They Replaced Me... Until the Government Wanted Me

Chapter 19

Ethan Parker stood frozen, his voice hoarse and distant. "There must be a way."

"I'll think of something. I will find a way."

Professor Knox sighed softly. "Forgive me for speaking out of turn."

"Your parents' accident happened because their research was leaked."

"The lack of confidentiality gave criminals the opportunity to strike."

"This time, no outsider will find them before the study concludes."

Ethan looked hollow, his voice stubborn. "I will figure it out."

Professor Knox couldn't help but warn him. "If you make a scene searching for Paige, you might put her in danger."

"Ethan, remember your parents."

"If you truly care about her... respect her choice."

Ethan's pupils trembled violently.

The heavy snowfall had turned the vast city into a frozen silver landscape.

And it seemed to have frozen him solid too.

He stood motionless, his fingers numb with helplessness.

Paige was gone.

And he couldn’t even try to find her.

Professor Knox turned away, stepping into the front courtyard and closing the door behind him.

In the icy wilderness, Ethan was finally alone.

No—not entirely.

He turned and saw Lucas standing beneath a tree behind him.

Their eyes met under the cold streetlight, and in each other's gaze, they saw the same shattered hope.

Suddenly, Ethan remembered—years and years ago.

The city had been buried under snow just like this.

Their parents had died abruptly, and twelve-year-old Paige had sobbed until she nearly suffocated in the snow.

Back then, he had held her and promised:

"You'll always have a home."

"As long as I'm here, you'll never be alone."

He had broken that promise.

Ethan couldn’t bring himself to go home.

He didn’t even know where to go.

He drove aimlessly through the streets, lost in thought.

Somehow, he ended up at the orphanage on the outskirts of town.

It suddenly struck him—this was where things had started to fall apart between him and Paige.

This was where the distance had begun, where the arguments had first sparked.

All because he had brought Lily home from this place.

If time could rewind—if he had never taken Lily in—

What would their lives look like now?

His thoughts were a tangled mess.

Then, under the dim glow of the moon and streetlights, he spotted two figures standing outside the orphanage gates.

One tall, one small.

Even in the darkness, he recognized the smaller one instantly.

Lily.

His mind was so hazy he hadn’t even turned on his headlights.

They hadn’t noticed his approach.

Some unseen force pulled him forward.

Ethan parked and stepped out, moving silently toward them.

He was close enough now—if they turned, they’d see him in the shadows.

But they were too absorbed in their heated exchange, voices sharp with tension.

For the first time, Ethan heard the venom in eleven-year-old Lily’s voice:

"You think if you go back and tell them I’m not the real Lily, they’ll believe you?"

"Why should I listen to you? Why should I come back just because you’re ‘better’ now?"

"They’ve raised me for four years! They treat me like family—they don’t even care about Paige anymore!"