Chapter 5: The Truth Between Two Lies
The darkness made everything feel unreal.
I couldn’t see Daniel.
I couldn’t see Adrian.
I could only hear them.
Two men who claimed they knew my past.
Two men who claimed they were protecting me.
Two men who had both lied.
The old apartment suddenly felt smaller.
Like the walls were closing in around me.
“Vivian.””
Daniel’s voice came again.
Calm.
Controlled.
The same voice that had guided me through my first job interview.
The same voice that had called me after my mother’s funeral and told me I wasn’t alone.
“Come with me.””
I didn’t move.
Adrian stepped in front of me.
“No.””
Daniel sighed.
“Adrian, don’t make this worse.””
A bitter laugh escaped Adrian.
“You’ve been making it worse for twelve years.””
There was a pause.
Then Daniel spoke.
“Vivian, you need to understand something.””
I stared into the darkness where I knew he was standing.
“What?””
“Everything Adrian has told you tonight is carefully chosen.””
My heart tightened.
“Meaning?””
“He’s giving you pieces of the truth.””
Adrian’s voice became sharp.
“Because the full truth would destroy you.””
Daniel ignored him.
“Ask him what happened the night of the accident.””
I looked at Adrian.
He didn’t speak.
That scared me.
“Adrian.””
His jaw tightened.
“Vivian, don’t listen to him.””
“That’s not an answer.””
Silence.
Daniel stepped closer.
“Exactly.””
The emergency lights flickered on.
The apartment filled with a weak red glow.
And there he was.
Daniel Cross.
Older than the man in my memories.
But still familiar.
Still the person who had helped me rebuild my life.
His eyes moved from me to Adrian.
Then back.
“Happy birthday, Vivian.””
The casual greeting made my stomach twist.
“You knew today was my birthday.””
Daniel looked almost hurt.
“Of course I did.””
“Why?””
He didn’t answer.
That was becoming a pattern.
Everyone knew things about me.
Everyone except me.
Adrian moved beside me.
“Don’t go with him.””
Daniel looked at him.
“You still pretend you’re the hero?””
Adrian’s expression darkened.
“I never said I was.””
That answer surprised me.
Daniel noticed too.
“You see?””
He looked at me.
“Even he knows.””
“Knows what?””
“That he failed you.””
The room went silent.
I looked at Adrian.
“What is he talking about?””
Adrian looked away.
Daniel took a step forward.
“Ask him where he was when your mother died.””
My breathing stopped.
I looked at Adrian.
“Where were you?””
He didn’t answer.
“Adrian.””
His voice was quiet.
“At the hospital.””
My stomach dropped.
“What?””
“I was there.””
“You told me you didn’t know my family.””
“I didn’t know how to explain.””
“You were at my mother’s death?””
“Yes.””
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
His face changed.
Because he knew the answer wasn’t going to make me feel better.
“Because after the procedure, you didn’t remember me.””
The words hung in the air.
Daniel watched silently.
I turned toward him.
“You said he caused this.””
Daniel nodded.
“Yes.””
Adrian immediately shook his head.
“No.””
Daniel continued.
“Vivian, the accident wasn’t an accident.””
My hands became cold.
“I know that.””
“No.””
He looked directly at me.
“You don’t.””
A strange feeling moved through me.
Like I was standing at the edge of a cliff.
“You think Adrian saved you that night.””
Daniel’s voice lowered.
“He didn’t.””
Adrian stepped forward.
“Stop.””
“You think he brought you away from Meridian to protect you.””
Daniel looked at me.
“But he was the one who took you there.””
I turned.
“What?””
Adrian’s face changed.
“Vivian—”
“No.””
I looked between them.
“Explain.””
Adrian closed his eyes.
“I was involved with Meridian.””
The confession felt like another crack in the ground.
“How involved?””
“I helped create the original program.””
I stared.
“You said you were trying to stop it.””
“I was.””
“When?””
“After I realized what Daniel was doing.””
Daniel laughed quietly.
“Convenient.””
Adrian ignored him.
“Vivian, I joined Meridian because I wanted to help people.””
“And then?””
“Then Daniel changed everything.””
“Why didn’t you leave?””
The question hit him.
Because he didn’t have an easy answer.
“I tried.””
“But you didn’t.””
“No.””
“Why?””
His voice became softer.
“Because you were there.””
I froze.
“What?””
“You were part of the program.””
“I volunteered.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Adrian looked at me.
“Because your mother was sick.””
I frowned.
“What does that have to do with anything?””
“She had been exposed to something at Meridian.””
My heart tightened.
“She was dying?””
“Yes.””
“And the program?””
“She thought it could save her.””
“But it didn’t.””
“No.””
The room became quiet.
“Then why was I involved?””
Adrian looked down.
“Because you were trying to find a cure.””
I shook my head.
“I’m not a scientist.””
“Not anymore.””
That sentence disturbed me.
“Not anymore?””
Adrian walked toward the table.
He picked up the notebook.
“Before everything happened, you weren’t just working there.””
He opened to a page.
“You were studying the memory system.””
I looked at my own handwriting.
Equations.
Notes.
Research.
A life I didn’t recognize.
“This isn’t me.””
“It was.””
“No.””
Adrian looked at me.
“Vivian, the person you became after the procedure was built from the memories that remained.””
I felt sick.
“So who am I?””
His answer came immediately.
“You.””
I stared.
“But which one?””
His expression softened.
“Both.””
Daniel interrupted.
“Don’t let him make this poetic.””
I looked at him.
“What do you want?””
Daniel was quiet.
Then he said:
“I want you alive.””
Adrian laughed bitterly.
“You always say that.””
“Because it’s true.””
“You erased her.””
“I protected her.””
“You destroyed her.””
“I saved her from knowing what she had done.””
I turned toward Daniel.
“What did I do?””
Neither man spoke.
That scared me more than anything.
“What did I do?””
Daniel looked at Adrian.
“Tell her.””
Adrian didn’t move.
“Tell her why she erased herself.””
I felt my heartbeat in my ears.
“Adrian.””
His eyes closed.
Then he whispered:
“Because you killed someone.””
The room disappeared.
“What?””
I stared at him.
“No.””
Adrian looked like he hated himself.
“Vivian…”
“No.””
I backed away.
“That’s not possible.””
“You were protecting someone.””
“Who?””
He didn’t answer.
“Who did I kill?””
Daniel stepped forward.
“Your father.””
The words shattered me.
“My father?””
I almost laughed.
“My father died when I was a child.””
Daniel’s face remained serious.
“That’s what you were told.””
I looked at Adrian.
“Is this true?””
He looked away.
And that was the answer.
“No.””
My voice broke.
“No.””
The memories came suddenly.
Not clear.
Not complete.
A man shouting.
A glass breaking.
My mother crying.
A door closing.
Then darkness.
I grabbed the table.
Adrian reached for me.
I pulled away.
“Don’t touch me.””
His hand stopped.
I hated the hurt on his face.
But I couldn’t handle it.
Not anymore.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?””
Daniel answered.
“Because you asked us not to.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
“You begged us to erase it.””
My breathing stopped.
Adrian whispered:
“You didn’t want to remember.””
“Why?””
No one answered.
Then my phone buzzed.
A message.
From an unknown number.
I looked down.
One sentence.
One attachment.
My blood froze.
Because the message was from me.
Not my handwriting.
Not an old note.
A video.
Recorded three months ago.
The night before Adrian found me.
I pressed play.
My own face appeared on the screen.
Older.
Tired.
Terrified.
I watched myself look directly into the camera.
And then my own voice spoke.
“If you’re watching this…”
The woman on the screen swallowed.
“…then Adrian has found you.””
I stopped breathing.
She looked behind her nervously.
Then whispered:
“Don’t trust him.””
The video froze.
But before it ended, my past self said one more thing.
A sentence that made Adrian turn completely pale.
“He didn’t forget what he did.””
The screen went black.
I slowly lowered my phone.
Everyone was silent.
Then I looked at Adrian.
“Who did you kill?””
His face lost all color.
May you like
And for the first time…
he looked afraid of me.