From Lies To Love

Chapter 7

The drive back to Emily’s apartment was quiet, but the silence wasn’t comfortable. It was charged, thick with something unspoken.

Ryan’s hands were steady on the wheel, his expression unreadable as he maneuvered through the city streets. Emily sat stiffly in the passenger seat, arms crossed, mind still reeling from her mother’s words.

Her mother’s disgusting, shallow words.

"Convince him you're the perfect wife. Make him want you."

Emily squeezed her eyes shut for a second, trying to push the memory away, but it clung to her like a stain she couldn’t scrub off.

Ryan finally broke the silence.

"Your mother is… persistent."

Emily let out a dry laugh, turning her head to the window. "That’s one way to put it."

"I can see where you get your stubbornness from."

She shot him a glare. "I am nothing like my mother."

Ryan arched a brow but didn’t argue.

When they pulled up in front of her apartment, Emily was more than ready to escape, but Ryan killed the engine and unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Water," he said simply.

She blinked. "What?"

"I need water. And I assume you have some inside."

Emily sighed, rubbing her temple. Of course. Ryan Blackwood never just left.

"Fine," she muttered, pushing the door open. "But don’t make yourself comfortable."

He smirked. "No promises."

Inside, Emily dropped her purse on the couch and went straight to the kitchen. She grabbed a glass, filled it with water, and turned only to find Ryan leaning against the counter, arms crossed, watching her.

His stare was too sharp, too knowing.

She thrust the glass at him. "Here. Now drink and leave."

Ryan accepted the glass, but he didn’t take a sip. Instead, he set it down on the counter and tilted his head.

"You didn’t tell me why you were upset back at dinner."

Emily tensed. "I wasn’t upset."

"Lie," he said smoothly. "You barely touched your food, and you stormed off to the restroom. So what did your mother say to you?"

Her pulse jumped.

She looked away. "Nothing important."

Ryan’s eyes narrowed. "Emily."

His voice had that dangerous edge the one he used when he knew she was lying.

Emily gritted her teeth. "It’s none of your business, Ryan."

His jaw tensed. "You do realize I just sat through an entire dinner of your mother making it very clear she wants you to marry me for convenience, right?"

Emily froze.

Her heart stopped.

Slowly, she turned to him. "...What?"

Ryan exhaled sharply, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I’m not an i***t, Emily. Your mother wasn’t exactly subtle about it."

Emily swallowed hard. s**t.

She had spent the entire dinner trying to hide her mother’s scheming, but Ryan had seen right through it.

"Did she tell you to seduce me?" he asked, voice unreadable.

Emily’s face burned.

She turned away, gripping the counter. "Ryan, just drop it."

"I’ll drop it when you tell me the truth," he pressed. "Did she?"

Emily inhaled sharply, her emotions boiling over.

"Fine! Yes, she did!" she snapped, whirling around. "She told me to ‘make you want me’ so I could marry you and take care of the family! Happy now?"

Ryan’s entire body stilled.

For a moment, the air crackled between them, heavy and suffocating.

Then, he laughed.

A low, humorless chuckle that made her skin prickle.

Emily saw red.

"You think this is funny?" she hissed.

Ryan shook his head, amusement dark in his eyes. "I think it’s ironic."

Her hands curled into fists. "Screw you, Ryan."

She shoved past him, but before she could take another step, his hand wrapped around her wrist, pulling her back.

Emily gasped, her back colliding with his chest.

"Let me go," she said through clenched teeth.

His grip wasn’t tight, but it was firm, his body heat too close, too overwhelming.

"You think I don’t know what it’s like?" he murmured, voice low and rough. "To have a family who only sees you as a means to an end?"

Emily’s breath hitched.

For a second, she forgot how to be angry.

Because Ryan never talked about his family.

And now…

Now, there was something raw in his voice.

Something that shouldn’t make her chest tighten.

Emily swallowed. "Ryan"

His grip loosened, his thumb brushing over her wrist a small, absentminded touch that sent shivers down her spine.

Her pulse hammered.

For a second, just a second, she saw it again that look.

The one he had given her back in Paris.

The one that made her think, maybe, just maybe, Ryan Blackwood actually felt something for her.

The tension snapped.

Emily yanked her wrist away, taking a sharp step back.

"Get out," she said, voice uneven.

Ryan exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.

"Emily"

"I said get out, Ryan!"

For once, he didn’t argue.

With one last unreadable glance, Ryan grabbed his jacket and walked out the door.

Emily stared after him, chest rising and falling too fast.

Her skin still burned where he had touched her.

And for the first time since this fake relationship started, she realized something terrifying.

She wasn’t just pretending anymore.