All Chapters of After My Last Breath: Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

[Elara]I don’t know what to expect when we board Griffin’s private jet and head to Novaris.A city known for all kinds of bad things.It’s like the epicenter of everything that’s wrong with this world.Illegal drugs, weapons, corruption… just name it, and you’ll find the head of that trade right there, settled in the heart of the city.But that’s not what scares me. It’s the presence of my daughter—Cora’s twin—stuck somewhere in the middle of all this with no way out.According to the investigation report, Test Subject No. 7128—that’s what they call her, my daughter, my child—was sold by the Blackwoods in the hope of getting rid of her for good. They believed they were doing the world a favor by donating my own flesh and blood to be used as a human test subject. They thought this was the best way not only to end her existence but also to take part in the world’s most frowned-upon research—the human cloning program.Just to think, they did this to her—her own family, her own blood mak

[Elara]When Griffin comes to wake me up, to remind me that it’s time, I’m already sitting on the couch, ready to hit the road.He doesn’t even try to hide the surprise in his eyes.But thankfully, he quickly gets over it and shoots me a nod, signaling me to follow him.I do exactly that.During the entire drive to the office building of Voss Labs, I unknowingly keep shifting and fidgeting. It’s only when Griffin drops his hand on my thigh that I realize it has been shaking.“Calm down,” he says in the gentlest way possible. “You’re going to be fine.”“It’s not me I’m worried about,” I say quickly, without missing a damn beat. “I’m just scared of how she will be.”“I’m sure she’s fine,” he says, though I catch the regret that quickly crosses his face. His lips press together, and he shakes his head slightly, like he’s trying to take back his own words. “What I mean is—don’t worry too much. I have my best people keeping a close watch on Voss’s research. From what they’ve found, all one

[Elara]I don’t think I heard him right.Because there’s no way he said what I think I heard.I wait for him to correct himself, to apologize for the obvious slip of tongue, and restate his condition.But he does nothing like that. His dark gaze stays glued to Griffin, his fingers still slowly tapping on the table.I turn to see Griffin, wanting to know whatever the hell is going on, but find him staring back at Adrian instead. For some reason, it seems like I’m the only one who is clueless about the situation, and everyone else seems to have gotten to the point where every word spoken has a universal meaning that everyone understands.Finally, after what feels like forever, Griffin leans slightly forward. “Is this your only condition?”“Yep!” Adrian nods offhandedly. “Pretty much.”“How many do you want?”“How many can you give?”“One.”“I never knew you had such a sense of humour.” He chuckles, but his eyes never leave Griffin. “I know you have developed quite a few. So, let’s just

[Elara]After I revealed that I was her mother, Vera’s reaction was nothing but a blink.A blink.That’s all. That’s it.I couldn’t help but stare at her with all the confusion in the world, wondering if there was literally anything that could get her to react like a normal child, a child no more than ten years of age.She was nothing like Cora. That much was obvious.My Cora was bubbly, playful, naughty, yet wise for someone her age.But Vera? Vera was a whitewashed wall. With nothing but one singular emotion painted across her face. The emotion of no emotion at all.At least, that’s how my brain surmised after spending the next twenty minutes with her in the car, while we drove back to the hotel.She didn’t say a word. Not a single word at all. Just sat there with her eyes fixed ahead, interested in nothing but existing.When we entered our room, and Griffin reminded me that we would be leaving in the morning, and I should get some rest, my eyes stayed glued to the back of Vera, onl

[Elara]Even long after I returned to my hotel room, Griffin’s words kept echoing in my head.“You’re a victim, too,” he had said, and that too as fiercely and protectively as possible. It was as if he wanted me to brand those words in my brain, as if he wanted me to believe them—believe him—with everything I had.And I did. Or at least, I wished I could with just as much confidence as he did.But there was one thing that he wasn’t completely wrong about, though.There was no denying that it was the Blackwoods who were solely responsible for this—for turning my Vera into this robotic six-year-old girl who didn’t even know she was just a child.And that made me angry. So damn angry.In my heart, I knew I would never forgive them for this. That I would make them pay for what they did to my daughter. That I would make them feel what helplessness and desperation feel like when you’re at someone else’s mercy.When the next morning arrived, and the soft rays of the rising sun filtered throu