All Chapters of She Writes Her Own Heartbeat : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Pov Samantha ***The cab dropped me off a block away from the penthouse, an old habit from the days before I was officially living here, and one I didn't feel the need to break. The afternoon sun was starting to mellow, casting long shadows across the immaculate pavement. As I rode the elevator up, the celebratory buzz from lunch with Marcus faded, replaced by the familiar anxiety of stepping back into the lie. I clutched the signed contract in my purse; it was heavy with the promise of my future and the weight of my deceit.I walked into the apartment, and the silence hit me first. The penthouse, usually filled with a background hum of electronic security or Benjamin's low-key movements, felt unnaturally still. The plate from my breakfast was gone.Then I saw him.Benjamin wasn't in the living room or the kitchen. He was standing on the balcony, a place that had become a silent battlefield for us. He wasn't looking at the city view; he was simply looking out, his back rigid. He was

Pov Samantha **I pushed the door open and walked in, the entire boardroom falling into a dead, electric silence.Every single eye was on me from the stoic, aging board members to the two faces I cared most about shocking. Benjamin’s brother, Marcus (not my Marcus, the other Marcus, the one who was pure malice), looked instantly furious, his mouth opening to protest my intrusion. But it was Sophia’s face that gave me a dangerous thrill. Her features, usually so controlled, were a mask of pure, bewildered rage.I met Benjamin's eyes across the room. The look he gave me was utterly captivating a silent acknowledgment that our game was about to reach its terrifying climax."Excuse me, gentlemen," Benjamin said, his voice cutting through the silence, his tone effortless. "I believe the most important person in this room has just arrived."He ignored the rising protest of his brother. He didn't introduce me to the board. Instead, he simply walked toward me, his attention focused entirely

Pov Samantha ***The air was thick with the scent of expensive wine and triumph. As the guests applauded, I nestled into Benjamin’s side, resting my head against his shoulder just long enough for the photographers and Sophia to capture the image of utter devotion.But as I looked over the crowd, past the forced smiles and the curious eyes, my gaze landed on Cassandra. She was standing discreetly by the entrance, her tablet in hand, her eyes not on the celebrating crowd, but on a digital display recessed into the wall near the bar. It wasn't the temperature or the music volume she was checking; it was a constant, almost imperceptible scan of the room.And that's when it clicked.This wasn't an engagement party. This was a sophisticated, high-end stakeout.The fifty "influential people" weren't just witnesses to our love; they were a pool of potential suspects. The jazz trio, the discreet catering staff, the flow of the room, it was all designed to observe reactions, capture conver

Pov Samantha ***I finished the last bite of bacon, the silence between Benjamin and me still rigidly professional. He was already back on his phone, the crisis of the company (which he’d just resigned from) apparently still demanding his attention."I need to coordinate with the security detail regarding the honeymoon destination," he said curtly, without looking up. "The security protocols will be intense, given the current... climate.""Understood," I replied, standing up and stacking my plate neatly beside his. I needed to escape the charged, awkward atmosphere and regain some sense of normalcy before diving into the next layer of deception. "I'll go upstairs and start preparing for the trip."I made it halfway up the stairs when my phone vibrated in my pocket a cheerful, insistent buzz that was entirely out of place in Benjamin's world. I pulled it out. It was Marcus.My heart performed a familiar, guilty flip. I hadn't spoken to him since the celebratory lunch where I had si

Pov Samantha ******The drive back to the penthouse was silent and suffocating. Benjamin was radiating cold fury, not at me, but at the sheer intrusion of Sophia into our carefully managed risk assessment. The quiet anger was more terrifying than any shouting.The moment we walked through the door of the penthouse, the façade shattered. I dropped my bag on the marble floor with a heavy thud, the simple silver ring still on my finger, a mocking symbol of my half-real life."She knew," I whispered, turning to face him. "She was waiting, or she followed Marcus. This is impossible, Benjamin. We're getting married next week, but I can't even go to a publisher's meeting without running into a potential killer."Benjamin took off his jacket, his movements sharp and controlled. "It confirms our theory, Samantha. She's desperate and she's mobilizing. That's why the honeymoon is crucial. It gets us out of this city and into a secure, controlled location.""A secure location to do what, exac