TANGLED IN PRETEND
1688 Words
Zara didn’t think anything could be more exhausting than walking into a gala as someone’s wife—especially when that someone was Lucas Thorne.
But the morning after was worse.
Her face ached from smiling, her feet from standing in heels for hours. Her phone was flooded with tagged photos, articles, and congratulatory messages from people who hadn’t spoken to her in years. The world was convinced their love story was real.
Too convinced.
The headlines didn’t help:
> CEO Lucas Thorne Surprises World with Sudden Marriage
Mystery Bride Identified as Former Flame Zara Monroe—Rekindled Romance or Strategic Move?
Power Couple Alert: Thorne & Monroe Light Up the Astoria Gala
Zara tossed her phone on the bed and groaned. She wanted to scream. Or drink. Or disappear.
Instead, she walked into the kitchen, only to find Lucas shirtless, drinking orange juice straight from the bottle.
“For the love of God, use a glass,” she said.
He turned, utterly unfazed by her irritation or her presence. “Morning to you too, wife.”
Zara ignored the flutter his bare chest caused in her stomach. “Stop calling me that.”
“It’s legally accurate,” he said, placing the bottle down. “Even if temporarily.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why are you even up? Didn’t we get home at 2 a.m.?”
“I don’t sleep much,” he replied. “Too much on my mind.”
She moved past him to the coffee machine. “Like what? Market shares? Which lie to sell next?”
He leaned against the counter. “Like how to make this next month as painless as possible for both of us.”
She gave him a sidelong look. “That why you’re half-naked at the breakfast table?”
“You complaining?” His tone was light, but his eyes held something deeper.
Zara turned away, sipping her coffee. She didn’t have the energy for his games. Not this early.
“Big day today,” he said.
“Another gala?”
“No,” he replied. “Interview. National spotlight. Everyone wants to meet the woman who finally tamed me.”
Zara barked a bitter laugh. “I didn’t tame you, Lucas. You bribed me.”
He met her gaze, unfazed. “Doesn’t matter what’s real. Only what they believe.”
She hated how he was right.
---
The studio lights were harsh. The makeup team powdered her face until she barely recognized her reflection.
Beside her, Lucas looked like he’d stepped off a fashion magazine — navy suit, custom-tailored, every lock of hair in place. He gave her a small smile as they were ushered into chairs across from the host.
“Just follow my lead,” he whispered.
“I don’t need your lead,” she whispered back. “I’m not stupid.”
The cameras rolled.
“Welcome back to Morning Buzz! Today we have the internet’s favorite new couple — tech mogul Lucas Thorne and his stunning bride, Zara Monroe. Welcome!”
“Thank you for having us,” Lucas said smoothly, his hand slipping into Zara’s as if it belonged there.
She managed a practiced smile. “It’s a pleasure.”
“So,” the host said, leaning forward, “you two shocked the world. No one saw this coming. Tell us — how did it happen?”
Lucas squeezed her hand gently, a signal.
Zara took a breath. “It was… unexpected, even for us. We’ve known each other for years, but life took us in different directions. And then, suddenly, there he was again. And I thought, ‘Why not?’”
The host beamed. “A second-chance love story!”
Lucas added, “Sometimes, timing is everything.”
“And how’s married life treating you?”
Zara forced a chuckle. “Still adjusting. But it helps when your husband is charming.”
Lucas winked. “And patient.”
They played the role so well, even Zara began to believe it — for a second.
When the cameras stopped, Lucas leaned closer. “You were great.”
She pulled her hand away. “Don’t touch me again without asking.”
He raised both palms. “Noted.”
But he didn’t apologize.
---
After the interview, Lucas took her to brunch — not because they were hungry, but because they had to be seen.
Reporters lingered on every corner. A photographer crouched behind a newspaper stand. Zara sipped mimosa after mimosa just to maintain her smile.
Lucas leaned over the table. “Ease up. You’re gripping your fork like it’s a weapon.”
“Maybe it is.”
“You’ll stab me in public?”
“If I smile while doing it, no one will notice.”
He chuckled. “You always did have a violent streak.”
She arched a brow. “Keep pushing and you’ll see it again.”
They were mid-banter when a woman approached their table — tall, model-thin, red lips painted with precision.
“Lucas?”
Zara froze.
Lucas’s expression shifted into something unreadable. “Naomi.”
Zara blinked. Of course. The ex-fiancée. The one he ditched weeks before their wedding two years ago. The one who was rumored to have threatened to burn his penthouse down.
Naomi turned to Zara with a sugary smile. “So you’re the new Mrs. Thorne?”
Zara met her gaze evenly. “Yes.”
Naomi’s smile didn’t waver. “Interesting. He always said marriage wasn’t for him.”
Lucas stiffened. “Things change.”
Naomi ignored him. “Well, congratulations. I’m sure it’s true love this time.”
She left before either of them could reply.
Zara looked at Lucas. “Do I need to be worried about property damage?”
He sighed. “She’s harmless.”
“That’s not what the tabloids say.”
He rubbed his temples. “Welcome to my life.”
“No,” Zara said. “Welcome to mine.”
---
That night, Zara was on the balcony of the suite, the city glowing beneath her. She clutched a glass of red wine, her mind a storm.
Lucas joined her, carrying a second glass.
She didn’t look at him. “What do you want?”
“To talk.”
“About?”
“The kiss.”
She turned sharply. “What kiss?”
He raised a brow. “The one from last night. You leaned into it.”
“I leaned into the performance.”
“You kissed me like you meant it.”
She sipped her wine. “So what if I did?”
Lucas went quiet.
Then he said, “This is dangerous.”
“What? Us?”
“This. Pretending so well it stops being pretend.”
Zara looked at him, eyes sharp. “Are you scared, Lucas?”
“Terrified.”
She stepped closer. “Of me? Or of what this means?”
He didn’t answer.
Instead, he reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her face.
Zara’s breath caught.
“Don’t,” she whispered.
“I’m trying not to want you,” he said, voice low.
“Then try harder.”
He leaned in—close, but not touching. “Say the word and I’ll back off.”
Her heart pounded.
But she said nothing.
Lucas pulled back. “That’s what I thought.”
---
The next morning, Zara woke up alone. Again.
Lucas was gone before sunrise, no note, no text. She found herself oddly disappointed.
Later that afternoon, her phone buzzed with a calendar notification:
> Dinner with Lucas – 7:00 p.m., Ristorante Lune.
She debated skipping it.
But then she remembered Naomi. And the kiss. And the strange ache in her chest that had been growing stronger each day.
Zara arrived at the restaurant in a black satin dress and heels high enough to signal war. When she walked in, every head turned.
Lucas was already at the table, sipping wine, looking like the devil in a three-piece suit.
“You’re late,” he said.
“I like an entrance.”
He stood, pulled out her chair. “You’ve always had flair.”
She sat without thanking him.
Dinner was exquisite. Pasta with truffle oil. A wine older than both of them. The waiter treated them like royalty.
Lucas reached across the table mid-meal, brushing her knuckles. “You’re different tonight.”
“Maybe I’m tired of pretending.”
His hand paused. “Then let’s stop.”
She met his gaze. “What does that mean?”
“It means I want to see what this looks like without the lies.”
Zara’s breath hitched. “Lucas…”
“No cameras. No press. Just us.”
She shook her head. “That’s not the deal.”
“Screw the deal.”
“You won’t say that when you lose your company.”
He leaned closer. “I already lost something more important once. I’m not doing it again.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You left me, remember?”
“I was scared.”
“Of what? Loving me?”
“Yes.”
Zara froze.
He continued, “You were the only person who ever saw me, Zara. Not the money. Not the title. Just… me. And that terrified me.”
“And now?”
“Now I’m ready.”
She stared at him, trying to see the lie — but it wasn’t there.
Still, she wasn’t ready to fall again. Not without proof. Not without time.
“We finish the thirty days,” she said. “Then we talk.”
Lucas nodded. “Deal.”
But as they left the restaurant, his hand brushed hers—and this time, she didn’t pull away.
---
Back in the suite, Zara stepped out of her heels, her dress whispering off her skin as she walked to the window.
Lucas stood behind her.
“Tell me something true,” she said without turning.
He hesitated.
Then: “You still ruin me.”
She closed her eyes.
The war in her chest raged louder than ever.
And for the first time in years, she didn’t know whose side she was on.
- Writer
