CHAPTER 3: THE TRUTH THEY TRIED TO BURY
CHAPTER 3: THE TRUTH THEY TRIED TO BURY
That night, Marcus broke into an old military contact’s network.
Within hours, he found it.
A sealed report.
Operation BLACK RIVER.
Status: OFFICIAL DEATH CONFIRMED.
But the details didn’t match.
His unit was never wiped out.
He wasn’t killed in action.
He was declared dead… by request.
Requester:
Evan Carter.
Marcus stared at the screen.
“No…”
Then another file opened.
Lena Reed.
Submitted statement:
“Marcus is missing. Presumed dead. Please close all active searches.”
Marcus felt sick.
This wasn’t grief.
This was paperwork.
A deletion.
But the final file destroyed him completely.
Medical record.
Pregnancy confirmation.
Timing: three weeks after Marcus was deployed.
Father listed:
UNKNOWN.
But handwritten note added later:
“Informal testing suggests strong genetic match to Marcus Reed.”
Marcus dropped the laptop.
“So he didn’t just take my life…”
He took my family.
The next morning, Marcus confronted Evan outside his company headquarters.
This time, Evan didn’t pretend.
“You shouldn’t have come back,” he said calmly.
Marcus stepped forward.
“Why?”
Evan smiled.
“Because you were never supposed to exist anymore.”
Lena arrived seconds later.
When she saw Marcus, she stopped.
For the first time…
Her mask cracked.
“Marcus…”
Evan immediately grabbed her arm.
“Don’t.”
Marcus looked at her.
“Tell me the truth.”
Silence.
Lena’s eyes filled with tears.
“I thought you were dead.”
Marcus shook his head.
“You didn’t think. You were told.”
Lena whispered:
“They said you were a threat.”
Marcus turned slowly.
“…Who said that?”
Evan smiled.
And said one name.
That Marcus had been trained his entire life to obey.
“The government.”
A gun clicked behind Marcus.
He didn’t even turn.
Evan’s voice was calm.
“You were never coming home.”
Marcus exhaled slowly.
Then whispered:
May you like
“I already did.”
END OF CHAPTER 3.
