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Chapter 97: Cracks in the Foundation

Author: Nedum's Pen
last update Last Updated: 2025-08-20 06:23:18

The room was too quiet after Luca snapped the laptop shut.

Amara sat frozen, her eyes unfocused, as though she were staring at something only she could see. Mara reached for her, then hesitated, unsure if her touch would soothe or shatter her further.

“Amara,” Luca said gently, crouching in front of her. His large hands covered hers, grounding, steady. “Look at me. Don’t let his voice drown out what’s real.”

But when she finally looked at him, her eyes were glassy, red at the rims. “What if it is real?”

Luca shook his head immediately. “It doesn’t matter if he spliced it, staged it, or twisted it. What matters is that he wanted you to hear it this way. That’s the trap.”

She pulled her hands free, pressing them against her temples. “You don’t understand. My mother… she never said things like that. She was careful, almost too careful, about how she spoke of me. For her to say ” Her voice cracked. “For her to doubt me like that, even in private…”

Her words dissolved into silence, swallow
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