Some Names Shouldn’t Be Said

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• Under the Weight of Deception   Reflections of Anne

  Chapter 32 The alarm rang at 6:30 a.m., as merciless as Judgment Day. Anne didn’t move right away. She opened her eyes in the half-light and lay still, paralyzed by habit and fear, staring up at a ceiling she knew far too well. For one long, intimate, brutal moment, she wished the world wouldn’t expect her. But it did. And she knew what day it was. She knew what was expected of her. To go. To perform. To become Emma. She exhaled a sigh that seemed to leave her soul behind. She sat on the edge of the bed with sluggish movements, as though invisible weights were tied to her ankles. The air smelled of confinement, of choices left unmade. She forced herself to the bathroom, turned on the light, opened the tap, and let the freezing water slap her face—not to cleanse her skin, but to scour away the past. She looked in the mirror. There were her eyes. Anne’s. Broken. Empty. Then came the transformation. Ivory blouse. Executive skirt. Shoes that screamed forced dignity. She dress

• Under the Weight of Deception   Rooms We Cannot Enter

  Chapter 31She saw something beyond words.She saw someone caring for his friend with the devotion of a brother. With loyalty.And something inside her cracked—just slightly. Not with noise. Not with drama.With a sadness that spread like a silent fracture—deep, relentless, impossible to contain.She turned her head slowly and looked toward the room.Benjamín was still there, unmoving. Suspended.His face thinner, cheekbones sharp, and dark circles that even deep rest couldn’t erase.There was a vulnerability about him that unarmed her. A stillness that didn’t belong to him.He had been motion.He had been unfiltered words spilling out. Clumsy laughter. Unexpected questions. Stubbornness. Hands that reached for her even when she didn’t want to be found.Now, he was barely a breath held inside a machine.Emma didn’t blink.Her chest hurt. Not from the past—or not just from it.But from the bitter certainty that even now, she couldn’t get close.Not like Anne.Not like the woman who had

• Under the Weight of Deception   Some Names Shouldn’t Be Said

  Chapter 30 Anne Walker. The name hung in the air like a sentence. Nothing more needed to be said. Those two words were enough to stir emotions, like ink dropped into a glass of water—everything clouded instantly. Lucas remained still. In the silence that followed, he could clearly hear the faint creak of Benjamin's mother’s fingers as she clasped her hands in her lap. Her lips tightened. The brother lowered his gaze. Even Matthew, pleased with the effect, let his shoulders drop with theatrical gravity. "Are you sure?" the woman asked, her voice barely audible. "I saw her," Matthew nodded gently, as if unaware of the damage his words carried. "She was leaving the hospital. Alone. Her hair was loose, a bit lighter… but it was her." No one spoke. The silence became a presence in itself, like a shadow settling in every corner of the room. "What was she doing here?" Benjamin’s mother finally asked. Her voice was tight, measured—like a thread that refused to snap. Matthew til

• Under the Weight of Deception   Just Breathe

  Chapter 29The hum of the machines filled the room—a constant, monotonous sound that, through repetition, had become part of the atmosphere. Gentle respirators, occasional beeps. The smell of disinfectant no longer bothered her; it was as if she had lost her sense of time and place. There was only this room. That bed. That fragile figure, still breathing with difficulty—but still breathing.Anne sat beside her mother, eyes red, hands clasped in her lap. She had been there for hours—maybe days—barely moving. She slept in short stretches, always in the same chair, her head tilted, her thoughts caught in a whirlwind of uncertainty.The woman in the bed looked smaller. Her skin paler, her eyes sunken—but alive. Alive. And that was enough. That was everything.Anne took her hand gently, as if afraid to break it."I’m here, Mom," she whispered. "I’m not going anywhere.""Anne?" Her older brother’s voice, soft, came from the doorway.She didn’t respond. She only turned her face slightly, wit

• Under the Weight of Deception   Beneath the Wig

  Chapter 28 “Hi, Emmita.” Emma’s eyes flew open. In a single second, her world shrank into something unbearably small. “Ma… Mom…” The air thickened in the narrow hallway of the apartment. Almost reflexively, Emma brought her hands to her head and tore off the wig. The carelessly pinned hair beneath tumbled down in messy strands. “What are you doing here? How… how did you know where I live? How do you know my other name?” The woman took one step inside. She closed the door gently behind her. But her gaze… her gaze was anything but gentle. “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?” Emma didn’t answer. “Did you honestly believe I could look at your photos, watch your videos, hear your voice on the phone, and not see something had changed?” Her mother’s jaw tightened. “First it was your voice—lower. Tense. Then the silence. The excuses. The messages instead of calls. And then… that day Anne took me to the hospital…” Emma swallowed hard. “…they wouldn’t let you in. You couldn’t sh

• Under the Weight of Deception   Shadows of Doubt

  Chapter 27 For days, Benjamin worked with a determination that bordered on obsession. Hour after hour, he pored over records, access logs, backups. Like a surgeon, he searched between lines of data with precise intent—looking for what others had either ignored or hadn’t dared to see. He spoke to no one but Lucas, who, against all odds, had become his primary ally in that silent crusade. And it wasn’t out of sympathy. Not for redemption. Lucas knew it too: Emma Moore was not guilty. They both shared that certainty. Quiet, but unwavering. And when inconsistencies began to surface—when a loose thread became visible—neither of them pulled back. Emma moved slowly down the dim hallway, almost gliding. Her heels made barely a whisper against the marble floor, as if even the ground knew not to betray her presence. She paused every few steps, hesitant to advance too far. Finally, she stopped at the corner, just far enough to see into the makeshift workroom where Benjamin and Lucas were