They Replaced Me... Until the Government Wanted Me

Chapter 16

Ethan Parker's phone slipped from his grasp and clattered to the floor.

The call timer on the screen continued ticking.

The bedroom fell into a silence so deep one could hear a pin drop.

He must have misheard.

What did they mean—Paige Anderson couldn’t possibly come back?

His breathing turned ragged, his pulse pounding violently in his ears.

A thread in his mind stretched taut, strained to its limit—as if it might snap at any second.

His thoughts blanked. After what felt like an eternity, he picked up the phone.

"I... don’t think I understood. What did you just say?"

The voice on the other end grew distant, fading into the background.

That thread in his mind finally snapped.

"Others might not get it, but you should, Director Parker."

"If you hadn’t withdrawn last minute, young Paige wouldn’t have gotten that spot."

"She mentioned you backed out... for that girl, Lily Thompson, wasn’t it?"

Ethan’s face drained of color.

Despite the winter chill, cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

Never before had he felt such overwhelming dread.

Fumbling like he was handling something scalding, he desperately tried to end the call.

But his fingers refused to cooperate.

The words echoed in his skull like a curse.

"Others might not get it, but you should..."

"Wasn’t it because you withdrew that the spot opened up?"

"For Lily..."

No. No.

His name had been on the participant list.

He’d withdrawn at the last moment because he couldn’t bring himself to leave Paige behind.

With their parents gone, he feared Lucas wouldn’t take proper care of her.

Just as Paige had said—someone always had to sacrifice, like their parents had.

So he’d made the painful choice.

But when the time came, he couldn’t do it.

Not because of Lily. How could it be because of Lily?

Did Paige really believe he’d done it for her?

Was that why she’d taken his place?

No. That couldn’t be—

Sweat rolled down his temples.

His body burned as if set aflame, yet he felt plunged into an icy abyss.

Gasping for air, he felt himself teetering on the edge of suffocation.

Impossible. Impossible.

Professor Knox’s voice held confusion. "Director Parker, you can’t seriously tell me you didn’t know."

"Paige called you one last time before entering the research facility."