POV: Elena
By the time we left the jewelry store, I felt sick. The diamond ring sitting on my finger was beautiful, expensive, and completely believable. That was the problem. Nobody looking at it would think it belonged to a fake fiancée being blackmailed into saving a basketball star's reputation. They would see a young woman in love. They would see a future. They would see exactly the story Jace wanted the world to believe.
I spent the drive back to Halden University twisting the ring around my finger while trying not to think about how quickly my life had spiraled out of control. The silence inside the SUV stretched for most of the journey, broken only by the occasional sound of traffic outside.
As we approached campus, Jace finally glanced in my direction. "Remember the story." I l
