Mrs. McAdams’s POV “The whole story got to me, Aria, how did you end up here?” “I don't know either, I can't tell, Nana. I’m so glad you came through for me.” “Blake told me about it and I decided to check on you. I now work here, in the daycare,” I said, pointing at the back. “Aria, don't tell me everything I heard was true?” I asked, my voice laced with a hint of disappointment. “I trained you to be better, I trained you to be smart and strong. How could you even accept a job like this? A job that exposes your terrible past. We all know that when Ethan grows up he will definitely find his mother; but look now, you got yourself in a mess you may never be able to come out of.” Aria began to fidget, “What should I do now, Nana? They’re taking Ethan far away from me and you know I can't live without my boy,” her brows raised slightly. I pulled her in for a warm embrace. I remember those days, when Aria was still in my foster home before a newlywed couple came to adopt her. Ari
Aria’s POVI couldn’t sleep last night. The dream came again, but this time it was clearer and stronger.I saw the boy, his little smile, his laugh, the pain, the hospital, the screaming. Then everything went dark.But then, I know the truth. The boy is mine. Ethan is my son.That morning, I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to see him, hold him, and hear him call me Mom. I went back to Westwood Biotech. I knew it was risky, but I didn’t care. I had to do it.I wore a black hoodie and sunglasses. I took the back door and of course, remembered the codes; I worked there once, before all this madness started, before they took him.I made my way to the lab. Helena was there, like always. She looked up and froze when she saw me.“Aria?” she said with surprise in her eyes.“Where is he?” I asked, stepping closer. “Where is my son, Ethan?!”Her hands shook. “So you finally came back? You’re not supposed to be here…”“You lied to me!” I shouted. “You said he died! You said it was over!”“I was
Chloe’s POV “She’s remembering too much. She’s being moved tonight.” That was the message I got. No name. No number. Just a single line. I stared at my phone, my hands shaking. I read it over and over, hoping I misunderstood. But no. The words stayed the same—cold and final. “She’s being moved tonight.” I jumped off my bed and grabbed my coat. “Where are you going?” my roommate, Jenny, asked. “I have to find Aria.” “Now? Chloe, it’s past midnight!” “I don’t care. Something’s wrong. I can feel it.” Jenny sat up on the couch. “Is it about that job again?” “Yes. I just got a text. It says Aria is being moved tonight. She remembers too much.” Jenny frowned. “What does that even mean?” “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.” The roads were dark and empty as I drove to Westwood Biotech. My mind kept replaying her voice from earlier—whispering, scared. “Chloe… did I ever… have a baby?” That question broke me. I knew Aria. She’d been my best friend since high school. We tol
Helena’s POVI’ve worked with Liam Westwood for seven years. He’s rich, smart, and secretive. Everyone sees him as a billionaire genius, but I’ve seen his other side, which hides behind labs and locked files.The file in my drawer has Aria Sterling’s name on it.A coded tag on the vial. A signature on the injection form. Her eyes blinked slowly as the drug took hold. Her hand drifted to her stomach, then fell off.She left the facility with nothing in her eyes. No memory of the room, the machine, or the promise she whispered before the lights went out.I locked the file, washed my hands, and told Liam it was done.And for a while, it was.Years passed before Aria Sterling walked into Westwood Biotech, unknowingly uncovering buried secrets from a long-time experiment that went wrong.I was shocked when Liam asked me to bring Aria back into Westwood Biotech.“What?” I had blinked at him across his office table.“You heard me,” he said without looking up from his laptop.“Liam, are you s
Liam’s POV“She was in the lab earlier today, but I think she’s left now,” Dr. Helena said through the phone. “Though, I am keeping a close watch on her,” she added.I sat up straight in my chair, turning to face the monitor. Aria stood near the glass counter, looking at the samples with those same deep eyes I once knew so well. My heart clenched as I watched from the replayed CCTV footage—what had already been recorded hours earlier.“She doesn’t remember anything,” I whispered to myself.Years ago, we lost everything. Aria was part of a dangerous experiment. It was called the Surrogate Project. It wasn’t just science—it was pain, risk, and sacrifice.We shut it down after so many things went wrong. She was the only one who survived. But she forgot it all—me, the truth, and our child.Yes, our child.The little boy downstairs, the one who plays with puzzles in the daycare, is our son. She doesn’t know.She can’t remember giving birth. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her—not now, not
Aria’s POVIn the lab, I sat on a chair facing the computer screen after collecting frozen blood samples. I ran a test and waited for the screen to finish loading.Within seconds, something popped up that caused my mouth to drop open. The result of the DNA test I just carried out matched mine. “What!” My eyes narrowed as I leaned forward to look again.I had been asked to create a genetic profile for a random child whom I hadn’t seen or whom I didn’t know. I took instructions from Dr. Helena, an old hand in the game and the senior scientist in Westwood Biotech.But something must be wrong somewhere. I clicked on another file, it opened and I read, “child 47 blood sample matches unknown.”Unknown?I stood up and stepped back, eyes narrowing at the screen.I walked towards a small shelf by the corner of the lab, and searched through the files when my hand touched a file and I read the tag in a rush: “Child 47– Ethan Westwood. Survival of a deadly experiment.”I was about to read that ag