Chapter 22 - THE ORIGINAL CAKELaura’s sealed bedroom had been preserved exactly as it was on Harper’s eighth birthday.
The butterfly cake sat beneath a glass cover.
It had not decayed.
It was a model made from wax and resin.
Nine candles surrounded a silver butterfly.
Daniel stood beside it when Harper’s group entered.
He held the original recording drive.
Victor was not with him.
Daniel looked at Bennett.
“Brother.”
Bennett’s expression remained cold.
“You kept me drugged for eighteen months.”
“You lived my life for forty years.”
“I did not know you existed.”
“That excuse belongs to everyone in this family.”
Daniel turned toward Margaret.
She could not meet his eyes.
Harper stepped between them.
“You threatened my dad.”
Daniel looked at her with pain.
“I wanted you to see me.”
“You pretended to be him.”
“Because when I came as myself, Laura closed the door.”
He inserted the original drive into the cake base.
The ninth candle lit.
Laura appeared wearing the dress from Harper’s birthday.
“This is the unedited recording,” she said.
“I removed one section because I was afraid Harper would activate it before she was ready.”
A second person entered the video.
Victor.
He was younger and uninjured.
Laura handed him a folder.
Harper stared.
Laura had worked directly with Victor.
“I agreed to continue the identity study,” Laura said, “on one condition.”
Victor opened the folder.
Inside was Harper’s medical profile.
Bennett grabbed the monitor.
“No.”
Laura continued.
“Harper would become the control subject.”
Harper felt unable to breathe.
The study had monitored her reactions to manipulated grades, altered friendships, false accusations and family conflict.
Her entire childhood had been used to test whether a person could maintain identity while everyone around them changed the truth.
Daniel watched her.
“Your mother did not build the ninth candle to protect you.”
“She built it to measure you.”
Adrian struck Daniel before anyone could stop him.
The original drive fell.
Victor’s voice came through the room speaker.
“Finally.”
The door locked.
Gas began entering again.
This time Evelyn looked afraid.
“That is not memory gas.”
“What is it?” Nolan asked.
May you like
Evelyn stared at Harper.
“The same drug used on Laura before she died.”
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