All Chapters of What We Pretended To Be : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Maria: My father’s office looks exactly the same from the outside, which almost annoys me. I think a part of me expected something obvious, something that would match what I heard last night. But everything is in place. The glass, the quiet reception, the familiar structure of it all. It would be easy to believe nothing is wrong if I didn’t already know. Still, something feels different the moment I walk in. It is not loud. No one is panicking, no one is running around, but there is a kind of restraint in the air. Conversations are lower. Movements are more careful. A few people glance at me and then quickly look away, like they are trying not to be seen noticing me. That small shift is enough. I head straight to his office. He is already there, seated, composed in the way he always is. For a second, I just look at him, trying to reconcile what I know with what I see. He looks the same. Maybe a little more tired, but if I had not been told anything, I might not have paid attention

Maria: My mom replies while I am still halfway through packing. I glance at my phone, read the message once, then again, like it might say something more if I look long enough. “I’m home.” Simple. Direct. It settles something in me I had not named yet. I zip my bag and sit on the edge of the bed for a second. The room feels temporary now, like I was only ever passing through. Maybe I was. When I step out, Lily is already watching me. She must have heard the movement. She leans against the doorframe, arms folded loosely, not blocking my way, just there. “You’re going?” she asks. “I have to.” She nods like she expected it. I walk up to her and pull her into a hug. It is quick, but not careless. There is weight in it. Familiarity. Something steady in the middle of everything that has not been. “Call me when you get there,” she says. “I will.” She pulls back and looks at me properly this time. “And don’t go and do something reckless and then come back to tell me after.”

Maria:Four days pass, and nothing explodes. That is the strange part. I expected something louder, something urgent, something that would force me into a decision. Instead, everything settles into a kind of quiet that makes thinking unavoidable.Lily comes over in the afternoon without warning. She always does that when she thinks I am about to make a choice I will not explain properly. She walks in like she belongs here, drops her bag, looks at me once, properly, then narrows her eyes slightly.“You look put together,” she says, like it is suspicious.“I am.”She hums under her breath, not convinced, and moves further into the living room. I bring her a drink without asking. She takes it, sits, crosses one leg over the other, and watches me like she is waiting for me to say it first.I don’t.“You saw him,” she says.“Yes.”“And?”“We talked.”She tilts her head. “That tells me nothing.”“I didn’t say yes.”Her eyes flicker. “But you didn’t say no.”I shrug lightly. “I’m thinking.”

Maria: The first thing I notice is how quiet he is about it. Not shocked. Not irritated. Not even curious in the way I expected. Just… still. I read the article again anyway, like maybe I missed something the first time. Like the words will rearrange themselves into something less ridiculous if I give them another chance. They don’t. Fake relationship. Staged. Insider source. It almost feels personal, the way it’s written. Confident. Certain. Like whoever said it believes it. I lower my phone slowly and look at him. He’s already looking at me. “You’ve seen it,” I say. “Yes.” That’s all. I wait. Nothing follows. A small laugh slips out of me, more disbelief than amusement. “And you’re just going to sit there like that?” “Like what?” “Like this isn’t a problem.” He tilts his head slightly, not defensive, just… considering. “Is it?” I stare at him for a second. “You don’t think it is?” “It depends on what you think it changes.” I open my mouth, then close it again. Tha

Maria: I should feel overwhelmed. That’s what this kind of moment is supposed to do. Big decisions, family watching, futures being arranged in real time. But instead, it settles in a quieter way. Not light. Just… steady. Like something has already been decided and everyone else is only just catching up to it. My mother is still talking, already halfway into planning things that have not even been announced yet. Daniel’s mother is right there with her, both of them moving faster than the moment itself. Dresses, venues, timelines. Their voices overlap, then separate, then overlap again. It should feel chaotic, but it doesn’t quite reach me. The warm glow of the dining room lights catches on the crystal glasses and silverware, casting soft reflections across the tablecloth as the low hum of conversation wraps around us. Daniel sits beside me, composed as ever, like this is just another decision on a list he has already made peace with. His shoulder brushes mine occasionally, a steady