Chapter 29

The silence in Max’s car was suffocating.

Not the calm, peaceful kind but the heavy, stifling type that swells with things unspoken. Things you’re too afraid to ask. Too angry to voice.

I kept my eyes fixed on the road ahead, my fingers clenched tightly in my lap. Max hadn’t said a word since we pulled away from the venue. The quiet between us felt charged, almost like we were holding our breath, waiting to see who would break first.

I could feel him glance at me every now and then, like he was trying to read my mood, gauge just how upset I was. But I didn’t give him anything. Not a look. Not a word. I had no idea what I would say that wouldn’t come out in flames.

Because now I knew.

This wasn’t about kindness.

It wasn’t about responsibility.

It was about power.

About winning.

And somewhere along the line, I had become the prize.

Max’s phone buzzed once on the dashboard. He tapped the screen quickly to silence it before I could see the caller ID. My eyes flicked to him, and for the briefest second, he looked nervous. Defensive. Like a man guarding a secret.

I tucked that reaction into the growing file in my mind. Another red flag. Another reason to keep my guard up.

When we finally pulled up to my apartment, I opened the door before the car had fully stopped.

“Lila…” Max said, reaching for my arm.

I stepped out before he could finish, slamming the door behind me and walking quickly toward my building. I didn’t even look back.

Max quickly packed and followed after me in hot pursuit calling out my name but I didn't even turn to look at him.

We climbed the short flight of stairs without a word, the only sound between us the quiet click of my heels and the distant hum of the city. The air felt thick, heavy with the words I’d been holding in since we left the gala.

The moment the door to my apartment closed behind us, I spun to face him.

“What the hell was that, Max?”

He blinked, clearly caught off guard by the sharpness in my voice. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb,” I snapped, tossing my keys onto the console with more force than necessary. “You declared us a couple in front of my boss. You kissed me in front of everyone like I was some kind of prize you just won and then you acted like it was nothing!” What kind of twisted game are you playing?”

He crossed his arms, eyebrows raised. “I wasn’t playing any game.” he said, his tone maddeningly calm. “I was just being honest.”

I scoffed, disbelief bubbling in my chest. “Really? Because from where I was standing, it looked a whole lot like a performance.”

His voice dipped, calm but with an edge. “Why are you so upset? You told me you weren’t going to get involved with Drew. You said you were choosing me. So what’s the problem with me making that clear?”

I stared at him, my chest rising and falling rapidly. “Choosing you?” I was too stunned by his response. “You don’t get to make things clear for me!” I shouted, my voice cracking. “You don’t get to hijack my decisions and act anyhow and claim it was for me. The problem, Max, is that you didn’t ask. You didn’t talk to me. You just announced it to everyone like I was some trophy. And you knew he was going to be there, didn’t you?”

His lips parted, but he said nothing.

I took a step forward, fury surging up my spine. “You planned this. You knew he’d be there and you paraded me around like a prize just to prove a point.”

“You’re reading too much into this,” he muttered, suddenly restless. “It’s not that deep.”

His jaw tightened, but he still held that smug composure. “Why does it bother you so much, then? If you’re done with Drew, why did it shake you? Unless… you’re not as over him as you claim.”

My laugh was bitter and sharp. “Max you’re unbelievable,” I said, my voice shaking, “I barely know who you are anymore. You were kind, soft-spoken, thoughtful. But tonight? You were smug, arrogant, possessive and frankly, disturbing.”

Something flickered in his eyes. A brief flash of frustration. “So now I’m the bad guy? After everything I’ve done for you?”

“You want credit for what? Showing up? Acting like a decent human being? You don’t get a reward for that, Max!” “You don’t care,” I continued. “You compete. You perform. Tonight wasn’t about me, it was about him. It was always about him.”

He shook his head and turned away for a second, pacing. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

“Oh, we’re just getting started,” I said, my voice tight. “What did you tell Kimberley about me?”

He turned back to face me, frowning. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t pretend,” I hissed. “She knew who I was before I said a word. She looked at me like she’d been waiting to meet me. What did you tell her?”

“I didn’t tell her anything serious,” he muttered. “She’s just... observant.”

“Bullshit,” I said, my voice cracking. “You’ve been lying to me. And now I see it.”

He stepped toward me, dropping the act, the smugness giving way to something darker. “So what, Lila? You want to run back to him now? The same man who told you the night you shared was a mistake?”

“Stop it!” I shouted. “Don’t you dare twist this on me. This isn’t about Drew. This is about you. And the way you lied and crossed a line tonight.”

He rolled his eyes and stepped back, throwing his hands up. “Fine. You’re angry. You’ll get over it, you are just being irrational, hormonal and overthinking everything.”

That was it.

The last straw.

I stormed toward the door, yanked it open, and turned to him, seething. “Get. Out.”

He blinked. “Are you serious?”

“Dead serious. Out of my house, Max.”

He didn’t move immediately. Just stood there, like he expected me to back down. Like he believed I wouldn’t go through with it.

I stepped aside, one hand holding the door open. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”

He finally walked toward the door, slower than necessary. As he passed me, he reached out, fingertips brushing my cheek.

I didn’t flinch but I didn’t have to.

My eyes said everything.

That cold, cutting look, the kind that let a man know he’d lost every inch of ground he thought he had.

He dropped his hand, jaw tight, and walked out without another word.

I slammed the door shut behind him. The echo rang through the apartment, loud and final.

I stayed there, my back against the door, staring at nothing.

My body trembled, not from fear, but from rage. From betrayal. From the sinking realization that Max was not who I thought he was. Maybe he never had been.

And I had let him in.

I slid down the door until I hit the floor, the weight of the night pressing into my chest like a stone.

Whatever I thought I had with Max… it was over. It felt like I ran away from the frying pan and jumped right into the fire.

What do I do? Who do I trust? When will all this end?