For several seconds, Maya could not understand what Nadia had said.

He isn’t your father.

The words repeated themselves inside her mind.

Again.

And again.

And again.

The man Maya had believed was her father for twenty-eight years…

Was not her father.

The man who had appeared inside Blackwood Manor…

Was not Samuel Sterling.

And somewhere in the darkness…

The real Samuel Sterling was dead.

Maya stood frozen in the hallway.

Adrian was beside her.

Neither spoke.

Finally, Maya whispered:

“Who was he?”

Adrian looked at the empty doorway.

“The man who killed your father.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know.”

Maya turned toward him.

“You’re lying again.”

“I’m not.”

“You know everything.”

“No.”

“You knew about Nadia.”

“Yes.”

“You knew about the child.”

“Yes.”

“You knew my name was connected to the fire.”

“Yes.”

“And now you’re telling me you don’t know who that man is?”

Adrian’s face hardened.

“I know what he did.”

“Then tell me.”

Adrian looked at her.

“Twenty-two years ago, my father and the others were involved in something.”

“What?”

“We called it the Black Rose Project.”

Maya felt a chill.

“The experiments.”

Adrian nodded.

“They weren’t trying to create ghosts.”

“Then what?”

“They were trying to understand fear.”

Maya stared at him.

“That makes no sense.”

“My father believed fear was the strongest force in the human mind.”

“He wanted to prove that a person could be controlled through trauma.”

“How?”

“By creating memories.”

Maya’s expression changed.

“False memories?”

“Sometimes.”

“Real memories?”

“Sometimes.”

“Death?”

Adrian nodded.

“They believed that if someone experienced enough fear… they could become something else.”

Maya stepped backward.

“Something else?”

“A weapon.”

Silence.

Maya remembered the little girl in the corridor.

Her own face.

“Was Nadia part of the experiment?”

Adrian looked away.

“Yes.”

“And me?”

Adrian didn’t answer.

Maya’s voice became sharp.

“Was I?”

Adrian finally looked at her.

“Yes.”

Maya felt like the floor had disappeared beneath her.

“What did they do to me?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re lying.”

“They didn’t experiment on you.”

“Then why was I there?”

Adrian closed his eyes.

“Because you were the test.”

Maya stared.

“What does that mean?”

Adrian’s voice became quiet.

“Your father was the only person who believed the experiment had failed.”

Maya frowned.

“My father?”

“The real Samuel Sterling.”

Adrian nodded.

“He discovered what the others were doing.”

“He tried to stop them.”

“What happened?”

“They killed him.”

Maya’s eyes filled with tears.

“Why?”

“Because he threatened to expose them.”

“Then who was the man pretending to be my father?”

Adrian looked toward the dark corridor.

“Richard Cross.”

Maya froze.

“Your father?”

Adrian nodded.

“My father killed Samuel.”

“Then he took his identity.”

“Why?”

“Because Samuel had something he wanted.”

“What?”

Adrian looked at Maya.

“You.”

---

Maya stepped backward.

“No.”

“Your father had discovered the truth.”

“What truth?”

“He found out that the Black Rose Project wasn’t just about fear.”

“Then what was it?”

Adrian’s voice became a whisper.

“It was about memory.”

Maya stared.

“Memory?”

“Your father believed memories could be transferred.”

Maya shook her head.

“That’s impossible.”

“So was Nadia.”

Maya fell silent.

Adrian continued.

“Your father believed that memories could survive trauma.”

“That if someone died with enough fear…”

“The memory of that fear could remain.”

Maya whispered:

“Like a ghost.”

Adrian nodded.

“Exactly.”

Maya looked at the black rose in her hand.

“So Nadia isn’t a ghost?”

“Maybe she is.”

“Or maybe…”

Adrian looked at her.

“She’s a memory.”

Maya remembered Nadia’s face.

The tears.

The blood.

The way she spoke.

“You were the baby I saved.”

Maya shook her head.

“No.”

“What?”

“She knew things.”

“What things?”

“Things nobody else could know.”

Adrian frowned.

“What do you mean?”

Maya looked at him.

“She called my mother her sister.”

Adrian’s expression changed.

“Yes.”

“But my mother never had a sister.”

Silence.

Maya’s voice became quieter.

“At least…”

“That’s what I was told.”

Adrian stared at her.

Maya suddenly remembered something.

“Wait.”

“What?”

“My mother had an old photograph.”

“Of Nadia?”

“No.”

“Of her family.”

Maya’s eyes widened.

“It was always locked away.”

“Where?”

“At my childhood home.”

Adrian looked at her.

“Then we go there.”

Maya shook her head.

“My mother is gone.”

“Exactly.”

“Then who will let us in?”

Maya looked toward the window.

“The house has been empty for years.”

Adrian picked up his coat.

“Then let’s hope the locks haven’t changed.”

---

They left Blackwood Manor before sunrise.

The drive to Maya’s childhood home took nearly two hours.

Neither spoke much.

The road was covered in fog.

Trees passed outside the windows like dark shadows.

Maya stared ahead.

She was trying to remember.

Her childhood.

Her father.

The fire.

Nadia.

But every time she reached for the memories…

They disappeared.

Like smoke.

Adrian finally spoke.

“Are you okay?”

Maya laughed softly.

“No.”

“Fair enough.”

“My whole life is a lie.”

Adrian looked at her.

“Not everything.”

“How do you know?”

“Because you’re still you.”

Maya looked at him.

“That’s supposed to make me feel better?”

“Not really.”

She smiled despite herself.

For a moment…

The darkness inside her became lighter.

Then Adrian said:

“I’ll find the truth.”

Maya looked at him.

“Why?”

“Because you deserve it.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

Adrian was silent.

Maya waited.

“Why are you helping me?”

He kept his eyes on the road.

“Because I owe you.”

“For what?”

“Your life.”

Maya frowned.

“What?”

“The night of the fire.”

Adrian’s hands tightened around the steering wheel.

“I could have saved Nadia.”

“But I didn’t.”

“I could have stopped my father.”

“But I didn’t.”

“I was a coward.”

Maya stared at him.

“You’re not a coward.”

Adrian laughed bitterly.

“You don’t know me.”

“I know you came back.”

“What?”

“You could have left Blackwood.”

“You didn’t.”

Adrian looked at her.

Maya smiled faintly.

“Maybe you’re trying to fix what you couldn’t fix before.”

Adrian didn’t answer.

But his eyes softened.

Maya looked away.

Neither noticed the black rose lying on the back seat.

A single drop of blood fell from its petals.

---

Maya’s childhood home stood at the end of a quiet street.

It was smaller than she remembered.

The garden was overgrown.

The windows were covered with dust.

The front door was locked.

Adrian pulled out a set of tools.

Maya raised an eyebrow.

“Do detectives normally break into houses?”

“Only when the owner is missing.”

“That doesn’t make it legal.”

Adrian looked at her.

“Would you prefer to wait for permission?”

Maya sighed.

“No.”

“Then stop judging me.”

He opened the door.

They entered.

The house smelled like dust.

And something else.

Burnt wood.

Maya stopped.

She felt sick.

“Why does it smell like that?”

Adrian looked around.

“I don’t know.”

Maya walked deeper into the house.

Memories began returning.

The living room.

The staircase.

The kitchen.

Her old bedroom.

She touched the wall.

A flash.

A little girl.

Running.

A man shouting.

A woman crying.

Then…

A door.

Locked.

Maya opened her eyes.

“There’s a room.”

Adrian looked at her.

“Where?”

“Upstairs.”

They climbed the stairs.

Maya walked toward the end of the hallway.

She stopped at a door.

“I’ve never seen this before.”

Adrian examined it.

“There’s no handle.”

Maya touched the wood.

Suddenly…

The door opened.

Both froze.

Inside was a small room.

Dust covered everything.

An old wooden chest sat in the center.

Maya walked toward it.

Adrian followed.

The chest was locked.

Maya touched the lock.

It opened.

By itself.

Maya stepped backward.

Adrian reached for his gun.

The chest slowly opened.

Inside…

Was a black dress.

A photograph.

And a diary.

Maya picked up the photograph.

Her hands began shaking.

It showed two young women.

One was her mother.

The other…

Was Nadia.

They were standing together.

Smiling.

Behind them was a man.

Samuel Sterling.

Maya stared.

Her father.

But there was something wrong.

His face had been scratched out.

Maya turned the photograph over.

A message was written on the back.

WE WERE SISTERS.

UNTIL HE TOOK EVERYTHING.

Maya looked at Adrian.

“Who?”

Before Adrian could answer…

The diary fell open.

A page turned by itself.

Maya looked down.

The handwriting was Nadia’s.

She began reading.

October 16, 2004

Tomorrow they will take the child.

They believe she carries something.

They are wrong.

The child doesn’t carry the memory.

The child is the memory.

If I die tomorrow…

I need someone to protect her.

Maya’s breathing stopped.

She turned the page.

October 17, 2004

He knows.

Samuel knows.

He found out what they are doing.

He is going to stop them.

But Richard has already found him.

If Samuel dies…

Richard will take his place.

And no one will know.

Maya dropped the diary.

“Richard.”

Adrian stared.

“My father.”

Maya nodded.

“He killed Samuel.”

“Yes.”

“And pretended to be him.”

“Yes.”

“Then who was my real father?”

Adrian looked at the photograph.

“Samuel.”

Maya’s eyes filled with tears.

“Then why did Nadia say my father was the sixth man?”

Adrian froze.

Maya slowly looked at him.

“She said my father was the sixth man.”

Adrian’s expression changed.

“Maybe she meant Richard.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because she knew the difference.”

Maya picked up the diary.

“She said the sixth man was the mastermind.”

Adrian’s face became pale.

“And Richard wasn’t.”

Maya whispered:

“Then who was?”

A sound came from downstairs.

A door opening.

Adrian immediately raised his gun.

“Someone is here.”

Maya held the diary.

“Who?”

Adrian signaled for silence.

They heard footsteps.

Slow.

Heavy.

Coming upstairs.

Maya’s heart pounded.

Adrian stood beside the door.

The footsteps stopped.

Silence.

Then…

A man’s voice.

“Maya.”

She froze.

It was the same voice.

The voice from Blackwood Manor.

The voice of the man pretending to be her father.

“Come out.”

Adrian raised his gun.

The man laughed.

“You can’t hide forever.”

Maya whispered:

“How did he find us?”

Adrian shook his head.

Then Maya noticed something.

The black rose.

It was sitting on the floor outside the room.

Maya stared.

“We were followed.”

The door suddenly exploded inward.

Adrian fired.

The figure disappeared.

Maya screamed.

They ran.

The hallway was empty.

Adrian looked around.

“Where did he go?”

Maya heard something.

A whisper.

Behind her.

“Here.”

She turned.

The man stood at the end of the hallway.

This time…

She saw his face.

It was not Richard Cross.

It was not Samuel Sterling.

It was someone Maya knew.

Someone she had seen many times.

Someone she had trusted.

Maya’s blood ran cold.

“Impossible.”

The man smiled.

“Hello, Maya.”

Adrian raised his gun.

“Don’t move!”

The man laughed.

“Put the gun down, Adrian.”

Maya stared.

“You.”

The man smiled.

“Yes.”

Maya’s voice trembled.

“You were there.”

The man stepped forward.

“Of course.”

“At the fire.”

“Yes.”

“In the photograph.”

“Yes.”

“With Nadia.”

“Yes.”

Maya’s eyes filled with horror.

“You were one of them.”

The man shook his head.

“No.”

“Then what were you?”

He smiled.

“The witness.”

Maya stared.

She finally understood.

The man standing before her…

Was Dr. Elias Vane.

The forensic psychologist who had been helping the police investigate the Black Rose Murders.

The man who had analyzed every victim.

The man who had studied Nadia’s case.

The man who had told Maya that ghosts didn’t exist.

Maya whispered:

“You’ve been lying.”

Elias smiled.

“For twenty-two years.”

Adrian pointed his gun.

“Put your hands where I can see them.”

Elias laughed.

“You still don’t understand.”

“Understand what?”

Elias looked at Maya.

“The murders.”

Maya felt cold.

“What about them?”

“I didn’t kill them.”

“Then who did?”

Elias smiled.

“Nadia.”

Maya shook her head.

“You’re lying.”

“Am I?”

“Nadia told me she didn’t kill anyone.”

“Ghosts lie.”

“She’s not a ghost.”

Elias’s smile disappeared.

“No.”

He stepped closer.

“She’s something much worse.”

Adrian tightened his grip on the gun.

“What did you do to her?”

Elias looked at him.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Then why were you there?”

“Because I was the only one who tried to save her.”

Maya froze.

Elias looked at her.

“Your mother wasn’t Nadia’s sister.”

Maya’s heart stopped.

“She was.”

“No.”

“You’re lying.”

“Ask your mother.”

“She’s missing.”

Elias smiled.

“Is she?”

Maya felt her blood turn cold.

Elias continued:

“Your mother isn’t missing.”

“She’s hiding.”

“From whom?”

Elias looked at Maya.

“From you.”

Maya shook her head.

“Why?”

Elias whispered:

“Because she knows what you really are.”

Maya stepped backward.

“What am I?”

Elias smiled.

Then…

The lights went out.

A scream came from downstairs.

Maya turned.

When the lights came back…

Elias was gone.

Adrian ran toward the staircase.

Maya followed.

At the bottom…

A body lay on the floor.

Maya stopped.

It was a woman.

Blood covered her clothes.

Her face was turned away.

Maya slowly approached.

“No.”

Adrian grabbed her arm.

“Maya, don’t.”

She pulled away.

She turned the body over.

It was her mother.

Maya screamed.

“Mom!”

She fell beside her.

Her mother was dead.

A black rose lay against her chest.

Maya’s hands trembled.

Adrian checked her pulse.

Nothing.

Maya looked at the body.

“She was alive.”

“Five minutes ago.”

“How?”

Adrian stared at the wound.

“I don’t know.”

Maya suddenly noticed something.

Her mother’s hand was clenched.

Maya opened it.

A small piece of paper.

One sentence.

THE SIXTH MAN IS NOT THE KILLER.

Maya stared.

Adrian whispered:

“Then who is?”

A shadow moved behind them.

Maya turned.

Nadia stood in the doorway.

Her face was covered in tears.

She looked at Maya’s mother.

Then at Maya.

And whispered:

“The seventh.”

Maya stood.

“Who is the seventh?”

Nadia pointed toward the mirror.

Maya looked.

A man’s reflection appeared.

But there was no man standing behind them.

Only the reflection.

A tall figure.

Wearing a black coat.

His face was hidden.

Nadia whispered:

“The one who started it all.”

The reflection slowly raised its hand.

And pointed directly at Maya.

Maya stepped backward.

The mirror cracked.

One line.

Then another.

Then hundreds.

And from behind the glass…

A voice whispered:

“You were never the victim, Maya.”

Maya froze.

The voice continued:

“You were the reason Nadia died.”

The mirror shattered.

And somewhere in the darkness…

A black rose fell at Maya’s feet.