Chapter 19 · She Was Never Mine

The knife was already under Ethan Kove's jaw when the lights went out.

He didn't move. Smart man. One twitch and the blade would open him from ear to throat.

Celine could hear the server fans dying behind the walls, one row after another. The lab dropped into black. Her skull interface flashed hard enough to hurt.

LOCKOUT: 61:14:22

Ethan's breath touched her knuckles. Warm. Steady.

"You want to tell me why my mother said I wasn't her daughter?" Celine asked.

"Not in the dark."

"You helped erase me in the dark."

"I didn't erase you."

"Then why does Vault's system say I quit three years ago? Why does my bank account belong to a dead woman? Why does Mira Soh have my face, my job, and access to every door in my company?"

Ethan swallowed against the knife.

"And why," Celine said, pressing harder, "did you know exactly where to find me?"

A red emergency strip blinked alive along the floor. It painted his face in broken pieces.