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Chapter 41
publish date:
2026-04-05 17:28:48
Latest chapter
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 separate. Like we stepped into something that wasn’t meant to last. Daniel says my name once, low, like he’s testing how it sounds now. “Maria.” I look at him, waiting. I don’t even know for what. An explanation, maybe. A correction. Something that puts what just happened into words so I don’t have to sit with it on my own. But he just looks at me for a second, then says, “We should go back.” And just like that, it’s over. Or at least… contained. I nod. It’s easier than asking for more. The walk back inside is quiet. Not awkward exactly, just careful. We move side by side but not touching, like we both agreed without saying it that whatever happened stays where it happened. Inside, e
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 again. “I wasn’t trying to listen,” I say, and even to me it sounds a little useless. “I just… didn’t leave when I should have.” It’s not a clean apology. It’s the truth, just not a very flattering version of it. He studies me for a moment, then says, “You were going to find out eventually.” There’s no edge to it. No irritation. That almost makes it worse. I would have preferred if he was annoyed. It would have been easier to respond to. I nod anyway, because there’s nothing else to do with that. The hallway suddenly feels too tight, like we’re both taking up space we don’t know how to move around. “Come with me,” he says. He turns before I answer, and I follow without thinking too much
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 46
Maria: The invitation doesn’t try to impress you. It doesn’t need to. Everything about it is quiet. Heavy paper, clean lettering, no extra explanation. Just a date, a location, and a name that already carries enough weight on its own. Rothfield Foundation. Lily turns it over like she’s expecting something hidden on the back. “You know this is not a normal event, right?” “It’s their annual gala,” I say, fastening my earring. “They do it every year.” “Not like this,” she murmurs. “This feels like… I don’t know. Bigger.” I glance at her reflection through the mirror. “You say that about everything.” “I don’t,” she says, sitting up straighter. “This is different. I can feel it.” I don’t argue. Because I felt it too. I just didn’t say it out loud. The venue confirms it. It’s not just expensive. It’s… deliberate. Nothing here is loud, but everything is exact. The lighting, the spacing, even the way people move around the room. It feels less like an event and more like somethin
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 45
Maria:I don’t think about it the moment I wake up.It comes later. Quietly. In pieces.I’m standing in front of my closet, staring at clothes I’ve worn a hundred times, and for some reason none of them feel right. I pull one out, hold it up, drop it back. Try again. Pause.“I liked you.”It slips in like it’s been waiting.I close my eyes for a second, pressing my lips together. “You’re choosing clothes,” I mutter. “Focus.”I don’t.I pick something random just to get out of the room.—The clinic is busy enough that I should be distracted.I am not.I move through the first appointment easily. The second, I’m halfway through listening before I realize I’ve asked the same question twice.The client doesn’t call it out. She just repeats herself, polite about it. That almost makes it worse.“Sorry,” I say quickly, forcing a small smile. “Long morning.”It isn’t.It’s barely started.I nod along, write things down, finish the appointment like I normally would, but there’s a slight delay
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 44
Daniel:By the time I pull up, I have already decided how this is going to go.Simple. Clean. Nothing unnecessary.That was the point. Show up, stay within whatever this is, leave without making it something else. It should not be difficult. It has never been difficult.The drive over had been quiet, which usually helps. It gives me time to sort things out, to decide what matters and what doesn’t. Today, it only made one thing clearer than I wanted it to be.She is no longer with him.The thought settles somewhere it should not. Not relief exactly. Something lighter than that. Like pressure easing without permission.I notice it. I do not sit with it.This is not about you.She had been hurt. That should be the only thing that carries weight here. Not whatever quiet shift is happening in me. Not whatever feels… easier.I tell myself to leave it alone. Do not follow it. Do not build anything from it.By the time I step out of the car, the decision is already made.Nothing changes today
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 43
Maria: Lily refuses to call it practice. “It’s a soft launch,” she says, like that makes it sound more legitimate. I stand at the edge of the setup for a moment, just looking. It’s technically a picnic, but nothing about it feels casual. The fabrics are layered in soft colors that don’t clash, the table is low but styled like something out of a magazine, the flowers look effortless until you notice how intentional they are. Even the sunlight feels like it was invited. “You’re inspecting,” Lily says, appearing beside me. “I’m taking it in.” “That’s the same thing.” “It’s not.” She gestures around like she’s presenting something much bigger than this. “If I’m going to get clients in your circle, I need to look like I already belong there.” There’s something quiet under that. Not doubt. More like… determination. “You already do,” I tell her. She shrugs, like she doesn’t fully accept it. “I want it to be obvious.” I nod, looking around again. “It is. This is… really good, Lily
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