Chapter 20 - The Woman Who Shared Her Face
Emily stared at the woman standing across the cabinet.
Every feature was familiar.
The same brown eyes.
The same scar beneath the chin.
Even the nervous habit of pressing her lips together before speaking.
It was like looking into a mirror that had aged differently.
The woman slowly released the cabinet door.
"You only have a few minutes," she whispered. "Please listen before you decide."
Daniel immediately stepped between them.
"Emily, stay back."
The woman shook her head.
"He still thinks protecting you means hiding everything."
Emily's pulse accelerated.
"Who are you?"
The woman answered without hesitation.
"My name is Sarah."
"That's not what I asked."
"I know."
Sarah looked directly into Emily's eyes.
"I've been living under your identity for nearly six years."
Emily's mind refused to accept the sentence.
"That's impossible."
"I wish it were."
Red emergency lights continued flashing overhead.
Somewhere in the distance, heavy blast doors continued sealing sections of Level -4.
Sarah carefully removed a silver chain from around her neck.
Hanging from it was a small wedding ring.
Emily recognized the engraving immediately.
She had chosen those exact words years ago.
Always Find Me.
Only one ring had ever been engraved with those words.
The one Daniel claimed he had lost during a camping trip.
Sarah held it out.
"He gave this to me the night he realized the experiment had failed."
Daniel closed his eyes.
"I never should have."
Emily stepped backward.
"So both of you are telling different versions of the same story."
"No," Sarah replied quietly.
"We're telling different parts."
Before anyone could speak again, every monitor inside the laboratory suddenly activated.
Dr. Hale appeared simultaneously on dozens of screens.
"You continue disappointing me."
He smiled calmly.
"But that's why contingency plans exist."
The lights dimmed.
Behind Emily, rows of sealed storage pods began unlocking one by one.
May you like
Something inside them started moving.
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