Chapter 6 - My Father Was Alive, and He Had Been Watching Me From the ShadowsI couldn't speak.
My father stood in front of me.
Alive.
Healthy.
Older.
The man I had buried five years earlier had never been dead.
He looked at my wheelchair.
Then at Lucía.
For a second, something like regret crossed his face.
“You've grown.”
I almost laughed.
“You've been dead for twelve years.”
He shook his head.
“No.”
“You let me bury an empty coffin.”
“Yes.”
“You let me believe you were gone.”
“Yes.”
“You let me believe my brother died in an accident.”
He looked away.
“Yes.”
I hated him.
But the worst part was that I still wanted answers.
“Why?”
“Because I had to disappear.”
“For whom?”
“For you.”
“That excuse is finished.”
He nodded.
“I know.”
Lucía stepped closer.
He looked at her.
“She shouldn't be here.”
“She saved me.”
“She wasn't supposed to.”
“What?”
My father looked at Rafael.
“You betrayed me.”
Rafael laughed.
“You betrayed everyone first.”
The two men stood facing each other.
I didn't understand.
“Tell me the truth.”
My father took a breath.
“Project Lumen was intended to develop treatments for spinal injuries.”
“Then what happened?”
“The board demanded results.”
“How?”
“They expanded the trials.”
“To children.”
“Yes.”
“Sofía discovered it.”
“Yes.”
“Lucía was part of it.”
“Yes.”
I looked at the girl.
“Why did you keep her alive?”
“She was proof.”
“Proof of what?”
“That the treatment worked.”
I stared.
“And my accident?”
“Your accident was a failure.”
“Explain.”
He sat down.
“You were never supposed to be injured.”
“But I was.”
“Because your brother was targeted.”
“By whom?”
“The board.”
“Why?”
“He intended to expose them.”
My father looked at me.
“I tried to stop the assassination.”
“But someone sabotaged the car anyway.”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“Rafael.”
My uncle shook his head.
“Don't believe him.”
My father continued.
“Rafael wanted control of Project Lumen.”
“Why?”
“Money.”
I stared at Rafael.
He didn't deny it.
“But why keep Lucía alive?”
“She was worth billions to them.”
My stomach turned.
“She isn't a product.”
“No.”
My father looked down.
“She is a child.”
“Then why did you let it happen?”
His eyes filled with regret.
“Because I was weak.”
For the first time, I saw my father cry.
“I believed I could control monsters.”
He looked at me.
“I couldn't.”
A gunshot rang out.
Rafael fired at my father.
My father ducked.
Security rushed in.
Chaos erupted.
I grabbed Lucía.
“Stay with me.”
We ran.
My father shouted:
“Alejandro!”
I turned.
“Your legs can recover.”
I froze.
“How?”
He looked at Lucía.
“Because her mother figured it out.”
Sofía.
I needed to find her.
We escaped through a hidden tunnel beneath the manor.
Rafael's men followed.
We emerged near the coast.
A black helicopter waited.
My father looked at me.
“Go.”
“I won't leave you.”
“You have to.”
“Why?”
“Because they aren't after me anymore.”
He looked at Lucía.
“They are after her.”
We boarded.
As the helicopter lifted, I looked down.
My father remained on the shoreline.
He raised one hand.
Then disappeared into the mist.
We flew toward a private island.
There, I finally received the next message.
SOFÍA IS ALIVE.
Beneath it:
SHE HAS BEEN WAITING FOR YOU.
For the first time, I believed we could end this.
But when we reached the island, the house was empty.
On the kitchen table was a notebook.
Lucía recognized the handwriting.
“Mom.”
I opened it.
The first page said:
Alejandro,
If you're reading this, your father has finally told you the truth.
The next line made my heart stop.
You were never the intended subject.
You were the control.
I stared at the words.
“What does that mean?”
Lucía whispered:
“Your body.”
I looked at her.
May you like
She touched my knee.
“You were the one they were waiting for.”
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