Chapter 57 Forever and Always, Mom
Rafael
I watched Flora struggle with her grief and felt completely helpless.
"I do not know how to move forward from this," she admitted, her voice cracking. "Everything I thought I knew about myself, about my life, it was all lies."
"Not everything," I said firmly. "Your feelings are real, your choices are real, what we have together is real."
Tears filled her eyes. "How can you be sure? Dr. Chen manipulated so much, how do I know what I feel for you is not just another implanted response?"
I cupped her face in my hands, forcing her to look at me. "Because I know you, Flora, I know the woman you are, strong and brave and genuine, and I know that what we have cannot be manufactured."
"I want to believe that," she whispered.
"Then believe it," I said, kissing her forehead gently. "Trust yourself, trust what you feel."
She leaned into me, drawing comfort from my warmth, from my steady presence. On the television behind us, the news was playing, reporters dissecting every detail of the scandal. The Valserro name was everywhere, my father's company implicated, his legacy destroyed.
I did not care. I had told Flora yesterday that I was selling everything, liquidating all assets, donating the proceeds to genetic research ethics oversight. "I want to build something new," I had said. "Something clean, something that helps people instead of using them."
I loved her even more for the way her eyes had lit up at that.
Catherine entered the room, her laptop under her arm, her expression serious. "We need to talk."
Flora and I straightened, sensing the gravity in her tone.
"What is it?" I asked.
Catherine set her laptop on the coffee table, opening it to show us a series of files. "The flash drive Dr. Yuki gave us, it had more than just evidence of the conspiracy."
"What else?" Flora asked, leaning forward.
"Personal files," Catherine said. "Letters from Dr. Yuki to you, Flora, letters she wrote over the years but never sent."
Flora's breath caught in her throat. "Can I read them?"
Catherine nodded, turning the laptop toward her. "I will give you privacy."
She and I both stood to leave but Flora grabbed my hand. "Stay, please."
I sat back down, my arm around her shoulders, as she began to read.
The first letter was dated twenty-five years ago, right after Dr. Yuki had donated her embryo.
My dearest daughter, You do not exist yet but someday you will and I want you to know that I loved you from the moment I agreed to this project. They told me it was for science, for the advancement of humanity, and I believed them. I was so naive. I hope you can forgive me for what I am about to do. I hope you can understand that I am leaving not because I do not love you but because I love you too much to let them use you the way they plan to.
Flora's vision blurred with tears and my arm tightened around her.
The next letter was dated ten years later.
I saw you today, from a distance of course, but I saw you. You are beautiful, everything I dreamed you would be. Eva was there too, your genetic match, and watching the two of you together broke my heart because I know what they have planned for her. I know what they will do when she outlives her usefulness. I am trying to find a way to stop it but I am just one person against an entire organization. I feel so helpless.
More tears fell and Flora had to pause, had to take a shaking breath before continuing.
The letters went on, year after year, Dr. Yuki watching from the shadows, documenting Flora's life, trying to protect her in the small ways she could. One letter mentioned her sabotaging a kidnapping attempt when Flora was twelve. Another described her feeding false information to Antonio to keep him away from her.
She had been protecting Flora her entire life and Flora never knew.
The last letter was dated one week ago.
My darling Flora, If you are reading this then I am dead and I am sorry for that. I am sorry I could not be the mother you deserved, could not hold you, could not watch you grow openly. But I want you to know that every decision I made, every sacrifice, was because I love you more than life itself. Dr. Chen is dangerous, more dangerous than Antonio or Helena ever were because he is a true believer. He thinks Project Genesis will save humanity when really it will destroy everything that makes us human. You must stop him, you and Rafael together. I have seen how he looks at you, how he protects you, and I know he truly loves you. Trust him, trust yourself, and never let anyone tell you that you are less than fully human. You are my daughter, you are your own person, and you are more real than anything they created in that laboratory. Be brave, be strong, and live the life I never could. All my love, forever and always, Mom.
Flora closed the laptop and buried her face in my chest, sobbing so hard her entire body shook. I held her tightly, my own tears falling into her hair, neither of us speaking because there were no words for this kind of grief.
Eventually her tears slowed and she pulled back, wiping her eyes. "She loved me."
"Of course she did," I said softly. "How could she not?"
"I wish I had known her," she said, her voice breaking again. "I wish I had time with her."
"I know," I said. "But at least now you know the truth, you know she never abandoned you, she was always there."
She nodded, taking comfort in that even as her heart ached.
Catherine returned, carrying tissues and tea, setting them beside Flora without comment.
"There is something else," she said after a moment. "Something you need to know."
"What?" Flora asked, bracing herself.
"The flash drive also contained files about the other attempts," Catherine said carefully. "The seventeen failed embryos Dr. Chen mentioned."
Flora's stomach tightened. "What about them?"