Todos los capítulos de Only Her Touch : Capítulo 71 - Capítulo 80

Alicia's hands trembled as she lifted the small box from Priya's outstretched arms, the room around her falling quiet with the particular stillness that comes right before something important reveals itself. Barely an hour ago the room had been full of soft laughter and quiet celebration, Doris teasing about spoiling a child who wasn't even born yet, Priya and Marsh sitting close together with the easy warmth of two people just beginning to trust something new. Now every one of them stood watching the small, unremarkable box as though it might contain anything at all."Open it," Roberto said gently, standing close beside her, his own tension visible in the set of his jaw.She peeled back the lid slowly, and found, resting on a bed of soft tissue paper, a single folded letter and a small, tarnished photograph. She lifted the photograph first, and felt her breath catch at the image staring back at her. A young man, barely twenty, laughing freely in a way she had only ever glimpsed once

Morning came too fast after a night spent poring over documents instead of sleeping, and Alicia sat at the small conference table beside Roberto and Carla, exhaustion and sharp, focused urgency both humming beneath her skin in equal measure."I traced the holding company," Carla said, sliding a folder across the table. "It took most of the night, but the ownership chain finally led somewhere recognizable. It's controlled by three former members of the Vasquez family's legal team. The same people who handled the guardianship petition, the forged marriage certificate, years of quiet, careful manipulation on Ignacio's behalf."Roberto's jaw tightened. "They're trying to grab what's left before the estate fully settles.""That's my read," Carla said. "With Ignacio gone, Cross in custody, and the family's public reputation in ruins, these are people who lost their patron and their income at the same time. This looks like a desperate, opportunistic grab at whatever influence they can still

The call came later than usual the next evening, and Alicia felt her unease sharpen the moment she heard the particular flatness in Roberto's voice."Sorry," he said, before she could even finish her greeting. "Long day. The depositions ran twice as long as scheduled.""You sound exhausted," Alicia said gently, curling into the pillows, trying to keep her voice light despite the small, persistent worry she hadn't been able to shake since the night before. "Did you eat something, at least?""I had coffee," Roberto said, something distracted in his tone. "I'll eat later.""Roberto." Alicia sat up slightly. "That's not eating something.""I know, Alicia. I'm handling it." The words came out sharper than she expected, and she heard him exhale immediately afterward, visibly catching himself. "I'm sorry. That wasn't fair. I'm just tired."Alicia felt the sting of it anyway, old instincts rising despite her best effort to stay calm. "You don't have to apologize for being tired. I just want y

Roberto almost canceled twice before finally forcing himself into the car that evening, exhaustion pressing heavily behind his eyes, the kind of tiredness that made even simple decisions feel like wading through deep water."You don't have to do this tonight," Carla had told him that afternoon, studying him with careful concern. "We can push the meeting to tomorrow if you need rest.""I want this finished," Roberto had said. "One more night, and then I come home properly, Carla. I can manage one dinner."He had called Alicia before leaving, her voice warm and steady even through the static of a weak connection, and told her he loved her, that he would call the moment the evening finished, that he was counting the hours until he could finally come home and simply exist beside her again without a lawsuit, a deposition, or a careful, exhausting performance standing between them. He had meant every word of it. He still meant it now, sitting in the back of an unfamiliar car, watching the c

Carla did not wait until morning. She arrived at the tower at six, before the sun had fully cleared the buildings, a laptop tucked under her arm and the look of a woman who had not slept at all. Alicia had not slept either. She sat at the kitchen table in yesterday's clothes, Doris beside her, a cup of tea gone cold between her hands."I need you to watch something," Carla said, setting the laptop down. "And I need you to hear me say this first. I cannot tell you what happened in that room. Nobody can, because there were no cameras inside it. What I can show you is everything around it."Alicia nodded once. Her throat was too tight for words.The first clip showed a hotel hallway, timestamped 9:12 the night before. Roberto walked toward a private dining room, tired but steady, his shoulders straight, his stride even. Alicia felt a small, foolish ache at the sight of him. She knew that walk. She had watched it cross a hundred rooms.The second clip was timestamped 10:48.The same hall