All Chapters of Under the Weight of Deception: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

32 Chapters

What Still Hurts

Chapter 21 “Stay.” It wasn’t a command. Nor a plea. It was… broken. A need that slipped from his lips as if it hurt. Emma froze. The air compressed between them. A second earlier, her hand was already on the doorknob. Her body halfway out. But his voice pulled her back. Or rather, stopped her. As if her feet had been nailed to the ground. She blinked. Once. Twice. She didn’t understand. Not fully. She closed the door slowly, as if the slightest sound could shatter something delicate—something she hadn’t yet seen. The click of the latch felt final. And yet, nothing was resolved. Benjamín lowered his head. He ran a trembling hand through his hair again, fingers clenched, as if he could tear out what he was feeling. His elbow on the desk quivered slightly. He was on the edge. Not physically—on the edge of something deeper. Emma watched him in silence, unable to look away. Then their eyes met. The collision was devastating. Their pupils spoke in a language beyond words: pain,

Last Updated : 2025-05-29

Silent Fallout

Chapter 22 Ambercrest was moving forward. Fast. Faster than expected. Phase one of the platform was already in internal testing and, even if no one said it out loud, the reports pointed to something promising. Carter Group was positioning itself—boldly, with vision. But beneath the success, the air had grown heavier. Emma and Benjamín spoke only when necessary. Cordial, professional, to the point. Reports, objectives. Nothing more. No lingering glances, no shared silences. Yet everyone on the floor knew—though no one could say exactly what—that something between them had changed. Benjamín had grown colder. Not rude, but rigid. A constant line of tension along his jaw. And Emma... Emma had perfected the art of faking composure. She smiled without smiling. Slept little. Worked more. And whenever she was alone, she had to remind herself why she started this in the first place. Victoria, in contrast, remained untouched. Impeccable. Charismatic. Always with the right word. Always well

Last Updated : 2025-05-29

Not Part of the Plan

Chapter 23 Chaos hadn’t disappeared. It had only changed shape. Benjamín had become the eye of a corporate storm. The board demanded his presence. The partners demanded answers. The media speculated. And standing beside him—naturally, seamlessly—was Victoria, coordinating every front. But she wasn’t just his adviser. Victoria was the CEO of Ambercrest. And now, she was taking command. “We’re talking about an investment with international scope. We can’t afford to let an internal failure undermine us,” she said firmly, issuing directives to three departments simultaneously. Benjamín listened. And with each nod, each gesture, he seemed to delegate more. Trust more. Because Victoria didn’t hesitate. Because Victoria got things done. Because Victoria was there. And Emma… wasn’t. Until yesterday, she had been the strategic shadow just outside the inner circle. The presidential assistant. The one who wove threads without seeking credit. The one who always knew, before being t

Last Updated : 2025-06-01

Eyes That Don’t Look Away

Chapter 24 Victoria descended the executive floor staircase with the same precision she used to make decisions. Steady heels, pulse untouched. But inside, something had shifted. That handwritten note wasn’t just a curiosity. It was a crossed line. A silent warning. Benjamín hadn’t closed the case. Benjamín wasn’t convinced. And most troubling of all: Benjamín was still thinking about Emma. Not with romantic words. Not with visible gestures. But Victoria could feel it. She recognized it with a clarity as sharp as it was infuriating. She saw it in how he reviewed documents already discussed. In how he locked himself away with old reports. He was close. And at the same time, far. And that “far” had a name. Emma. Victoria pressed her lips together at the thought. Not out of jealousy. Not at first. It was… disbelief. She had never imagined her rival would end up being a secretary. An assistant in a grey suit with silent footsteps. Efficient, yes… b

Last Updated : 2025-06-02

Soft Collapse

Chapter 25 For a few days, Victoria savored the silence as if it were victory. The halls murmured what she wanted them to. The stares aimed at Emma. Distrust planted like a seed and watered daily with every new mistake. Everything seemed to lean in her favor. The reports. The complaints. The failed protocols. Emma was no longer seen as a reliable asset, but as a blurred figure unraveling at the center of her own collapse. On the verge of being dismissed. Victoria didn’t say it aloud—but she felt it. She had cornered her without moving a single visible piece. And for someone like Victoria, that was art. But then came the other sensation. That subtle discomfort. The crack that forms in a painting that’s just a little too perfect. Because yes. Too many mistakes. Too many for anyone. And especially, too many for someone like Emma. Benjamín noticed it too, almost at the same time. Not in one meeting or one report. It was in the repetition. The absurd acc

Last Updated : 2025-06-03

Masks and Truths

Chapter 26Anne sat on the edge of the bed, the dim light in the room barely illuminating her pale, tired face. Benjamín sat beside her, but between them lay an invisible distance heavier than any wall.“Benjamín,” she began, her voice breaking, “something is happening with my family... I don’t understand how it all started, but... there are rumors, investigations… The police are questioning them.” She looked into his eyes with pain. “They want to put my father in jail... for something he didn’t do.”Tears began to stream down her cheeks, her face reflecting the fear of someone desperate to protect what she loves most.“I’ve tried to defend them, but no one listens. Not even my lawyers can do much. Please, I need your help… Please help me protect them.”He looked at her calmly, with that certainty that made her believe everything would be alright.“Calm down... I promise I’ll do everything I can to help them,” he said firmly, taking her hand. “I won’t leave you alone in this.”Anne cl

Last Updated : 2025-06-04

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

Last Updated : 2025-06-05

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

Last Updated : 2025-06-06

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

Last Updated : 2025-06-07

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

Last Updated : 2025-06-11

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