Chapter 12: A Tale of Desperation and Discovery

(POV: Lina)

"Foolish child! Of course not!" Scarlett denies, squeezing my right cheek while Deniel watches silently. "You don't have parents, sweetheart. You are a being created in a laboratory."

Tears stream down my face, and Scarlett finds even more amusement in my suffering. I can't cry in front of them, I can't show weakness, but I can't help it. My heart aches so much. Everything I thought was real turns out to be illusions implanted in my brain. But why? What is the purpose of all this?

"Don't cry, Lina. We had our reasons for doing this," Deniel says, handing me a piece of white cloth to wipe my tears. "Now you can know the truth about your history."

"And what is my history?" I sniffle. "Can I trust you?"

"You decide, Lina," Scarlett sits in a chair in front of a vanity. "Do you want to know?"

With limited options, no option at all, I nod my head up and down, silently saying yes.

"Over six hundred years ago," Deniel begins, "I had a family. We were very happy. I was a well-know