The Betrayed Genius's Fiery Reckoning

, took a deep breath, and arranged my features into a welcoming smile. Years of f

ut his eyes lit up when he saw me. The same way they

arms felt like bars. I forced myself not to flinch when he kissed m

voice a perfect imitat

ay home. How was your day? Did y

tisfy his need to feel involved. He listened, nodding, his expressio

om early. He brought me water and kissed my forehead, h

. Big week ahead. The

lmination of our work. His grand pr

steady, peaceful rhythm. The sound of a man with no conscience. My mind raced. A

brutal: TerraGen. My work.

dn't keep evidence in plain sight. I started in his home office. I went through his desk, his files, his laptop.

about data security. He didn't trust the cloud. He had a custom-built, triple-encrypted solid-state drive. It was his priz

like that? Something that need

Behind the console, a mess of wires fed into a surge protector. But one cord was dif

small, black metal box plugged into a dedicated outlet. It was a Faraday cage, a chargin

ne. I tried to unlock the phone first. It required a passcode. I tried Clay

t proud of? What defined his entire sense of self? It wasn't m

t invisible, was a tiny laser engraving I

dename for our next-generation technology, the work built on

he lab fire. The day my world changed. The day

ix digits. The d

one un

nt. Her stomach grew in a series of pictures, Clay' s hand resting on it protectively. Then, a photo of he

y' s parents smiling beside a cake. My own in-laws, who told me they loved me like a daughter, were part of the lie. His thir

t was Abel and Clay, sitting in a lab that w

," Abel said, his voice laced with resentme

, his voice cold. "We need her to keep the company profitable

ds out before t

w well-placed testimonies, her history of 'emotional distress' after your 'death'... A conservatorship will be easy. She' ll be declare

rom my grasp and cl

ervato

my work. They were going to steal

the bathroom before I was sick, my body convulsing

ne on the floor buzzed. A new message had a

tance, at the farmers' market that afternoon. I

s a single line of

little asset is