Pretend with me

Jamie's POV

I turned to head inside but then, the faint echoes of voices reached me from around the corner. Victoria hadn’t gone far.

“we need a distraction,” one of her team members whispered.

“Yes. Victoria's voice snapped, sharp and decisive. The silhouette photo is already trending. We cannot let this breathe for another twenty-four hours,”

“What’s the Plan then?”a younger voice asked.

“Classic misdirection,” she said without hesitation. “We introduce a woman. Someone believeable, Someone the public already adores. Aiden will be photographed with her, holding hands, smiling for the cameras. Let the public eat the fairy tale. They always do.”

The words hit like a slow, cold drop of water sliding down my spine.

Of course.

A girlfriend. A “perfect” distraction to erase the shadow of me from his world.

I leaned against the wall, my heart thudding, but not from surprise.

I wasn’t shocked they’d go down this route. I wasn’t even shocked Victoria would pull the trigger this fast. What stung was that Aiden hadn’t said a word.

He hadn’t warned me.

I swallowed the ache crawling up my chest and gently walked towards a more quieter hall like a man moving through fog. Every step felt heavy, like the carpet was quicksand.

When I spotted him across the ballroom, my chest ached. God, he was radiant. Laughing at something an older director said, his hand resting lightly on a socialite’s elbow as he leaned in to listen. Every gesture screamed charm, perfection, control.

Inside, the hall was warm, it was dimly lit by the city glow spilling through the curtains. I gently lowered myself into the chair by the window and stared at the skyline, listening to the faint sound of music coming from the ballroom.

But for the first time in a long time, the ground under me felt unsteady.

Hours later, Aiden stepped inside, loosening his tie, his expression softening the moment his eyes found me in the chair. “Jamie…you disappeared ” he said, his voice low as he approached me.

“You knew.” My voice was calm, but the words were sharp.

He froze mid‑air. “What are you talking about? Knew what”

“Don’t lie to me,” I said, turning my head finally to look at him. “They’re planning to put some actress on your arm to clean this up. And you didn’t think I deserved to know?”

Aiden flinched like the words had weight. He crossed the room slowly, crouching in front of me, his hand reaching for mine. “Jamie… I didn’t want to upset you. It's just part of the business. I can't fight her on everything”

“You didn’t even try,” I said softly, pulling my hand back before his fingers could close over it. “That’s what hurts the most.”

He exhaled hard, guilt flickering across his face. “I’m trapped. You know that. If I say no, it just makes the rumors worse. This way, atleast...it buys me time. ”

“You think a staged girlfriend buys you anything?” I leaned forward, letting my voice drop to the low, dangerous tone that always unraveled him. “It buys them control. And it robs me of the one thing I still have—the truth that you’re mine.”

His eyes flickered, stormy with guilt and something darker. “I am yours. You know I am.”

“Then act like it,” I said flatly, rising to my feet. “Or don’t be surprised when I stop reminding you.

He stared up at me like I’d just stripped him bare.

“Jamie…” His voice cracked as he called my name.

I didn’t move for a long moment. Then, finally, I offered him my hand—not as a plea, but as a choice. He took it like a drowning man, and I led him out of the hall.

The hallway was dark empty, except for the echo of music blasting from the event. Aiden’s fingers tightened around mine, desperate, and I turned, pinning him against the wall with one hand braced beside his head.

His breath hitched.

“Jamie…”

“Don’t say my name like that unless you’re ready to remember who you belong to,” I murmured, my lips brushing the corner of his jaw.

He shivered, his head tipping back slightly, his entire body giving in to my nearness. “I—God, I can’t stand this. You drive me crazy and I hate pretending you’re not—”

“Mine?” I finished for him. My hand slid up his chest, over the rapid drum of his heart.

“Yes,” he whispered, his voice ragged. “Yours. Always yours.”

The frustration, the ache, the desperation of the last twenty‑four hours poured into the kiss that followed. It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t careful. It was rough and urgent, the kind of kiss that left us both breathless and trembling.

Aiden clutched at my jacket, pulling me closer like he couldn’t get enough, while I kept control of the pace, the pressure, everything.

Between kisses, he gasped against my mouth, “I’m sorry… I should’ve told you…”

“You will next time,” I said against his lips, nipping at the corner of his mouth, savoring his quiet groan. “Because next time I won’t be this forgiving.”

He nodded helplessly, and I felt him melting in my hands.

And that's when I saw it.

A distant camera flash lit the hallway for a split second, reflecting off a polished frame on the wall.

I froze—but only for a second.

Aiden hadn’t noticed. His gaze was still fixed on me, soft and unguarded.

I smoothed my hand over his jaw, steady, hiding the storm inside me.

Victoria wanted to bury him in lies. The vultures outside wanted to expose him.

Two storms. Both circling in and both inevitable.

And I was the only one standing in the middle.

And now, I've got a secret of my own that needed to stay hidden.