No One Needs To Know
680 Words
Lena didn’t move immediately after signing.
For a few seconds, she just sat there, staring at her name on the paper like it didn’t belong to her anymore.
Then she dropped the pen.
“…So that’s it,” she said.
Ethan picked up the contract without replying, flipping through it like it was nothing serious.
“Done,” he said.
Lena let out a quiet breath, leaning back slightly.
“That was fast.”
“It was supposed to be.”
Of course.
She stood up, grabbing her bag.
“Alright then,” she said. “What happens now?”
Ethan closed the file and looked at her.
“No one knows about this.”
Straight to the point.
Lena nodded once. “I figured.”
“You’ll keep it that way.”
“I don’t plan on announcing it,” she replied dryly.
His gaze stayed on her.
Serious. Measuring.
“You’ll be introduced as my girlfriend,” he added.
Lena raised a brow slightly.
“Just like that?”
“When I decide.”
There it was again.
Control.
She didn’t argue.
“Fine,” she said. “Less explaining for me.”
A small pause settled between them.
Then
“You won’t stay where you are,” he said.
Lena tilted her head slightly.
“Obviously.”
“You’ll move.”
“When?”
“Within the next few days.”
That felt… better.
More normal.
“Good,” she said. “Because I actually need time to pack.”
“You’ll be given it.”
She nodded once.
“Great.”
Silence followed, but this one felt different.
Less tense.
More… settled.
Like the decision had already been made, and now everything else was just steps to follow.
“What are the rules?” Lena asked after a moment.
Ethan didn’t hesitate.
“You don’t contradict me in public.”
“Fair.”
“You don’t embarrass me.”
She almost smiled. “I don’t embarrass myself.”
A brief pause.
Then
“You don’t ask questions about things that don’t concern you.”
There it was.
Lena held his gaze.
“You really like that one.”
“It exists for a reason.”
“I’m sure it does.”
She didn’t push further.
Not yet.
Another silence.
Then Lena adjusted her bag on her shoulder.
“So… I just go back to my normal life and pretend this didn’t just happen?” she asked.
“For now.”
“And when does that change?”
“When I say so.”
She let out a quiet breath through her nose.
“Of course it does.”
Ethan watched her for a second.
“You don’t seem surprised.”
Lena shrugged lightly.
“I didn’t sign this expecting control,” she said. “I signed it because I needed something.”
Something flickered in his eyes.
Gone just as quickly.
“Good,” he said.
She turned toward the door, then paused.
One last thing.
She looked back at him.
“Just so we’re clear,” she said, “I’m not going to act like I’m in love with you.”
His expression didn’t change.
“I don’t expect you to.”
“Good.”
A small nod.
Then she opened the door.
The hallway felt quieter on the way out.
Or maybe it was just her.
Lena walked toward the elevator, her mind oddly calm.
No panic.
No second-guessing.
Just… acceptance.
The doors slid open and she stepped in, pressing the button for the ground floor.
As they closed, she caught her reflection in the mirror again.
Same face.
Same clothes.
But everything else?
Different.
She exhaled slowly.
“In a few days,” she murmured.
That gave her time.
To think.
To prepare.
To maybe even regret it.
But deep down
She already knew she wouldn’t.
Because this?
This was still better than having nothing.
The elevator stopped.
The doors opened.
And just like that
She walked out of the building, back into her normal life.
Only now…
It had an expiration date.
- Writer
