Reborn in the Enemy's Embrace

As Damien looked at the evidence, he suddenly burst into crazed laughter. His hands slumped down dejectedly, scattering the evidence all over the floor.

"Are you out of your mind?" Eason scolded, bending down to pick up the evidence.

"Impossible!" Damien snapped at Eason furiously. "This is outrageous... She’s Sophia. She is Sophia!"

Eason ignored entirely him, regarding him as being delusional.

Damien lost control. He squatted on the ground with bloodshot eyes, refusing to accept Sophia was gone for good. He wasn’t able to accept the fact that his selfishness and arrogance had led to her demise.

I couldn’t help but sympathize with Damien. Though I wasn’t certain if Sophia had truly loved him, his realization of his love for her came too late.

Suddenly, the door of the emergency room swung open, and the doctor emerged.

Dexter anxiously rose and hurried to the doctor. "Doctor... is she-"

"The patient is temporarily out of danger, but we can’t predict when she’ll regain consciousness."

The doctor sighed, adding, "Fortunately, the dosage she received wasn’t fatal. Upon examining the syringe Officer Landon provided, it contained a dose typically used to euthanize deformed infants at birth. "While the dosage wasn’t lethal when administered to two adults, it’s still highly perilous. We’ll need to continue monitoring the patient."

I looked at the doctor, aware that the euthanasia injection was intended for the experimental subjects. If the subjects failed to meet the organization’s criteria at birth, they were euthanized and cremated.

That underground laboratory was akin to a vast furnace and purgatory. Some subjects might have spent their entire lives there, from birth to death, without ever catching a glimpse of sunlight or the blue sky... It was truly chilling.

"Once Nancy’s crimes are exposed, it could send shockwaves across the entire nation," Eason remarked, massaging his temples. "How deep does the darkness of human nature truly go?"

He continued, "Years ago, I worked on a case with my mentor. A 13-year-old gathered a group of 13 to 14- year-olds and kidnapped young couples who were hiking in the mountains.

"Surveillance wasn’t as advanced back then, making it difficult to locate missing people in the mountains. Within a year, three young couples had disappeared one after another. It wasn’t until the fourth couple was abducted that the case finally broke open."

"The boyfriend of the fourth couple had bravely fought back, allowing his girlfriend to escape. Upon receiving the girlfriend’s report, the police found the crime scene. The minors were still carefreely frolicking in the mountains at that time. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"The boyfriend was found dead, brutally murdered. The minors had mutilated his body and removed his organs. When asked why they did it, they simply said it was fun, and they wanted to see what was inside a human’s body..."

"We eventually discovered the bodies of the other three missing couples in the mountains. Some had suffered severe abuse leading to death while others had been buried alive. All the females had been subjected to sexual assault."

"After the incident, the local police provided us with information, mentioning that they had encountered those kids in the mountains during their search for the first missing couple. They had asked the kids if they had seen the missing couple, but the kids lied without hesitation."

"The darkness of human nature knows no age limits. It’s as if some people are born with it," Zion said solemnly.

Who could’ve imagined that a group of minors would commit such heinous acts?

"It’s clear that a person’s propensity for good or evil is inherently ingrained in our genes. Some people are born malicious, irrespective of the education they receive," I murmured softly, leaning against the wall.

Dexter and Damien remained motionless at the door of the emergency room, observing as the doctor wheeled me out. My face was pale.

"Stay away from her. It’s your fault she’s in this state," Damien blamed Dexter for handing me over to Nancy.

Dexter stood despondently in place, saying nothing.

Damien followed the doctor to escort me to the ward.

I stood beside Dexter, gently comforting him, "Dexter, don’t let his words get to you... He’s delusional..."

If Damien had truly cared for Sophia as he claimed now, perhaps things would have turned out differently for her.

Facing Dexter, I observed his bowed head and reddened eyes. His sorrowful and remorseful demeanor stirred both sympathy and a touch of affection.

Was he crying in secret?

"Dexter..." Feeling a pang of empathy, I reached out to him. I longed to offer solace, but my hands fell in despair.

Could I embrace him, knowing all evidence pointed to me being Sofia Miller and not Sophia Milford?

I wasn’t the woman Dexter loved.

"Dexter Black, who is the woman staying at your place?" Violette questioned Dexter sternly as she emerged from the doctor’s office, relieved to hear that I was out of danger.

It seemed that Violette had discovered Dexter had brought Sophia No. 2 home, but she hadn’t met her yet. Given her close bond with Sophia, Violette would likely be surprised upon meeting Sophia No.2.

"Well? Say something!" Violette pressed on, her frustration evident. "Sophia was taken by Nancy, and you stayed at home with that woman as if nothing happened?"

Dexter remained silent.

"Hey, hey, hey... Violette, I told you not to meddle in this matter." Zion rushed over, pulling her away with one arm.

"Let go of me! What is he thinking? I thought Damien was a jerk, but it turns out Dexter is no better! If Sophia doesn’t wake up, I’ll beat him to death!" Violette struggled angrily.

"Who’s the woman, Dex-"Violette’s tirade halted abruptly as she froze, staring at the newcomer with a mix of shock and disbelief.

It was Sophia No. 2, confidently walking toward us and openly revealing herself.

I had expected Dexter to keep her hidden, but apparently not. How would she explain her presence? Oh, right. She was Nancy’s daughter.

"Sophia..." Violette exclaimed in astonishment, then glanced at me lying unconscious in the ward. She was momentarily bewildered.

"Sophia?" She pushed Zion aside and hurried toward Sophia No. 2.

Sophia No. 2 looked at her indifferently. Avoiding Violette’s approach, she asked in a low tone, "Who are you?"

Violette looked at her in surprise, certain that she was indeed Sophia... But this Sophia didn’t recognize her.

"She’s not Sophia Milford," Zion quickly clarified to Violette.

"To be precise, she’s not the Sophia Milford you know. She’s Nancy’s daughter. She’s Sophia Milford’s identical twin who shares the same genes as her."

Violette’s disappointment was evident in her eyes. "I knew it... No matter how alike they are, she can’t possibly be Sophia."

"I’m certainly not Sophia Milford," Sophia No. 2 admitted. "Sophia and I are not typical twins. We’re genetically identical cloned twins. You can call me Una."

Una was her nickname, given to her because she was experimental subject No. 21.

"Nancy will never wake up. The organization will take all necessary measures to eliminate risks, so she will die," Una asserted, glancing at Zion. "The police can’t stop them."

"Committing murder right under our noses? Ha, those people think we’re pushovers?" Eason scoffed in disbelief.

Una shook her head, then walked over to Dexter’s side.

"She’s not Sophia Milford," she reiterated to Dexter, emphasizing that I was Sofia Miller and not Sophia Milford.

Dexter remained motionless.

"If you insist on having an exact copy of Sophia Milford, I’m clearly more suitable than Sofia Miller. I possess all of Sophia Milford’s memories. If you want, I can impersonate her better than Sofia Miller," Una said calmly, hoping Dexter wouldn’t delude himself any further.

I stood by helplessly, acknowledging Una’s superiority in resembling Sophia Milford, the woman Dexter loved.

"Come home with me," Una urged Dexter, opening her arms to him.

I stood there stiffly, feeling a sense of discomfort.

Was this what jealousy felt like? Una was getting on my nerves. Everything about her, from head to toe, irritated me especially her appearance.

"Don’t embrace her..." I murmured, feeling a profound sense of injustice. I was almost on the verge of tears.

Yet, what right did I have to stop Dexter?

If Sophia Milford was truly gone, and he had to choose between me and Una as her substitute, I clearly didn’t stand a chance.