False Pretense Novels & Stories

Pinaikot lang niya ang mata at sinasaway ang sarili. Ginulo nito ang buhok at ngumisi. “Pinalitan ko matapos mong basahin. Nong kumuha ka ng ballpen.” He deceived her! Deceive is the trickier cousin of a lie. You might lie about why you were late to school. But if you simply don't explain to your mom that you were late in the first place, you are deceiving her. Deceive carries with it a feeling of both craftiness and betrayal. Deception doesn't just involve lying. It can consist of misrepresenting or omitting the truth or more complicated cover-ups. Anything that involves intentionally misleading someone is deception. People can even engage in self-deception by avoiding the truth. This, bast

he asked. I could lie. I probably should lie. Because the truth was impossible. Because saying I saw your funeral and made a deal with Death to save you would absolutely get me escorted to the guidance office. But another fake answer felt cruel. So I chose the smallest truth. “Because I realized I don’t.” His expression shifted. Not softer, exactly. Just sharper. Like I had stepped somewhere dangerous without knowing. “You realized that yesterday?” “Yes.” “Convenient.” “I know.” “You ignored me for years.”

I don't want to pretend to be a straight shooter. Pretending is the thing I hate the most aside from betrayal. No matter how I try to be a good person I'll still return to my true self. I can fake my expressions and tell lies but if it's only necessary. Kahit sa sarili ko mismo ay hindi ko kayang mag-ipon ng sobrang kasinungalingan. Whenever I drown in lies, I feel suffocated.

Obsession niya ito—simula’t sapul. Bakit siya magtataksil? Bumungad sa akin ang isang section na mas makapal ang tinta. Highlighted. *Fake Engagement.* Kumunot ang noo ko. Sinong involved? Bumilis ang tibok ng puso ko habang binabasa ang sunod na bahagi. **The staged engagement is meant to lure the investors away from Leviticus’ side—make them believe there’s a shift of allegiance. The woman is the bait. The man… trustworthy, close to the target. Familiar blood makes the lie believable.**

have the courage to tell him the truth and to show him what are my true colors is and my true intentions for him. Pero ang inaasahan kong gulat sa mga mata niya ay hindi ko Nakita. He remained stoic and unreadable, color began to invade his dark features. "I'm... I'm not pregnant. It was a big mistake. Hindi ko alam na maling kasal pala ang pinasukan ko... And I pretend that we're having a baby. Hindi ko naman akalain na magiging mas komplikado ang lahat!" Basag na basag ang tinig ko, hindi ko na rin napigilan pang bumuhos ang mga luha sa aking mga mata.

Tarantado lang ang mag iisip ng ganyan. “Getting married? To someone I just met in a bar? Is this a joke?” I whispered to myself, “This can't be real. Who the hell does he think he is, asking me to marry him out of nowhere like this?” Maybe he's just screwing with me because he knows I'm upset. Or maybe he thinks I'm desperate enough to say yes. Well, he's dead wrong!

=DISCLAIMER= 2026 "Pretending, Turned Into Reality" written by Ms. Addie All rights reserved. This is an original work of fiction and the result of a mind's imagination. Any name, character, business, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidence. Do not distribute, publish, transmit, modify, display or create derivative works from or exploit the contents of this story in any way without the Author's written permission or publisher except for the use of brief quotation in critical articles and reviews.

"All you have to do is to act as his fake wife. And it's very confidential, Ms. Hera. Kapag may nakaalam na iba, hindi mo makukuha ang perang nakasaad sa kontrata." Matagal kong tinitigan ang hawak kong contract. Makakatulong ang pera para sa pagpapagamot sa Mama ko. Pero ang pinagtataka ko lang kung bakit ako ang napili? "Bakit ako?" hindi ko napigilang itanong. "Because you almost fooled us," saad nito na nakangiti pa. Hindi ko alam kung nang-aasar ba ito o hindi. "It means, magaling kang mag-pretend. Iyan ang nakita ni Mr. Cromwell sa'yo."

"At ayoko ng sweetness. Takot ako sa langgam." "Kailangan din natin 'yon," giit uli ni Faith. "Ang dami mo namang demands, gurl!" "One month lang tayong magpe-pretend. Huwag ka nang magreklamo riyan." "Mayaman lang siguro ang boylet mo, pero saksakan ng panget." "Tama ka." "Mabuti naman para hindi ako ma-distract. Mabilis kasi akong maglaway sa mga fafalicious oppa."

“Kung ipipilit mo yang paniniwala at gusto mo, magsasampa rin ako ng kaso laban sa iyo ng panlilinlang... deceit and fraud at sa paghuhot mo ng pera sa akin!” “Actually, naihanda ko na ang mga papeles para sampahan ka ng kaso.” sabi ni Atty. Ramirez at ipinakita niya ang bulto ng papel na handa na niyang isumite sa korte. “You have committed an act of deceit or fraud. You have intentionally misled or deceived James, causing him to believe something false. You knowingly misrepresented the child's paternity to the father.”