The confession
548 Words
Chapter 13: The Confession
The ride back from the press conference was silent.
Not tense.
Not awkward.
Just… quiet.
Damian’s hand rested near hers on the seat, close enough that their fingers brushed every time the car turned a corner. But neither of them moved.
Leila’s heart was still racing. Not because of the headlines, or the cameras, or the thousands of people online now calling her either a saint or a fraud.
It was because of what Damian said.
“She is the woman I fell in love with.”
He hadn’t warned her. Hadn’t told her it was part of the plan.
He just… said it.
And she didn’t know what scared her more — that it was a lie.
Or that it wasn’t.
Back at the estate, they walked through the doors quietly. The staff pretended not to notice the tension. Marina gave Leila a soft, knowing smile as she passed.
But Leila couldn’t pretend any longer.
“Why did you do that?” she asked once they were alone in the lounge.
Damian turned to her, his hands in his pockets. “Because it was the truth.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Damian, we made an agreement—”
“Which we’ve been breaking, piece by piece, since the night of the gala.”
She looked away.
He stepped closer. “You asked me once why I needed this. Why I needed a fake engagement.”
Leila slowly turned back toward him. “And?”
He exhaled. Deeply.
“My father was trying to force me into a merger. One that would’ve stripped me of everything I built at Cole Holdings. He said I was reckless, unstable, ‘unfit to lead.’ He gave me an ultimatum: prove I could build a life, or step aside.”
Leila swallowed. “So you needed a relationship.”
“A stable one. A committed one. A public one. And I knew anyone from my circle would have expectations. Would ask for contracts, NDAs, compensation.”
“But I didn’t,” she whispered.
“No,” Damian said. “You asked for flowers and a chance to save your shop. You were honest. And real. The only person who didn’t want something from me.”
Leila felt her throat tighten.
“You chose me because I was easy to control.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I chose you because you made me feel human again.”
The air shifted.
She tried to find something clever to say, something safe — but all she could do was whisper, “Why didn’t you tell me all of this earlier?”
“Because I didn’t want you to see the cracks,” he said. “I wanted to be the man you could trust.”
“You already were,” she said, voice trembling. “And now you’ve made it harder.”
“Why?”
“Because now I don’t know if I’m falling for you because of this lie… or in spite of it.”
Damian took another step forward. “Then let me make it simple.”
He lifted her chin with a gentle touch.
“I don’t want to pretend anymore.”
Leila’s heart pounded in her chest.
And she realized…
Neither did she.
- Writer
