All Chapters of What We Pretended To Be : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Maria: “Mom, what is it about Daniel that you don’t already know?” I say it before I even sit down, my bag still hanging off my shoulder like I might leave again if this goes left. The strap digs into my skin, a small anchor. She doesn’t answer immediately. She just looks at me, measured, like she’s deciding how serious this conversation is about to be. That’s never a good sign. I drop my bag on the chair and finally sit, smoothing my dress down without really thinking about it. The fabric whispers against my legs. The room still feels like mine, familiar, quiet, but something about the way she’s standing makes it feel smaller. The lamp on the side table casts a warm pool of light across the floor between us. “We saw the headlines,” she says. Of course. I nod once. “So did everyone else.” She doesn’t react to that. “Is he proposing or not?” I blink at her. For a second, I almost laugh, but it doesn’t quite come out. “Excuse me?” “Maria,” she says, a little fir

Maria: “Can we talk?” For a second, I just look at him. Not because I don’t hear him. Because I do. Too clearly. It just feels strange, seeing him here, standing at Lily’s door like this is normal. Like I didn’t just spend the last half hour saying his name out loud in ways I wasn’t ready for. The faint smell of antiseptic and fresh coffee still lingers in the air from the morning rush. Lily leans back in her chair, eyes moving between us with zero shame. “I’m stepping out,” she says, already grabbing her phone. “Try not to destroy my office. I just redecorated.” She doesn’t wait for a response. Just walks past him, slow on purpose, like she’s collecting details for later. The door shuts behind her with a soft click, and the room settles into something quieter. Not peaceful. Just… focused. The overhead lights hum faintly above us. Daniel steps in properly, closing the space just enough to make his presence feel deliberate. His shoes make a quiet sound against the tiled floor.

Maria:My mother is still looking at me like I’ve just said something unforgivable.The room feels smaller than it did a minute ago. Or maybe it’s just the way she’s standing, like she’s waiting for me to correct myself. Like I’ll suddenly laugh and say I didn’t mean it. The lamp on the side table casts a warm pool of light across the floor between us.I don’t.“I said no,” I repeat, quieter this time, but steadier.No one moves.My father shifts slightly near the door, not stepping in yet, just watching. My mother exhales through her nose, slow, controlled, the way she does when she’s trying not to say too much and failing anyway. The sound is soft but sharp in the quiet room.“Why?” she asks.Not gently. Not angrily either. Just… sharp.I let out a small breath, rubbing my fingers together absentmindedly, like that might help me find the right words. The fabric of my dress feels slightly damp against my palms from the earlier walk.“Because I don’t want to get married,” I say. “Not

Maria:“For the engagement.”The words don’t echo. They just sit there, like something already decided.For a second, I don’t move. I stare at the table, at the plates, at anything that isn’t their faces, trying to make sense of what I just heard. The sunlight catches the edge of a glass, sending a small prism across the linen.Then I laugh.It comes out sharp, wrong, like it slipped out before I could stop it.“Sorry,” I say, even though I’m not. I look around the table slowly. “I just want to understand something.”My fingers press lightly into the edge of the table.“Why do you all feel like you get to decide that for us?”Everything goes still.Daniel’s mother straightens slightly. “Maria—”“No, please,” I cut in, shaking my head. “Because I’m actually trying to follow this properly. You’ve talked about it, agreed on it, moved forward with it… and no one thought to ask me if I want to get married?”My father shifts beside me. “Maria, this isn’t—”“It is exactly that,” I say, turni

Maria:I wake up before Lily, but I don’t get up immediately. For a while, I just lie there, staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out what exactly I’m supposed to do with everything I now know. My body feels slow, like it’s still catching up to the night before. Not tired in the normal way. Just… weighed down. The borrowed blanket is soft against my skin, but it doesn’t help the tightness in my chest.The apartment is quiet at first, then gradually the city starts bleeding in through the window. Distant traffic, a voice somewhere below, the usual rhythm of people starting their day. It feels strange that everything outside is moving like nothing shifted.I sit up slowly and rub my eyes. My phone is on the table beside the bed. I glance at it, then look away again.Lily is already in the kitchen when I step out. She doesn’t say anything immediately, just hands me a mug when I get close. The ceramic is warm against my palms. I take it, more out of habit than anything else, and lean