LOGINI never thought he’d leave me on our ten year anniversary. I gave him everything, my youth, my dreams, my heart and he tossed it all away like I was nothing. Months of heartbreak, solitude, and tequila later, I’m barely holding it together. Then comes the invite: his wedding. The one where he’s marrying her. And me? I’m supposed to smile and clap? That’s when an idea lands in my lap a chance to fakedate the city’s hottest hockey star, the man every paparazzi swoon over. It’s supposed to be simple: protect his image, help him play the perfect boyfriend… maybe get over my ex in the process. But what I didn’t expect was the heat, the lust, the danger of wanting him… or him wanting me. Between stolen kisses in empty arenas, the paparazzi hunting our every move, and the ex who thinks he still has a chance, I’m discovering the dangerous thrill of power, passion, and revenge. But as my fake love story becomes dangerously real, I realize one thing: the game isn’t over, and I might just win… or lose everything I’ve dared to desire.
View MoreRyan’s voice was soft when he said my name, and that scared me more than if he had shouted.I should have walked away.I knew that.I felt it.But my feet stayed still.“You look tired,” Ryan said, leaning closer, his tone gentle, almost caring. “This whole thing with Alex… it’s breaking you.”I swallowed. I hated that he noticed. I hated that he was right.“I’m fine,” I said, but my voice did not agree with me.He smiled slowly. Not warm. Not kind. Calculated.“Izzy, you don’t have to pretend with me. I know you. I always have.”That word. Always.It dug into old wounds I never fully closed.“You left,” I reminded him. “You don’t get to say that.”His face shifted, regret flashing for half a second before disappearing.“I left because I was scared,” he said. “And now you’re walking into something worse.”I shook my head. “You don’t know that.”“I do,” he said quickly. “Alex lives in secrets. He thrives in lies. You’re just the next headline.”That hurt.Because part of me already fea
The picture went live before I could stop it.I knew because my phone buzzed once. Then again. Then it would not stop. My name flashed across the screen like a warning I had ignored too many times.I opened the link with shaking fingers.There I was.Too close to someone who was not Alex. Too close in a way that told a lie without words. The angle was wrong. The moment was stolen. The truth twisted.My chest felt hollow.“That’s not what it looks like,” I whispered, though no one could hear me.The comments were already pouring in.She moves fast.Guess Alex was just a phase.Knew she couldn’t keep it clean.I closed my eyes. My hands went cold.It had been nothing. A brief conversation. A polite goodbye. A hand on my arm that lasted half a second too long. But the photo froze it into something ugly.I heard Alex before I saw him.“Where did this come from?” he asked.I looked up. His face was tight. Not angry. Controlled. That scared me more.“I don’t know,” I said. “I didn’t even no
I did not answer him right away.The question stayed between us, heavy and fragile.Do you trust me yet?I wanted to say yes. I wanted to say it fast and without fear. But trust was not a switch I could flip. It was a wound that healed slowly, and only if no one pressed too hard.“I’m trying,” I said finally.Alex nodded. He did not push. He never did when it mattered most.“That’s enough for now,” he said.I exhaled. My shoulders relaxed a little.We sat in silence for a moment. Not empty. Not awkward. Just full. My mind kept circling the same thought. There was something he was not saying. I felt it the way you feel a storm before the rain.“You’re holding something back,” I said.He did not deny it.“I was hoping you wouldn’t notice yet,” he replied.I gave a weak smile. “I notice everything. It’s a curse.”He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. His hands clasped together. Tense.“There are things I can’t tell you,” he said. “Not because I don’t want to. Because it’s not only my s
I stopped pretending I was fine.That was the truth pressing against my chest as I stood across from Alex, knowing too much had already happened for things to stay simple. The silence between us was loud. Heavy. Full of things we had not said.“You’re angry,” he said.“I’m tired,” I replied. “There’s a difference.”“There is,” he agreed. “But they look the same on you.”I crossed my arms. “You don’t get to read me like that.”“I already do,” he said softly.That scared me.I looked away first. I hated that I did.“You should’ve told me about the sponsor,” I said. “You should’ve told me how much this could cost you.”“I was trying to protect you,” he said.“No,” I snapped. “You were trying to control the damage.”He flinched. Just slightly.“That’s not fair,” he said.“I know,” I said. “But neither is finding out I could ruin your life from someone else.”He stepped closer. Not touching. Never forcing.“I made a choice,” he said. “Before you ever said yes.”“And what choice was that?”
The rumors started before I could breathe.I did not need anyone to tell me. I felt it in the pauses. I heard it in the way conversations stopped when I walked in. I saw it in the looks that lingered too long and the smiles that did not reach the eyes.Something was wrong.My phone buzzed again.I
I said yes, and everything changed.That was the thought stuck in my head as I stood beside Alex, knowing the world was about to look at us as something we were not. Or maybe something we were becoming. I did not know which one scared me more.“Relax,” Alex said quietly. His voice was calm. Too cal
Maddie doesn’t ease into it.“You’re going to pretend to date him.”I stare at her. I blink once. Then again.“Say that again,” I say.She doesn’t smile. That’s how I know she’s serious.“You’re going to pretend to date Alex Kane.”I laugh. It comes out wrong. Too loud. Too sharp.“No,” I say. “Abs
He walks toward me like he already belongs in my life.I tell myself not to look at him again.I look anyway.He stops a few steps away. Close enough that I feel aware of him. Too aware. His presence presses in, calm and steady, like he isn’t worried about being noticed. Like he knows he will be.“
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