THE SHIRTLESS CHEF IS MY FAKE BOYFRIEND

My fiancé was kissing my sister. For a moment, I couldn't move. I stood frozen in the doorway of my father's study, staring at Ian with his hands on Ruby's waist and my sister's lips pressed against his. The fire crackled in the fireplace behind them, and Christmas music played faintly somewhere in the house. Everything around me felt painfully normal for a moment that had just turned my world upside down. Then the gift slipped from my fingers. The black box hit the hardwood floor with a sharp thud. Ian and Ruby sprang apart. He turned toward me, his face completely draining of color. Ruby took a hurried step backward, touching her lips as though she had only just realized what she'd done. “Clara.” Ian said my name quietly, almost cautiously. I stared at him, unable to find a single word. I'd spent the morning choosing his Christmas present, imagining how he would react when I gave it to him. I'd pictured us together beneath the Christmas lights, sharing a private moment while our families celebrated around us. I'd never imagined walking into my father's study and finding him kissing my younger sister. My own sister. That was the part my mind couldn't seem to accept. Ruby and I didn't always see eye to eye. There had been moments when I felt something was off about her—little things I couldn't quite explain. Sometimes I sensed a distance between us, even when we were standing in the same room. But she was still my sister. Whatever our differences, I had never thought she'd do this to me. Not with Ian. Not with the man I was supposed to marry. “Clara, please,” Ian said, taking a tentative step toward me. “Let me explain.” I instinctively stepped back. “Don't.” He stopped. Ruby remained beside the fireplace, her face pale. She wouldn't look directly at me, and somehow that made everything feel even more real. I wanted her to say something—anything—to make this make sense. To tell me my eyes were playing tricks on me. But she stayed silent. I looked at Ian again, searching his face for the man I thought I knew. I wanted him to tell me there was some terrible misunderstanding, even though I'd seen the kiss with my own eyes. “Why?” I finally managed to ask. My voice sounded much smaller than I expected. Ian opened his mouth, then closed it again. “I never wanted you to find out like this.” The words hit me strangely. Find out? I glanced at Ruby. Her eyes dropped to the floor. A cold feeling settled deep in my stomach. Whatever had happened between them, this wasn't simply an innocent mistake that could be explained away by a few hurried words. They both knew I'd seen something I wasn't supposed to see. “How could you?” I whispered. Neither of them answered. I swallowed hard, trying to keep myself together. I didn't want to cry in front of them. I didn't want to give either of them the satisfaction of watching me fall apart, although I wasn't even sure Ruby would feel satisfied. I couldn't understand her right now. That was what frightened me most. I had spent my entire life knowing who my sister was, or at least believing I did. Now I was looking at her and wondering how much I'd failed to see. “Clara, look at me,” Ian pleaded. I did, reluctantly. “You know what you mean to me.” I stared at him. How could he say something like that while I was still standing there, looking at the evidence of his betrayal? “Then why were you kissing her?” His expression tightened. He looked as though he wanted to reach for me, but he didn't dare. “I made a mistake.” I let out a shaky breath. A mistake. As if he'd knocked over a glass or said something he regretted. As if the two people standing in front of me hadn't just changed the way I would remember this Christmas. I glanced down at the gift lying between us. I'd chosen it with care, thinking about our future and all the Christmases we might share. Now, the sight of the box made my stomach turn. Part of me wanted to run away immediately. Another part was still waiting for Ian to say something that would make sense of this nightmare. I hated that I was waiting. I hated that, despite everything, my feelings hadn't vanished into thin air the instant I'd seen him with Ruby. But I couldn't pretend I hadn't seen them. “Clara,” Ruby whispered. I turned toward her. For a second, our eyes met. She looked upset, but I couldn't tell whether she was ashamed, afraid of what would happen next, or simply overwhelmed by being caught. I wanted to ask her how she could do this to me. I wanted to know whether she'd thought about me at all before kissing my fiancé. Instead, I just stood there, struggling to reconcile the sister I had grown up with and the person standing in front of me. Outside the study, I heard footsteps approaching. Mom called my name from the hallway. “Clara, honey? Is everything all right?” My chest tightened. Ian looked toward the door, then back at me. For a moment, he seemed about to speak, but whatever he wanted to say never came. The footsteps drew closer. I couldn't move. I couldn't explain what had happened, and I wasn't ready to face my parents with the truth. Then Dad's voice came from just outside the study. “What's going on in there?” The doorknob began to turn. .