008

ROSE

“No!” I screamed in my head but smiled at the reporter.

“Yes of course I am..who wouldn't be or why won't I?” I asked but she was about to throw another question so I walked away instantly.

"You looked like you were about to ruin everything," Derek said the second we got into the car.

I didn’t answer him right away. My chest was still tight. My head was screaming. My mouth had lied, again. I hated that I was getting better at this—at smiling when I wanted to cry, at nodding when all I wanted to do was scream no.

"I said yes, didn’t I?" I finally muttered, my voice low, bitter.

He scoffed beside me. "Yeah, but you paused. Long enough to make it look like you were debating. You scared the hell out of me, Rose. This wasn’t the time to freeze."

I turned my head toward the window. The glass felt cold against my forehead, but it did nothing to quiet the heat boiling under my skin. Outside, the city blurred past people, lights, cameras moving too fast to catch, too fast to hold onto.

"I did what you wanted," I said, still looking out. "Be grateful for once."

"I’m not asking for gratitude," he replied quickly. "I’m asking for you to remember what’s at stake. That press conference was the biggest one yet. All eyes were on us. You think we can afford mistakes?"

"We?" I let out a bitter laugh and turned to face him. "This was never a ‘we’ thing. This has always been your show, Derek. I’m just the girl in the glitter dress standing next to you."

He didn’t respond. Maybe because he knew I was right. Maybe because there was nothing left to say.

The car turned into the driveway of the mansion. The flash of cameras hit the windows again. Derek sighed and straightened his collar.

"Fix your face," he said. "You look miserable."

"I am miserable," I whispered, but he had already stepped out of the car.

I followed him, past the gates, past the waiting photographers who shouted questions we were never going to answer. My hand slipped into his like muscle memory, and we smiled at them, at the cameras, at the lie we’d both created and refused to let die.

Inside, the silence came back, stronger this time. I took off my heels as soon as the doors closed. The floors were cold beneath my feet, and every step felt heavier than the last.

"You should try harder," Derek said from behind me. "People are starting to notice when you fake it."

I turned slowly and stared at him. "Maybe I want them to notice. Maybe I’m tired of pretending for everyone else’s comfort."

He frowned. "If this plan falls apart, it affects both of us."

"No, it affects you," I said, pointing at him. "You’re the one who built this whole empire on appearances. You’re the one chasing the legacy. Me? I was just trying to keep my father from dying from unknown people.”

Maybe he's right after all.

This was for both of us.

He looked like he wanted to argue, but he didn’t. Instead, he just shook his head and walked away.

I climbed the stairs alone, each step creaking under the weight of the things I wasn’t allowed to say. My room was dimly lit. I didn’t turn the lights on. I just walked straight to the bed and sat down. My shoulders slumped. My body ached in places I didn’t even know could ache from pretending.

I picked up my phone from the nightstand, more out of habit than need.

One new message.

Unknown number.

"I saw the press conference. That smile looked painful."

I blinked, reread the message, and sat up straighter.

Another text came in right after.

"You don’t have to keep pretending. Not with me."

I stared at the screen. My fingers hovered over the keyboard. Something about the words felt like a warm breath against my skin. Familiar. Real. Dangerous.

"Who is this?" I typed.

A pause.

"Someone who hasn’t forgotten you."

My chest tightened, like it knew something my brain hadn’t processed yet. My heart raced ahead, beating with recognition.

I held the phone close, like it could protect me. Or maybe like it was the only real thing in the entire house.

Then came the knock on my door.

I didn’t move at first. I just stared at the door.

Another knock.

"Rose, we have dinner with my family members… get ready," Derek’s voice called out. "Wear something gold."

I took a breath, just one, and let it out slowly. "I’m not hungry."

"You don’t need to be hungry," he said. "You just need to smile."

His footsteps faded down the hall.

I got up slowly and walked toward the mirror. I stared at myself. My hair was still neat. My makeup was still flawless. My expression was blank. But behind my eyes, there was a storm.

Gold.

Always gold. He wanted me to look like a prize. Like something expensive and beautiful. Something untouchable.

I turned away from the mirror and sat back down. My phone buzzed again in my hand.

"Anywhere. Anytime," the message read.

I didn’t even need to ask what they meant. I knew. I felt it.

I typed slowly.

"Can we meet?"

The reply came fast.

"Yes."

I looked at the closet. The gold dress was already hanging by the door. Of course it was. Someone must have laid it out while we were gone. Everyone always knew what Derek wanted before he said it.

I walked toward the dress and touched the fabric.

Tonight, I’d wear it.

I’d smile.

I’d play my part again.

But this time, my heart wouldn’t be in it.

Because something inside me was changing.

And soon, something would have to break.