Chapter 2— THE LIE

ELLIE'S POV

The doorknob turned, then rattled softly against the lock. “Ellie?” His voice— Mike’s voice, the liar’s voice— was fuzzy with sleep on the other side of the door. “Everything okay?”

In my ear, Maya’s breath caught. She had heard him.

“I have to go,” I whispered into the phone, my voice shaking.

“Mom, don’t you hang up! Is that him? Are you still with him?” Maya’s words were sharp with hurt and anger.

“I will call you soon.” I ended the call. I stood in the small, bright bathroom. I looked at my reflection. I saw a foolish woman.

I unlocked the door and opened it.

He stood there, shirtless, his hair messy from sleep. He looked concerned. It looked real. I knew now it was not.

“Who were you talking to?” he asked.

“My daughter,” I said. My voice was flat and cold.

Something flashed in his eyes. Worry. Fear. He took a small step back. “Oh.”

“Your name is not Mike,” I said.

He did not say anything. He just looked at me.

“Your name is Leo. You dated my daughter, Maya. For a year.”

He closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them, the easy, charming man from last night was gone. He just looked tired. And young. “It’s not what you think,” he said quietly.

“Then tell me what it is!” I shouted. The sound was loud in the small apartment. All my calm was gone. “Why did you lie? Why did you come to my house?”

He flinched. He ran a hand over his face. He hesitated, choosing his words. “I needed to get close to you,” he finally said, not meeting my eyes.

“Why?”

“For money.”

The two words hit me in the stomach. I thought I might be sick. “What?”

“I studied you,” he said, his voice low and ashamed. “For months. I knew about your business. I knew you were single. You never had men around. You seemed… lonely. It felt like an easy target.”

Every kind word from last night turned rotten in my memory. Every touch felt dirty. He saw my need and used it as a tool.

“You’re a con artist,” I whispered.

“No! Not usually. I’m not.” He looked up, his eyes pleading. “I had no choice. I owe money. A lot of money. To dangerous people. They are not patient. I was desperate. You were… a solution.”

“A solution,” I repeated, numb. “So last night was a business plan.”

He had the decency to look pained. “It started that way. But last night… talking to you… it wasn’t all fake. I felt bad. I do feel bad.”

I didn’t care about his guilt. I pushed past him. I grabbed my dress from the chair. I did not want to be in his apartment for one more second.

“Ellie, please—”

“Do not say my name,” I snapped, pulling my dress on. “If you come near me, or my daughter, or my family ever again, I will call the police. I will tell everyone what you are.”

He just nodded, his shoulders slumped. He said nothing else.

I left. I took a cab home in a daze. The morning sun was too bright. The world looked normal, but I felt broken.

When I walked into my big, quiet house, Maya was waiting in the foyer. She had been crying. Her arms were crossed tight over her chest.

“Well?” she said.

“Maya, I am so sorry.”

“Did you sleep with him?” The question was blunt and full of pain.

“No,” I said. The lie came out easily. It felt necessary. “Nothing happened. We talked. Then I left. I was upset. I went to Sarah’s house. I slept there.” Sarah was a friend from the party. It was a safe lie.

Maya searched my face. “You’re lying. Aunt Clara saw you get in his car.”

“I got in his car. We drove around. We talked. I realized it was a mistake. I had him drop me at Sarah’s. That is all.” I kept my voice steady. “I did not know who he was, Maya. I would never do that to you.”

The fight seemed to drain out of her. She wanted to believe me. She needed to believe her mother was not the kind of woman who would do such a thing. She started to cry again, this time with relief. She came over and hugged me. I held her, feeling like the worst person in the world.

For the next few days, life was quiet. Too quiet. Maya and Ethan were careful around me. They were kind. But I felt their watchful eyes.

My mind was not quiet. I could not stop thinking about that night. I hated Leo for his lies. But my body remembered his touches. My lonely heart remembered his words. You look like someone who has not been seen in a long time. He had seen me. It was a trick, but it had felt real. For a few hours, I had felt wanted. For the first time in fifteen years, I had felt beautiful.

The memory was a poison, but I kept tasting it.

I sat in my office downtown, four days later. I was trying to look at fabric samples, but I just saw his face. I heard his laugh. I felt his hand on my back.

A soft knock came at my office door. My assistant, Anna, peeked in.

“I’m sorry to bother you, Ellie. You have a visitor. He says it’s personal. He doesn’t have an appointment.”

I was annoyed. “Who is it?”

“He said his name is Leo.”

The air left the room. My heart hammered against my ribs. I stared at Anna.

“Should I tell him you’re busy?” she asked.

Before I could answer, the door pushed open wider behind her. He walked in.

It was him. Leo. He looked different in the daytime. He wore a simple t-shirt and jeans. He looked nervous, but determined. He looked right at me.

Anna looked surprised and stepped aside.

“It’s okay, Anna,” I heard myself say. “You can go.”

She left, closing the door softly. I stood up behind my desk. I was trapped.

Leo and I stared at each other across the quiet, sunlit office. I was furious. I was scared. And a terrible, shameful part of me was awake and alive.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

“I had to see you,” he said.