Chapter 14 – The One Who Made Us
The cellar air felt heavier than the storm outside. The stranger stepped closer, his boots scraping over the damp floor. The lantern's flame stretched his shadow across the wall, tall and crooked.
Damian froze. "You—"
"Yes," the man said quietly. "You remember me."
Amara looked from one to the other. "Who is he?"
Damian's voice came out hoarse. "Dr. Kerrin. He built the program… and he built me."
Dr. Kerrin smiled without warmth. "Built is such an ugly word. I gave you purpose. Both of you."
Amara's stomach twisted. "Both?"
He turned the lantern toward her face. "You think this is your story, Miss Wells? You were never an accident. Every choice, every step toward Damian—designed."
The world tilted. Amara stepped back, shaking her head. "You're lying."
Kerrin's gaze softened, almost pitying. "You feel the truth, don't you? The flashes you call dreams. That's memory."
Damian moved between them. "You erased her life."
"No," Kerrin said. "I only gave you a reason to love her."
The words cut through the silence like glass.
Before either of them could speak, a crash thundered upstairs. The house shook. Kerrin turned toward the sound, lips curling. "It seems our other creation has arrived."
Lightning flashed through the cellar window. For a heartbeat, three shadows stood instead of two.