CHAPTER 7 – The Man Who Knew the Future
Emma's hands shook so violently that the birth certificate slipped onto the floor.
No one spoke.
The room felt colder than before.
Dr. Harrison bent down and picked it up carefully.
"The paper is authentic," he whispered.
"The watermark... the government seal... everything is real."
Daniel frowned.
"That's impossible."
Claire backed away from the table.
"I've seen this before."
Everyone looked at her.
"When I was pregnant with Emma... they showed me papers from the future too."
Emma stared at her mother.
"You never told me."
"They made sure I couldn't."
Claire wiped away tears.
"They locked me in this hospital for weeks. Every day they told me my daughter would destroy the Carter family."
Daniel slowly turned another page inside the black folder.
It contained surveillance photographs.
Emma...
At six years old.
Emma...
Graduating high school.
Emma...
On her wedding day.
Emma gasped.
"How could they have these?"
The final photo had been taken only three days earlier.
It showed Emma entering the hospital for her ultrasound.
Someone had been watching her.
For her entire life.
Dr. Harrison flipped to the next page.
It wasn't a medical report.
It was a payment ledger.
Millions of dollars.
Transferred every year.
Same amount.
Same date.
Same recipient.
The Carter Foundation.
Daniel looked at Richard.
"You've been funding this project for decades."
Richard smiled for the first time.
"I inherited it."
Emma's heart sank.
"Inherited... what?"
Richard slowly removed an old silver key from his pocket.
"My father protected it."
"My grandfather protected it."
"And now..."
He looked directly at Emma.
"It belongs to you."
Emma shook her head.
"I don't want any part of this."
"You don't have a choice."
Richard inserted the key into a hidden compartment inside the cabinet.
A steel drawer slid open.
Inside rested an old leather journal.
The cover simply read:
KEEPER OF THE FOUR.
Richard handed it to Emma.
"Open the last page."
She did.
The handwriting wasn't old.
It wasn't faded.
It was fresh.
Written in blue ink.
Today's date.
July 6, 2026.
Her own name.
Emma Carter will refuse the inheritance.
She looked up in horror.
Richard calmly continued.
"Read the next line."
Emma's lips trembled.
She whispered,
"...She refuses because she still believes Daniel is the father."
Daniel frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Richard slowly closed his eyes.
"It means..."
"...he isn't."
The room exploded into chaos.
Emma staggered backward.
"What did you say?"
Richard looked at Daniel without a trace of emotion.
"The babies growing inside her..."
"...share none of your DNA."
Daniel laughed nervously.
"That's ridiculous."
Dr. Harrison interrupted.
"The genetic test results..."
"They came back fifteen minutes ago."
He couldn't even look at Daniel.
"The babies are genetically related to Emma."
He paused.
"But there is no identifiable father."
Silence.
Then every computer screen in the abandoned ward suddenly switched on by themselves.
May you like
One sentence appeared across every monitor.
THE FOUR ARE COMING HOME.
