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Episode 19: A Perfect Child Shouldn't Bleed
Safehouse Medical Bay — 2:14 a.m.
Evan sat beside Elio's crib, stroking his dark curls.
He was sleeping soundly—but something didn't sit right. His skin had gone paler since they brought him home. His breath… slightly shallow.
Abel entered quietly, holding a mug.
"You haven't slept."
Evan didn't take her eyes off the child.
"I feel like if I blink, he'll vanish."
He knelt beside her.
"He's safe now."
But her voice cracked.
"Then why is he getting worse?"
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Morning — Diagnostic Room
Abel's private physician, Dr. Raines, stood stiffly at the edge of the room, his face drawn.
"Elio's cells are mutating."
Evan's stomach dropped. "Mutating?"
"Specifically, his neural and blood tissue. It's... artificial. Like something's accelerating inside him."
"Cassandra," Evan whispered.
Dr. Raines nodded.
"I think she designed him to be brilliant—but unstable."
Abel's jaw tightened. "She wanted to control him."
"She wanted to own him," Evan corrected. Her voice was bitter. "Just like she tried to own me."
The doctor hesitated.
"There's something else."
"What?"
"He shouldn't be alive."
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Flashback — Cassandra's Lab (Years Earlier)
A fetus suspended in an artificial womb. Cassandra hovering over it, whispering.
"You will be my greatest creation. My legacy. Not Luna's. Not Evan's."
She injects something golden into the chamber—an untested compound.
---
Present
"He has a synthetic compound in his spinal fluid," the doctor said. "It's unstable. And we don't know how long he has before…"
Evan shot to her feet. "No. No. We just got him back."
Dr. Raines shook his head. "There's only one chance."
"What is it?"
"Someone with a full DNA match—ideally a sibling or a close bloodline. If we can develop a stem cell patch—"
"Elara," Evan whispered.
"Or..." Abel paused. "Her brother."
Evan looked at him sharply.
"You mean Nathaniel? He's dead."
"No," Abel said slowly. "I think Cassandra kept him hidden—just like Elio."
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Cut to: Underground Chamber – Unknown Location
A man sits, tied, bruised, but alive.
Scruffy beard. Hollow cheeks.
The camera zooms in.
Nathaniel Dendelion.
Cassandra steps into frame.
"They're looking for you," she murmured. "But they won't find you first."
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Safehouse – Later That Day
Emrys returned with a folder. "Intercepted message. Cassandra wants to meet."
Evan raised a brow. "Now she wants to talk?"
"She says she's ready to negotiate."
Abel scoffed. "She's bluffing."
"No," Evan said. "She's not."
"She wants me to come alone," Emrys added.
Evan stepped forward. "You're not going."
He blinked. "Excuse me?"
"She won't trust you."
"Then who?"
Evan's voice turned to steel.
"Me."
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Final Scene — Cassandra's Broadcast
She stood in front of a wall of firelight, her hair loose, her lips smirking.
"Dear Evan," she said, addressing the camera. "Come alone. No backup. No tracking. You want your brother? Come get him."
She smiled.
"And bring Elio. If you want him to live, I'll need one more sample."
The screen cut to black.
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💥 End of Episode 19
> Coming in Episode 20:
Evan walks into Cassandra's trap—but she's not walking in unarmed.
A shocking twist about Elio's true donor will be revealed.
And Nathaniel?
He remembers everything.