Noah’s The message remained on the screen.
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE MARK IS COMING.
I couldn’t breathe.
The laboratory was completely silent except for the faint hum of the emergency lights.
Professor Hale stared at the computer.
Adrian stood beside me, his expression unreadable.
Then the screen went black.
I swallowed.
“Who did that?” Professor Hale didn’t answer.
Adrian pulled out his phone.
“Security?” Nothing.
He checked again.
“No signal.” My stomach tightened.
“Are we trapped?” “No.” He walked toward the door and tested the handle.
It opened.
He looked into the hallway before turning back.
“We’re leaving.” Professor Hale grabbed a folder from the desk.
“You can’t take that.” Adrian looked at him.
“Why?” “Because those records aren’t yours.” “They contain information about me.” The professor hesitated.
Then he handed Adrian the folder.
“Take it.” I stared at him.
“Why did you change your mind?” “Because I don’t think hiding it will protect you anymore.” We left the laboratory together.
The hallway was dark, but the emergency lights gave us enough visibility to find our way out.
When we reached the entrance, I stopped.
I couldn’t explain it, but something about the building felt familiar.
Not just the laboratory.
The hallway.
The smell.
The rain outside.
Everything was pulling at memories I had spent two years trying to bury.
I closed my eyes.
A flash appeared.
A hospital corridor.
White walls.
My hands trembling.
A doctor speaking to me.
Then another image.
A pregnancy test.
I opened my eyes quickly.
Adrian noticed.
“What happened?” “I remembered something.” “What?” “I went to a hospital.” Professor Hale looked at me.
“When?” “After I left the university.” He nodded slowly.
“You were pregnant.” My heart sank.
Adrian became completely still.
I looked at him.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then I said quietly, “That’s when everything became confusing.” Professor Hale lowered his voice.
“You were under enormous stress.” “I know.” “You were trying to finish your studies, dealing with the research incident, and then you discovered you were pregnant.” I looked down.
“I left because I couldn’t handle everything.” Adrian’s voice was quiet.
“You never told anyone?” I shook my head.
“I didn’t know what to do.” His expression changed, but he didn’t press me.
Instead, he said, “Let’s get out of here.” We walked toward the car.
Halfway there, my phone vibrated.
I stopped.
Another unknown number.
You remembered the hospital.
My hands went cold.
Another message appeared.
Now remember what happened before you went there.
I stared at the screen.
Adrian looked at me.
“Another message?” I nodded.
He didn’t ask to see it.
“Save everything.” “I will.” He opened the car door for me.
As I got inside, another memory surfaced.
Rain.
A dark hallway.
Adrian standing in front of me.
His face looked worried.
I heard his voice.
“Noah, you need to go home.” Then my memory broke apart again.
I pressed my fingers against my forehead.
Adrian noticed.
“Don’t force it.” “I need to remember.” “You will.” “But what if I don’t?” He looked at me steadily.
“Then we’ll find the truth another way.” I stared at him.
For once, I believed him.
I looked through the windshield as the university disappeared behind us.
Two years ago, I had left that place carrying a secret.
Now I was returning to uncover it.
And somewhere between the university, the hospital, and the night I was marked, there was one missing piece.
I just had to find it before whoever was watching us did.
The drive back to Ashford Biotech was silent.
I kept staring through the window, watching the city pass by while the memory of the hospital continued to bother me.
I remembered the building.
I remembered the rain.
I remembered being frightened.
But I couldn’t remember why I had gone there.
Adrian drove with one hand on the steering wheel while the other rested near the gear shift.
“You don’t have to force yourself to remember.” I looked at him.
“I know.” “Do you?” I sighed.
“No.” He glanced at me briefly.
“I understand why you want answers.” “You don’t.” “Then explain it to me.” I looked down at my hands.
“If I don’t remember, I can’t protect Ethan from whatever happened.” Adrian’s expression changed.
“Whatever happened to you isn’t automatically going to happen to him.” “You don’t know that.” “No.” His voice was calm.
“But I won’t let anyone hurt him.” I looked at him.
There was something about the certainty in his voice that made my chest tighten.
Before I could respond, his phone rang.
He answered.
“Yes?” He listened for a few seconds.
“You’re certain?” Another pause.
“Send everything to my office.” He ended the call.
“What happened?” “The security team found the person who accessed the medical database.” My heart jumped.
“Who?” “An old university employee.” “What’s his name?” “Marcus Vale.” I frowned.
“I don’t know him.” “Apparently, you weren’t supposed to.” “What does that mean?” Adrian didn’t answer immediately.
Then he said, “He worked in the designation genetics division.” My stomach tightened.
“The same division as E-17?” “Yes.” I looked at him.
“Then we need to find him.” “We’re going to.” When we reached the company, I went directly to the daycare.
Ethan was sitting on the floor with his little fox.
The moment he saw me, he stood.
“Daddy!” I crouched and opened my arms.
He hurried toward me.
“Come here.” He hugged me tightly.
I smiled and kissed his hair.
“Did you miss me?” “Yes.” He held up his fox.
“Fox miss.” I laughed softly.
“Fox missed me too?” Ethan nodded seriously.
“Yes.” Adrian stood a short distance away.
Ethan noticed him.
“Uncle!” Adrian walked over.
“Hello.” Ethan held out his arms.
“Up.” Adrian looked at me.
I nodded.
He carefully lifted Ethan.
My son immediately rested his head against Adrian’s shoulder.
Something inside me shifted.
I quickly looked away.
The daycare teacher approached.
“Mr.
Everhart, there was something left for you.” She handed me a small envelope.
I frowned.
“Who left this?” “We don’t know.
It was placed at the reception desk.” My heart began beating faster.
Adrian noticed.
“Don’t open it here.” We left the daycare together.
Once we were inside the company, Adrian took the envelope from me.
“There could be something inside.” He opened it carefully.
A single photograph fell onto the table.
I stared at it.
My breath caught.
It was a picture of the university laboratory.
But that wasn’t what frightened me.
Someone was standing outside the laboratory door.
Me.
And beside me…
Adrian.
The date was printed in the corner.
Two years ago.
I touched the photograph.
“I don’t remember this.” Adrian picked it up.
“Look closer.” I did.
There was another person reflected in the laboratory window.
A man standing behind us.
His face was partially hidden.
But around his neck was a university identification card.
And on the card was the same silver emblem.
My heart raced.
“I’ve seen him.” “Where?” “In the memory.” Adrian looked at me.
“What memory?” “The night before I went to the hospital.” I closed my eyes.
The memory came back in pieces.
The laboratory.
Rain.
Adrian.
Someone arguing with us.
Then a voice.
“You don’t understand what you’ve created.” My eyes opened.
I looked at Adrian.
“There was someone else there.” “Who?” “I don’t know.” I stared at the photograph again.
“But he knew about E-17.” Adrian’s expression hardened.
“Then we’ll find him.” I nodded.
But before either of us could say anything else, my phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
I opened the message.
You’re getting closer.
My stomach dropped.
Then another message appeared.
Ask Adrian what he remembers about that night.
I slowly looked up.
Adrian was watching me.
“What does it say?” I hesitated.
Then I handed him the phone.
He read the messages.
His expression changed.
“I don’t remember everything either.” I stared at him.
“What?” He looked away.
“There are gaps.” My heart stopped.
“You never told me.” “I didn’t know if they were important.” “Adrian…” He looked back at me.
“I remember you.” My breath caught.
“I remember you standing in that laboratory.” He paused.
“I remember you were scared.” My fingers tightened around the edge of the table.
“And after that?” His jaw tightened.
“That’s where my memory becomes unclear.” Silence filled the room.
Two people.
Two incomplete memories.
One night.
One mark.
And a secret that someone had spent two years trying to bury.
I looked at Adrian.
“Then maybe we need to remember together.” He nodded.
“Maybe we do.” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Ari1 Chapter 16 is DONE!
Okay… now we know something important: Noah isn’t the only one with missing memories.
Adrian has gaps in his memories too.
Which means whatever happened that night wasn’t as simple as Noah thought.
And that photograph?!
The person behind them knew exactly what happened in that laboratory.
Now Noah and Adrian have to figure out the truth together.
And we’re getting closer to the biggest questions: What really happened that night?
Who was the mysterious man?
Why were Noah and Adrian’s memories affected?
And most importantly… what happened between them before Noah left?
Don’t worry, everything will be revealed piece by piece.
See you in Chapter 17!
— Ari1