Chapter 6
“From this moment on, your previous identity will be completely erased and concealed. Please deactivate your phone, WhatsApp and all social media accounts,” said the officer.
“Understood,” I said. I removed the SIM card from my phone, snapped it in half and tossed it out of the car window.
Two days later, I arrived at a national secret laboratory hidden deep within the
Patagonia Desert.
“Welcome to the National Secret Experiment. From today onward, your code name is 077.” That code was not just my identifier, it became my name.
I spent half a day familiarizing myself with the environment and the next day, I dove into the intense and demanding research.
work.
The people here were straightforward,
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their minds entirely consumed with data and equipment. Surprisingly, this
simplicity resonated with me. For the first time, I felt a profound sense of belonging.
While I immersed myself in work, Josh’s life began spiraling out of control.
After hearing my agreement to adopt Tatiana’s child, he felt relieved, as if a great weight had lifted off his shoulders.
He spent the day joyfully envisioning the future of the child with his mother and Tatiana, completely oblivious to my resolute departure.
Returning home with Tatiana, he planned to thank me for my understanding. However, upon entering, he noticed the house felt strangely empty and I was nowhere to be found.
Before he could fully process the situation, Tatiana clung to him, her hands wandering beneath his clothes, “Mr. Arkin, we’ve done it in so many places, but never in your
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home…”
He rejected, “Stop. If Natalie comes back and sees us, I can’t let her be hurt…”
“You’d rather see me suffer?” she pouted. With that, Tatiana began undressing right before him. As her clothes fell piece by piece, Josh’s restraint wavered.
“Damn it!” he cursed before lifting Tatiana and throwing her onto the bed we had once shared.
“Boss… be gentle…” she moaned.
In his desire, he completely forgot about his wife, losing himself in his passions.
They indulged themselves until exhaustion overtook them. Only then did he notice the time, it was already evening. Panic- stricken, he hurriedly threw Tatiana’s
scattered clothes at her.
He hurriedly said, “Get dressed quickly! If Natalie finds out, I won’t forgive you!”
Tatiana bit her lip in frustration but didn’t
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dare argue. She dressed quietly and stormed out, slamming the door behind her. Hesitating briefly, Josh ran after her.
“So, now you care about your precious Natalie, but not about me and your child?” she snapped.
Suppressing his irritation, he replied, “Be good. Go home first. Once I’ve calmed Natalie, I’ll come back to you and our baby.”
“I won’t agree unless you reward me with something!” she demanded.
They ended up fooling around again in the parking garage, their actions amplified by the emptiness of the space.
After dropping Tatiana off, Josh still hadn’t heard from me. Frustrated, he drove to my grandmother’s house, thinking I might have gone there.
However, after knocking for ages, the door was answered by a burly old man. The old man asked, “Who are you looking for?”
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Only then did Josh remember that I had. mentioned relocating my grandmother. Preoccupied with Tatiana, he had no idea where she had moved.
When he finally returned home, he was greeted by several police officers standing at his door, “Are you Mr. Josh Arkin? You are under investigation for intentional homicide. Please come with us.”
“Homicide?” he stammered, stunned. “Who did I kill?”
The police asked, “Do you know Martha Roberts? Her granddaughter, Natalie, has filed charges accusing you of her premeditated murder.”
Josh froze, his mind reeling as he stared at the officers in disbelief.
