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Chapter 24
publish date:
2026-04-01 02:34:46
Latest chapter
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 60
Maria: For a while, we just walk. No urgency. No destination. Just the quiet stretch of sand and the steady rhythm of the waves folding into themselves and pulling back again. I hold my heels in one hand, the straps dangling between my fingers, and focus on where I’m stepping so I don’t sink too deep. The cool grains shift under my bare feet with every step. He stays beside me. Close, but not touching. It feels deliberate. Like we both understand that something already shifted and we are being careful not to rush past it. “I don’t do this,” he says after a while. I glance at him. “Do what?” “This.” He gestures vaguely, like even naming it is unnecessary. “Talking like this. Feeling… anything I can’t control.” I let out a small breath that almost turns into a smile. “That explains a lot.” He doesn’t react to that. Just keeps walking, eyes ahead. The wind carries the salty scent of the sea across the beach. “I’m not avoiding it,” he adds. “You are.” “I’m not.” “You are,” I
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 59
Maria: By the time Daniel pulls up, I am already done pretending. Not dramatically done. Not in a way that makes me slam doors or cancel plans. Just… quietly finished with whatever this has been pretending to be. I stand in front of my mirror longer than necessary, adjusting an earring I already fixed two minutes ago, and I catch myself staring. I look like I belong in this life. That thought unsettles me more than anything. Everything is right. The dress. The makeup. The hair. If someone took a picture right now, it would fit perfectly into everything people already think they know about me. I reach for my phone without thinking. The screen lights up, and even though I do not open anything, I remember it clearly. The pictures. The angles. The way something as small as standing close to someone can be turned into a narrative you did not agree to. The land stays with me. Not the gala. Not the café. That quiet stretch of space that felt like mine the moment I stepped into it. T
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 58
Daniel: I read the same line again. Then again. The numbers are right. The projections are clean. There is nothing wrong with the document in front of me. If anything, it is one of the better reports this quarter. I close it anyway. The office is quiet. Glass walls, muted light filtering through the tall windows, everything exactly where it should be. It usually helps me think. Keeps things in order. Today, it just feels… still. The faint hum of the air conditioning fills the space, but it does nothing to ease the restlessness under my skin. My phone lights up on the desk. I glance at it, then ignore it. If it is important, it will come back. It always does. I lean back slightly and rest my hand against the arm of the chair, my eyes settling somewhere past the desk, toward the city skyline visible through the glass. And then, without effort, my mind shifts. Not to work. To her. Maria. The land comes first, but not in the way it should. Not like a project I am assessing.
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 57
Maria: Daniel doesn’t say much when we get to mine. He slows the car, pulls up like he’s done this a hundred times, even though he hasn’t. The engine stays on for a second longer than necessary. I notice that before I realize I’m noticing it. The low rumble vibrates through the seat, mixing with the distant hum of city traffic. “Get some rest,” he says. I nod. “You too.” It feels like there should be something else. Not big. Just… something. But he’s already looking ahead again, like he’s moved on, like whatever we just shared back there has been filed away neatly in his head. Of course it has. I step out and close the door. The sound lands a little harder than I expect, echoing slightly in the quiet street. I don’t look back. I don’t give myself time to. — I’m halfway up the stairs when my phone starts buzzing. Once. Twice. Then continuously, like it’s trying to get my attention before something gets worse. The vibrations pulse against my palm, insistent and sharp. I alrea
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 56
Maria: Marcus is the first to stand, like he’s been waiting for an excuse to leave. “I have things to do,” he says, already halfway out of the conversation, his attention drifting to his phone. Isabelle leans back in her chair, studying him like he’s a problem she plans to solve eventually. “Does it involve your mother?” He doesn’t look up. “No.” “That’s unfortunate,” she says, tilting her head. “I would have liked to come with you. I should probably meet my future mother-in-law at some point.” That gets a reaction. Barely. He pauses, just long enough to glance at her. “You’re very unserious.” “And yet, I’m consistent,” she replies, smiling like she’s proud of that. He shakes his head once and walks off, clearly done with all of us. Isabelle watches him go, then sighs softly. “He’s warming up to me.” “He’s not,” Lily says. “He is. You just don’t see it.” “I see everything. There’s nothing to see.” Isabelle ignores that and pushes her chair back. “I should go too. I have
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 55
Maria: Lily never knocks. She pushes my door open like she pays rent here and walks in already mid-thought, already judging me. “You look suspicious,” she says, stopping in front of me like she’s about to conduct an inspection. I stare at her. “Good morning.” “That was not a greeting. That was a distraction.” She folds her arms, eyes narrowing slightly. “You look like someone who did something questionable and is trying very hard to act normal.” I reach for my bag. “You woke up and chose to be annoying.” “I wake up like this every day. Now answer the question.” “There is no question.” “There is always a question with you.” I brush past her. “We’re leaving.” Her entire expression shifts instantly. “Oh, we’re going out? See, this is why I like you. You make good decisions under pressure.” “I didn’t say I was going willingly.” “You are already dressed.” “That’s not the point.” — The café is busy in a calm, unbothered way. No urgency, no noise that feels stressful. Just peo
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 50
Maria: It’s been a month. The thought comes and settles, not heavy, not urgent. Just there. A quiet fact I can’t ignore even if I don’t want to sit with it. A month since Noah. It doesn’t feel like something I lost. That part is clear to me. I made that decision with my eyes open. It wasn’t dra
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 49
Daniel: I shouldn’t have done that. The thought is clear. Not loud, not dramatic. Just… there, settled in place like a fact I can’t argue with. I lean back in my chair and stare at nothing in particular, the office still quiet at this hour. The city hasn’t fully started yet. No calls. No interru
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 48
Maria: We don’t stay on the balcony much longer after that. Not because anything interrupts us. Nothing does. The night is still loud somewhere behind the doors, people laughing, glasses clinking, voices rising and falling like it’s all part of a script they’ve memorized. But out there, it feels
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 47
Maria: For a second, we just stand there. It feels like one of those moments that stretches longer than it should. Not because anything is happening, but because too much already has. He looks at me, and I know. I don’t need him to ask. He knows I heard. I open my mouth, close it, then try aga
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