Falling for Her Fake Fiancé

The Lies We Buried

Chapter 21: The Lies We Buried

Leila stared at the burner phone on her nightstand like it was a live bomb.

Jayden hadn’t called yet.

But the threat lingered in the air like smoke — thick, choking, and impossible to ignore.

Every second felt like borrowed time.

She knew she couldn’t keep it from Damian any longer.

No more secrets.

No more pretending.

That evening, they sat together in the rooftop garden — the same place she used to hide from the world. Now it felt like the only place she could face it.

Damian poured her a glass of wine, then sat beside her on the bench.

“You’ve been distracted,” he said gently. “Is it the media again?”

She hesitated.

Then she turned to face him. “I need to tell you something. About… who I was before we met.”

Damian set his glass down. “Okay.”

“I wasn’t always the girl with polished nails and a floral business,” she began. “Before the shop, before the clean slate… I was reckless. I ran with the wrong people. Made bad choices. One of them… his name is Jayden Carter.”

Damian’s jaw clenched slightly. He didn’t interrupt.

“We were stupid. Young. We thought we were invincible. Boosted a few cars. Got into fights. The kind of things that could’ve ruined my life if I got caught.”

She paused, her voice catching.

“One night, a job went bad. I panicked. He disappeared. And I spent years trying to become someone new. Someone I could be proud of.”

“And now he’s back?” Damian asked, his voice unreadable.

Leila nodded. “He has an old photo of us. He’s threatening to go public. Unless I pay him.”

Silence stretched between them like glass.

Damian stood and paced a few steps, then turned to face her.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Because I didn’t want you to look at me differently.”

He stepped closer.

“I don’t care who you used to be, Leila. I care who you are now. And I care that someone is threatening you.”

“But this could affect your position, the company—”

“To hell with the company.”

She blinked.

“I care about you.” Damian’s voice broke for the first time in weeks. “I love you, Leila. I don’t need perfection. I need real.”

Tears filled her eyes.

And before she could speak, he pulled her into a hug — tight, grounding, full of everything they hadn’t said yet.

Later that night, Damian stood by the window, phone in hand, jaw set.

“What are you doing?” Leila asked.

“Calling someone who can help. If this guy wants a war…” He glanced at her. “He picked the wrong couple.”