Innocent me... Episode 18
354 Words
The words hung in the air like a curse.
“I caused it,” Ella repeated, softer this time, as if saying it again might make it less real.
Her father stepped forward immediately. “No—Ella, don’t listen to this. That’s not your memory.”
But Ella was no longer sure what was hers anymore.
Jayden’s voice was low, shaking with anger he was trying to control. “What exactly are you saying happened that night?”
The hooded man watched her carefully. “She was part of the activation phase. The experiment wasn’t just observation—it reacted to emotional triggers.”
Ella covered her ears, tears spilling now. “Stop… please stop talking like I’m not even human.”
The room fell silent for a moment.
Then Jayden gently took her hands away from her ears. His touch was steady, grounding. “Look at me,” he said quietly.
Ella hesitated… then slowly met his eyes.
“You are real,” he said firmly. “Whatever they’re saying, you are real.”
Something in his voice made her breath shake less.
The hooded man frowned slightly. “Sentiment won’t change the data.”
He tossed another file onto the table.
This one had a photo of Ella… but she looked younger. Hooked to machines.
Jayden’s expression darkened instantly. “Who did this to her?”
The hooded man answered without hesitation.
“The same people who are still watching her now.”
A sudden loud alarm echoed through the mansion.
Red lights flickered on.
Ella flinched. “What’s happening?”
Her father’s face went pale. “They’ve activated the containment protocol.”
Jayden grabbed her wrist immediately. “We’re leaving. Now.”
But the hooded man stepped in front of the exit.
And for the first time, he removed his mask completely.
Ella froze.
Because the man standing there wasn’t a stranger.
He was someone she had seen in her memories.
The doctor who used to smile at her… like she was a project worth saving.
And he said quietly,
“Ella, you were never meant to escape twice.”
- Writer
