BENEATH THE LIES

Unseen Consequences

Chapter 5

June's POV

I could barely breathe as I stormed up the stairs, my mind racing. The message on my phone burned in my hand, every word sinking deeper into my chest like a blade. I didn’t know who was sending these messages, but they confirmed what I had already feared—Micheal was lying to me. About everything.

I reached our bedroom and slammed the door shut behind me, my hands trembling as I tossed the phone onto the bed. The silence in the room was deafening, broken only by the sound of my ragged breathing. My heart pounded, and I felt the weight of the truth pressing down on me.

How long had he been lying? And what else had he kept from me?

I sat down on the edge of the bed, my head in my hands. Tears threatened to spill over, but I blinked them back, refusing to let them fall. I had cried enough already. Crying wouldn’t fix this. I needed to think, to figure out my next move.

Whoever was sending those messages—they knew something. They were watching Micheal , just like I had been. And they were warning me. But why? What did they want from me?

I picked up my phone again, scrolling through the messages, hoping for some clue. But there was nothing. Just the same, cryptic warnings, each one driving me further down this path of doubt and suspicion.

"He’s lying to you."

"Find out what he’s really doing."

"Before it’s too late."

I felt a chill run down my spine. What if it was already too late? What if Micheal ’s lies were bigger than I imagined?

I stood up, pacing the room, trying to piece together everything I knew. The late-night phone calls, the secret meetings, the tension between him and Mr. Ethan … It all pointed to something shady, something dangerous. And now, with these messages, it was clear that I wasn’t just imagining things.

I glanced at the clock. It was late—too late to call Natasha . But I knew I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed help, someone who could dig deeper, someone who could find out what Micheal was hiding. Natasha had connections, people who owed her favors. She would know what to do.

I grabbed my phone and started typing a message.

"Nat, I need your help. It’s urgent."

My finger hovered over the send button, hesitating for just a moment. Was I really ready to open this door? Once I started down this path, there would be no turning back. I would be confronting everything—the lies, the betrayal, the possibility that the man I married was someone I didn’t even know.

But I couldn’t live like this anymore. Not knowing. Not trusting. I hit send.

A few seconds later, the phone buzzed with Natasha ’s reply.

"What’s going on? Call me."

I took a deep breath and dialed her number. It rang twice before she picked up.

“June?” Natasha ’s voice was sharp with concern. “What happened?”

I swallowed hard, trying to find the words. “It’s Micheal ,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “Something’s wrong. I think… I think he’s been lying to me.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and I could hear the shift in Natasha ’s tone. “I knew it,” she muttered, her voice tight. “What’s he done?”

I closed my eyes, rubbing my temples. “I don’t know exactly. But I’ve been getting these messages. They’re warning me, telling me he’s hiding something. I don’t know who’s sending them, but they know things, Nat. They know too much.”

Natasha was silent for a moment, processing what I had told her. When she spoke again, her voice was firm. “June, you need to be careful. If someone is sending you these messages, they might be trying to manipulate you. But if Micheal really is hiding something, we need to find out what it is before you confront him.”

“I know,” I whispered. “But how? I’ve been trying to figure it out for months, and I’m no closer to the truth.”

“Leave it to me,” Natasha said, her voice filled with determination. “I’ll make a few calls, see what I can dig up. In the meantime, you need to play it cool. Don’t let Micheal know you’re onto him. Act normal.”

Act normal. The thought made me feel sick. How could I act normal when my whole world was falling apart? How could I look at Micheal , talk to him, sleep next to him, knowing that he was keeping secrets from me?

“I’ll try,” I said finally, my voice shaky.

“Just hang in there, June,” Natasha said. “We’ll figure this out.”

We hung up, and I stared at the phone in my hand, feeling a mix of relief and fear. I wasn’t alone in this anymore. Natasha would help me. But that didn’t make the situation any less terrifying.

I stood up and walked over to the window, staring out into the dark night. The lights of the city flickered in the distance, but all I could see was the reflection of my own face, pale and strained with worry.

How had things gotten so bad? I thought back to when Micheal and I first met, how easy everything had been then. We were so in love, so sure of each other. But now… now it felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff, and at any moment, everything could come crashing down.

I heard the door creak open behind me, and I turned to see Micheal standing in the doorway. His face was unreadable, but I could see the tension in his posture, the way his eyes flickered with unease.

“June,” he said quietly, his voice carefully controlled. “We need to talk.”

My heart pounded in my chest, but I forced myself to remain calm. I couldn’t let him see how close I was to breaking.

“What is it, Micheal ?” I asked, my voice steady, though my hands were trembling.

He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. For a moment, he just stood there, staring at me, as if searching for the right words. Then, finally, he spoke.

“I know things haven’t been…easy lately,” he said slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. “I’ve been distant. I know that. But it’s not what you think.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for him to continue. He was trying to control the narrative, to keep me from finding out the truth. But I wasn’t going to let him.

“I’ve been under a lot of pressure at work,” he continued, his tone almost pleading. “This deal with Mr Ethan… it’s complicated. There’s a lot riding on it, and I didn’t want to worry you. That’s why I’ve been so stressed.”

I raised an eyebrow, trying to mask my disbelief. “Stressed? That’s your excuse for keeping secrets from me?”

He flinched, and I saw a flicker of guilt cross his face. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by that same carefully crafted calm. “I didn’t mean to keep things from you, June. I just didn’t want to burden you with it.”

I stared at him, my heart heavy with disappointment. He was still lying. Even now, when I was giving him the chance to come clean, he was hiding the truth.

“You’re lying to me, Micheal ,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “I know you are.”

His face hardened, and for a moment, I saw a flash of something darker in his eyes. Anger. Fear. But he quickly masked it with a sigh, running a hand through his hair.

“June, please,” he said, his voice low. “You have to trust me.”

Trust him? How could I trust him when every instinct I had was screaming that he was hiding something? When the messages on my phone confirmed it?

But I couldn’t confront him. Not yet. Not without more proof. So I did what I had to do.

I forced a smile, though it felt like it was tearing me apart inside. “Okay, Micheal ,” I said softly. “I’ll trust you.”

But inside, I knew I couldn’t. Not anymore.