CHAPTER 10 — The Truth Was Never About Emily
Police stormed the charity gala.
But Henry Blackwood had vanished before they arrived.
His limousine was empty.
His security team had disappeared.
It was as if he'd never been there.
Back at the hospital, Thomas finally revealed the one secret he had protected for twelve years.
"This was never about curing Ava."
Everyone turned toward him.
He carefully unfolded the final document from his metal box.
It wasn't a birth certificate.
It wasn't a DNA report.
It was Henry Blackwood's private research file.
At the top, in bold red letters, were the words:
PROJECT PHOENIX
Sarah scanned the pages.
Her face lost all color.
Emily wasn't chosen by accident.
Neither was Ava.
The babies had been selected before they were born.
Doctors had secretly collected blood samples from pregnant mothers across the state, searching for one extremely rare genetic mutation.
Only three unborn babies matched.
Emily.
Ava.
And the missing third child.
Henry believed that mutation could unlock a revolutionary medical treatment worth billions of dollars.
The baby switch...
The fake diagnoses...
The stolen identities...
Even the murders...
They had all been part of one experiment designed to protect Project Phoenix.
Emily whispered,
"So... I wasn't a mistake."
Thomas gently held her hand.
"No."
"You were the child they wanted most."
Before anyone could say another word...
The hospital lights suddenly went out.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Then Emily's heart monitor began to scream.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Emergency backup lights flickered on.
Emily's hospital bed...
Was empty.
The window was open.
A single note lay on the pillow.
It read:
May you like
"Project Phoenix has begun. Don't look for her."
THE END... OR IS IT?
