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Chapter 11
publish date:
2026-03-20 02:01:42
Latest chapter
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 20
Maria: I wake up before my alarm, which already feels like a bad sign.For a few seconds, I don’t move. I just lie there, staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out why I’m awake this early. There’s no loud thought waiting for me, no panic, nothing urgent. Just this quiet awareness sitting in my chest like I forgot something small but important.I reach for my phone out of habit.Nothing.No new messages. No missed calls.Good.I sit up slowly, pushing my hair back, letting out a breath I didn’t know I was holding onto. The room is still dim, the kind of morning that hasn’t fully decided what it wants to be yet.Okay.Today is normal.I don’t say it out loud, but I hold onto it anyway. Like a decision.No overthinking. No reading into things that don’t need meaning. Just… normal.—I call Noah before I can talk myself out of it.He answers almost immediately.“Hey.”His voice sounds exactly the same. Warm, easy. Familiar in a way that doesn’t ask anything from me.“Hi,” I say, sof
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 19
Daniel:I don’t check my phone when I wake up.That part is intentional.There’s a rhythm to my mornings — quiet, ordered, predictable. If I start letting small things interrupt it, everything else follows. I’ve learned that the hard way.So I get up. Shower. Dress. Coffee.Same sequence. Same pace.Everything where it should be.—I check it anyway.Not immediately. Not impulsively.Just before I leave.One glance.No reply.I don’t open the message. There’s nothing new to see.I set the phone down, pick up my keys, and walk out.That should be enough.—The office is already in motion when I arrive.It always is.People moving with purpose, voices layered over each other, decisions being made before I even step into the room. It’s easier here. There’s structure. Outcomes. Things that respond when you push them.Marcus is waiting in my office.Of course he is.“You’ve seen it?” he asks.“I’ve seen enough.”He drops a file on the table anyway. I don’t reach for it immediately.“Campai
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 18
Maria:“I don’t think I’m competing with him anymore.”It doesn’t sound dramatic.That’s what makes it worse.Noah says it like he’s stating something obvious. Something he’s already accepted.I try to respond.“That’s not—”The rest doesn’t come.Because I don’t know what I’m correcting.He doesn’t push. Doesn’t fill the gap. Just waits a second, giving me space to say something that actually means something.I don’t.“I’m just tired,” I say instead.It’s the easiest thing to reach for.It also sounds exactly like what it is — an excuse.Noah nods anyway.“Yeah,” he says quietly.No disappointment. No frustration. Just… understanding.I don’t like that.It feels like he’s already adjusted to something I haven’t caught up to yet.“I should go,” I add, too quickly.He steps aside.“Okay.”No hesitation.No attempt to stop me.That settles something in a way I wasn’t expecting.I pick up my bag and move toward the door. My hand lingers on the handle for a second longer than necessary.S
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 17
Maria: Daniel doesn’t text.He calls.I’m halfway through brushing my hair when my phone lights up, his name cutting through everything else. For a second, I just stare at it, like maybe it’ll stop on its own.It doesn’t.“Hello?”“We have a shoot today.”No greeting. No build-up.I pause, brush still in my hand. “We what?”“A campaign. My mother’s brand.”I sit down slowly.“That’s not funny.”“It’s not.”A beat.“She signed us.”Something in his voice—flat, controlled—tells me this wasn’t his idea either.“Without asking?” I say.“Yes.”I let out a quiet breath, pressing my fingers against my temple.“Of course she did.”He doesn’t respond to that. He doesn’t need to.“My mom agreed, didn’t she?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.“Yes.”I close my eyes briefly.Right.That tracks.“When?” I ask.“An hour.”That’s it. No room to argue. No space to process.The call ends, and for a moment, I just sit there, brush still in my hand, hair half done, like I’ve been paused mid
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 16
Maria:I almost turn back.Not dramatically. Just a quiet pause at the gate, hand hovering near the bell like I forgot why I came.It shouldn’t feel like this. It’s just dinner.But it’s not just dinner.It’s his space. His world. Somewhere I’ve never really been, even when we used to know each other.I press the bell before I can overthink it.The door opens almost immediately.Daniel.He steps aside without a word at first, like he already expected the hesitation.“You’re on time.”“I try.”“That’s new.”I give him a look as I walk in, but it doesn’t land the way I expect. Everything feels… softer here. Less sharp.The house isn’t cold.That’s the first thing I notice.It’s big, yes. Clean. Expensive in a quiet way. But there are signs of actual life — books not arranged for show, a chair slightly out of place, a faint warm smell drifting from the kitchen.I didn’t realize I was bracing myself until the tension in my shoulders eased.“You can relax,” he says behind me.“I am relaxed
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 15
Daniel: “Why wouldn’t I?” It comes out clean. Easy. Like it belongs there. Maria doesn’t answer right away. I can feel her eyes on the side of my face, searching for something I’m not ready to give. I keep my gaze fixed on the road, fingers steady on the wheel. It’s easier this way. If I look at her too long, I might say something that breaks the version of this I’ve been maintaining. The car stays quiet after that. Not tense. Just… aware. The low hum of the engine fills the space while streetlights slide across the dashboard in slow gold streaks. She shifts once in her seat, like she’s about to speak, then decides against it. Good. Silence is manageable. I drop her off at her building. She murmurs a soft goodnight, already halfway out the door. I nod. Wait until she closes it behind her. Then I pull away. I don’t look back. — But the drive home feels longer than it should. The pause keeps replaying. That single second where she didn’t move. Didn’t stop me. Didn’t pull a
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