\nThe man whose funeral I had attended fifteen years ago.
\nThe man whose photograph had sat beside my father’s photograph in our family home.
\nHe was alive.
\nAnd he was standing behind my mother.
\nI whispered his name.
\n\u201cDaniel?\u201d
\nHe smiled.
\nNot warmly.
\nNot lovingly.
\nAlmost sadly.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nMy knees weakened.
\nI grabbed the edge of the table.
\n\u201cNo\u2026\u201d
\nDaniel looked at me through the screen.
\n\u201cI know this is difficult.\u201d
\n\u201cDifficult?\u201d<\/p>\n
\n