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Chapter 15 - The brother in flames

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Episode 15: The Brother in the Flames

Thirteen Years Ago

The house was on fire.

Screams. Smoke.

And a boy's voice calling out—

"Evan, run!"

Then silence.

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Present Day — Safe House Morning

The storm had passed, but the air was still heavy.

Evan sat on the porch with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, Zane pressed to her chest. The twins were safe. Nori was inside asleep. Abel was somewhere beyond the trees talking to Grant.

But her heart felt like it was bracing for impact.

Then—

A black SUV pulled into the gravel road.

Unmarked.

Unfamiliar.

She stood immediately, instincts screaming.

The door opened slowly.

Out stepped a man in a hoodie. Broad. About 6'2. Scar down one cheekbone. Pale eyes.

His voice was low.

"Evie?"

Her entire body went still.

Nobody called her that. Not since—

"No," she whispered.

"Yeah," he said, taking a step closer.

"It's me."

She dropped the blanket.

"Emrys?"

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Flashback – Age 10

Emrys Dendelion was seventeen, wild, brilliant, and fiercely protective. When the fire started in their family's lab, he shoved Evan into the dumbwaiter and sealed the door.

They never found his body.

The official story: electrical fire. Malfunction. Explosion.

The truth?

Buried.

Until now.

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Evan stumbled down the steps, heart cracking open.

He caught her mid-run, arms tight.

"You're alive," she whispered, sobbing.

He nodded into her hair. "They tried to kill me. I couldn't come back. Not until it was safe."

"We buried you. I thought—"

"I know."

She pulled back, wiping her eyes, still holding Zane tight.

"How did you survive?"

His face darkened.

"Because someone pulled me out of the flames. Someone I trusted."

"Who?"

He looked away.

And Evan's gut twisted.

"…Emrys. Who saved you?"

"Cassandra."

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Minutes Later — Inside

Abel's voice was thunder when he burst in and saw Emrys.

"You."

Emrys turned, smirking.

"Still icy, I see."

"You were presumed dead. Why the hell are you standing in my house?"

"I came for her," Emrys said, stepping between Abel and Evan.

"I'm not here for war."

But Abel's fist clenched.

"Then why did you disappear? Why work with Cassandra? Why now?"

"Because Cassandra was the only one helping me hunt the truth," Emrys snapped. "The Dendelions didn't die by accident. That fire? Was planted."

He looked at Evan.

"Our parents were trying to expose LunaTech."

Abel stiffened.

"That's a lie."

"Is it?" Emrys challenged. "You think AETHER was the only file buried under your family's empire?"

Evan's voice shook.

"Then show me."

He pulled out a flash drive.

"See for yourself."

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Later — On Screen

The footage was grainy. Old. But clear enough.

Evan watched her mother, Evelyn, in the lab—arguing with a man.

Luca Luna.

Abel's father.

"Stop the testing," she was saying. "These side effects aren't just anomalies. They're weapons."

And Luca?

"Keep your mouth shut, Evelyn. Or your family will burn for this."

The clip ended.

Silence fell.

Abel looked like someone had ripped the floor out from under him.

"That was your father," Evan said coldly.

"I didn't know," Abel murmured.

"No. But he did."

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Later That Night — Emrys & Evan Alone

He held a photo in his hands. One of the twins.

"I never thought I'd be an uncle."

"You should've been their godfather," Evan smiled sadly. "You were always the one protecting me."

"I still am."

"Then why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because you married him. And I didn't know if I could trust you."

Her chest tightened.

"I understand."

He looked at her.

"You still love him."

She didn't answer.

"I don't trust him," Emrys said. "And if anything happens to you or the babies—"

She nodded.

"I know."

"But if you're willing to fight—really fight—I'll stand with you."

Evan looked at him, tears in her eyes.

"I've never been more ready."

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Final Scene — Cassandra's Private Compound

She poured herself a drink, watching security footage of the safe house.

"Reunion went well," she mused.

Her assistant frowned. "What if Emrys turns on us?"

Cassandra smiled faintly.

"He won't."

"Why not?"

"Because he's still hiding something from Evan. Something that will make her hate him just as much as she hated Abel."

She raised her glass.

"To family secrets."

And pressed play on a second clip.

A hidden video…

Of Emrys shaking hands with Luca Luna—last year.

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💣 End of Episode 15

> Coming in Episode 16:

Evan begins her public campaign to expose LunaTech. Abel faces a backlash that threatens to destroy his company. Emrys grows closer—but so does his lie. And Cassandra? She finally makes her move on the twins.....

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