The Hidden heir’s revenge

Chapter 74 — The Son Who Was Never Born

Varek stared at Samuel.

For a moment, he thought he had misunderstood the boy.

“Repeat that.”

Samuel tilted his head.

“You’re not my father.”

His voice was calm, but something about it was wrong. The little boy who had been crying moments earlier was gone. In his place stood someone whose eyes carried a strange understanding.

“You’re my son.”

Mary covered her mouth.

“No. Not again.”

Varek turned towards her.

“What is happening to him?”

Mary couldn’t answer.

Samuel looked at her.

“You promised you would never let them do it again.”

Mary began shaking her head.

“I tried to protect you.”

“You protected the wrong child.”

Varek grabbed Samuel gently by the shoulders.

“Look at me. What is your name?”

The boy blinked.

For a few seconds, his expression softened.

“Samuel.”

“Good. And how old are you?”

“Six.”

“Who is your mother?”

He hesitated.

“Helena.”

Varek looked towards Helena.

She was crying silently.

“Who am I?” Varek asked.

Samuel’s eyes changed again.

“You are the child they buried before you were born.”

Varek released him.

Matthew moved closer.

“That’s not a normal memory response.”

“Can you stop it?” Varek demanded.

“I don’t know how.”

Alistair, who had been standing near the damaged cabinet, suddenly laughed.

“Now you understand.”

Varek turned towards him.

“Understand what?”

“The transfer has begun. The memories are waking up.”

“You said the transfer would move Samuel’s memories into me.”

“It was designed to.”

“Then why is he speaking like this?”

Alistair looked at Mary.

“Because the system was never designed to transfer memories from one child to another.”

Mary stepped forward.

“Don’t.”

“It was designed to transfer an identity.”

Varek felt cold.

“What identity?”

Alistair smiled.

“The identity of the first Varek Thorne.”

Jonathan slowly stood.

“Alistair, shut your mouth.”

“Why? Are you afraid he’ll finally learn the truth?”

Jonathan looked towards Varek.

“You must not believe him.”

Varek raised his gun.

“Both of you will stop talking until I ask another question.”

He turned towards Mary.

“You said you were my grandmother. You said Isabella was my mother. Now Samuel is calling me his son. I want one answer at a time.”

Mary nodded.

“All right.”

“Who gave birth to me?”

“Isabella.”

“Who raised me?”

“Eleanor.”

“Who carried me out of the original nursery?”

“I did.”

Varek frowned.

“You?”

Mary nodded.

“I carried you to Eleanor because she was the only person I trusted to keep you alive.”

“Then why did you allow everyone to believe you were dead?”

“Because Alistair wanted you to disappear. He had discovered that you were not responding to the identity programme like the other children. You remembered things you had never experienced.”

Varek stared at her.

“What things?”

“Conversations. Faces. Places. Even names from records that had been destroyed.”

Matthew looked surprised.

“That sounds like inherited memory.”

Mary nodded.

“Exactly.”

Alistair laughed.

“She is leaving out the important part.”

Varek turned.

“Which is?”

“You were not the first child to carry those memories.”

Alistair walked closer.

“The original Varek Thorne had a son. That son had a son. The name passed through generations, but the family never recorded the true line of succession.”

Jonathan interrupted.

“That’s enough.”

“No, Jonathan. You have spent years pretending to be the last surviving Thorne heir. Let him hear it.”

Alistair looked at Varek.

“The original Varek Thorne had a son named Samuel.”

Varek glanced at the boy.

Alistair continued.

“Samuel grew up, had a child, and named him Varek. The name was passed down again. The boy standing before you carries the original Samuel identity.”

Mary shook her head.

“That is not the whole truth.”

“Of course it isn’t,” Alistair replied. “But it is enough to explain why the system recognizes them as father and son.”

Varek looked at Samuel.

“Are you saying he is my descendant?”

Alistair smiled.

“I’m saying the boy’s memories contain the identity of a man who lived long before you were born.”

Samuel suddenly held his head.

“Stop!”

His small body shook.

Varek rushed towards him.

“Samuel!”

The boy grabbed his jacket.

“I don’t want to remember anymore.”

Varek held him firmly.

“Then don’t. Stay with me.”

Samuel buried his face against Varek’s chest.

For a moment, the strange expression disappeared.

He was just a frightened child again.

“Please don’t let them put me in the white room.”

Varek looked towards Mary.

“What is the white room?”

Mary closed her eyes.

“The original memory chamber.”

Matthew stepped forward.

“I thought it was destroyed.”

“It was sealed,” Mary corrected. “The room was built beneath the first nursery. It contains the original transfer equipment.”

Jonathan suddenly moved towards the door.

Victor, who had returned from the corridor, blocked him.

“Not so fast.”

Victor held up a small device.

“I found this in the security room.”

Matthew took it.

His face changed immediately.

“What is it?”

“A remote access key.”

Matthew examined the screen.

“This device can activate the original chamber.”

Varek turned towards Jonathan.

“Is that what you were trying to do?”

Jonathan shook his head.

“Not me.”

Alistair smiled.

“He’s telling the truth.”

Everyone looked at him.

“Richard has the second key,” Alistair explained. “And he has been waiting for the right moment to activate it.”

Adrian stepped forward.

“Where is he?”

“Below us.”

Matthew checked the device again.

“He’s accessing the lower medical archive.”

Mary’s face went pale.

“Then we have very little time.”

Varek looked at her.

“Time for what?”

“To reach the white room before Richard completes the second transfer.”

“What happens if he does?”

Mary looked at Samuel.

“The memories will no longer belong to him.”

“And where will they go?”

She met Varek’s eyes.

“Into you.”

Varek glanced at the boy.

“Will it kill him?”

Mary didn’t answer immediately.

“There’s a chance.”

“Then we’re not doing it.”

Alistair laughed.

“You cannot stop the system now.”

Varek pointed his gun at him.

“Watch me.”

Suddenly, Naomi’s voice came through Matthew’s device.

“Varek! Can you hear me?”

He took the device.

“Naomi, what’s happening?”

“I’ve accessed the lower archive. There’s a new file. It has your name on it.”

“What does it say?”

Naomi hesitated.

“Your birth record has been updated.”

Varek’s stomach tightened.

“Read it.”

She took a breath.

“Name: Varek Thorne. Date of birth: twenty-nine years ago.”

“That’s all?”

“No.”

“What else?”

Naomi’s voice became quieter.

“Mother: Isabella Thorne. Father: Samuel Thorne.”

Varek looked at the little boy.

Samuel slowly lifted his head.

Naomi continued.

“But there’s another section.”

“What?”

“Previous identity.”

Varek closed his eyes.

“Read it.”

Naomi paused.

Then she spoke.

“Previous identity: Samuel Thorne.”

Nobody moved.

Varek looked at the boy again.

Samuel was staring at him.

“That’s not my name,” the child whispered.

Mary began crying.

“No, sweetheart. It isn’t.”

Varek turned towards her.

“What does this mean?”

Mary walked closer.

“It means someone has used the same identity to register two different lives.”

“Mine and his?”

She nodded.

“But the boy is not your father, and you are not his son. The system has confused the two identities because they were deliberately connected.”

Matthew looked at the screen.

“That explains the repeated Subject Five records.”

Adrian frowned.

“Then who is the real Samuel?”

Mary looked towards the floor.

“That is the question everyone has been trying to hide.”

A loud metallic sound came from beneath them.

The floor trembled.

The screen on Matthew’s device flashed red.

WHITE ROOM: OPENING.

SECOND TRANSFER: 87%.

Mary grabbed Varek’s arm.

“We have to move.”

Varek lifted Samuel into his arms.

Victor took the lead, followed by Adrian and Matthew.

Helena remained behind.

Varek looked at her.

“Are you coming?”

She shook her head.

“I have to stay with Grace.”

Grace was still tied to the chair.

“Don’t leave me here!”

Helena rushed towards her and began cutting the restraints.

Alistair watched them.

“You’re all making the same mistake.”

Varek turned.

“Which mistake?”

“Thinking the white room is where the memories are kept.”

He smiled.

“The white room is where the memories are created.”

Varek froze.

Before he could question him, the lights went out.

A mechanical voice filled the nursery.

WELCOME BACK, ORIGINAL SUBJECT FIVE.

PLEASE PROCEED TO YOUR DESIGNATED CHAMBER.

Samuel began trembling in Varek’s arms.

Then he whispered:

“Varek…”

“What?”

The boy looked towards the dark corridor.

“That’s not Richard.”

A figure appeared at the far end.

It was wearing a medical coat.

Samuel buried his face against Varek’s shoulder.

“That’s the man who made me forget my real mother.”

The figure stepped into the emergency light.

Varek recognized him.

It was Matthew.

But the Matthew standing beside Adrian was still in the room.

Two identical men were now staring at each other.