Lahat ng Kabanata ng BETRAYAL: The Day I Died.: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

His eyes fluttered open, slow and unsteady.“Benjamin…” I whispered, leaning closer. “Benjamin, can you hear me?”His gaze met mine, dazed and confused. I let out a shaky breath and threw my arms around him, holding him like he might disappear again. “You scared me,” I breathed out, the tears I had been holding back finally slipping down my cheeks. “You really scared me.”With help, he sat up. But when his father reached a hand out to steady him, Benjamin pushed it away without hesitation.I moved closer, wrapping my arm around him as I helped him toward the couch. He sank down, and silence stretched for a moment before his low and cold voice broke through.“So,” Benjamin said, his eyes fixed on his father, “what you’re saying is… she was the woman you had an affair with? The woman who caused my mother’s death?”My whole body tensed.“What do you mean she caused your mother’s death?” My voice cracked. “Don’t you dare put that on her. I get that you are in pain, but if you are going to

I closed my eyes.Please. Let the result be negative. Let it be a mistake. Let me keep the person I love.But hope was starting to feel like a dangerous thing.The chair beneath me was cold, hard, and unforgiving. I sat frozen, like moving would shatter the thin thread of control holding me together. My hands were locked so tightly in my lap, they had gone pale from the pressure.Beside me, Benjamin sat hunched forward, elbows digging into his knees. His eyes were glued to the white-tiled floor, unblinking, like he was waiting for it to offer some kind of answer. Every so often, his fingers twitched just slightly like they wanted to reach out and hold mine, but kept hesitating. Like he didn’t know if he still had the right.The silence between us wasn’t quiet. It was loud. Loud with everything we weren’t saying. It pressed down on my chest like a weight that I couldn’t shake off.I turned my head just a little, glancing at him. His jaw was clenched so tight it looked painful, and his

“We should get a divorce,” I said, barely recognizing the sound of my own voice.It came out flat, too quiet, but somehow it still cut through the silence like a blade. My throat burned. The words tasted like ash, bitter and final.Benjamin turned to me first, then my mother. Their eyes snapped toward me like the world had just shifted. I didn’t look at either of them. I just stared ahead, blinking rapidly as the tears I had been trying to hold back finally pushed through.“That’s the only thing we can do now,” I murmured, wiping my cheek with the back of my hand, even though another tear slipped out right after.Benjamin’s fingers ran through his hair, dragging roughly at the strands like he wanted to tear something apart. He looked… lost. His jaw clenched as he looked at me. “This isn’t right,” he said in a broken whisper.My chest tightened. “I know.” My voice cracked. “But what choice do we have, Benjamin? We can’t keep doing this. It’s wrong.”He didn’t speak. Just stood there, b

A dull light pressed against my eyelids. My head throbbed like a drum in my skull.Somewhere near me, a voice broke through the fog.“Are you okay?”I turned my head, and three police officers came into view, their dark uniforms making them seem heavier than the air around them. Faith was standing by the door, her hands clenched in front of her, her eyes wide and wet with fear.And then it hit me, everything.The memory slammed into my chest, knocking the air out of me. I pushed myself up too fast, the pounding in my head exploded, but I didn’t care. My breath came hard and shallow. I started shaking my head like a psycho, and I started hitting my head.One of the officers reached out, trying to steady me, but I slapped his hand away. My eyes burned, vision blurring.“It’s not true,” I whispered, shaking my head.The officer’s voice was slow and careful, as if he feared his words might shatter me. “A neighbor reported she saw your mother getting shot… right after she got out of a taxi

We got to the location just as the sun was dipping, and the fading light shone across the dusty compound. The air felt heavy, almost cold, but my chest was pounding like there was a drum inside me. Our car spread out, engines humming low, headlights sweeping over the cracked concrete. Tires crunched against gravel, and in that circle of steel and glaring lights, I saw Lucy’s car parked smugly in front of the building.My hands curled into fists at my sides. Just seeing it was enough to make my blood rise.The doors opened almost in unison, and we stepped out. Cool evening air hit my face, but it did nothing to ease the heat boiling under my skin. I wanted to storm in right then, to find her and tear her apart, but Benjamin’s men were already moving into position. Silent hand signals passed between them, dark figures slipping into their assigned spots like they had done this a thousand times.Two of the men reached the front door, their boots thudding softly against the wooden steps. T