Entangled

Chapter Five: When Pretend Feels Real

The Unravelling Begins

Elena had always believed she was in control. Her life was built on carefully crafted decisions, each move calculated to ensure stability. But since stepping into this arrangement with Adrian Sinclair, the foundation she had meticulously laid was starting to c***k. Their relationship was supposed to be a transaction—an agreement that served both their interests. She had signed up for security, for the promise of financial relief that would keep her bookstore afloat. Yet, with each passing day, the act they played in public was becoming harder to separate from reality.

She had felt it first in the quiet moments—the way Adrian looked at her when he thought she wasn’t watching, the subtle way he placed his hand on her back in a crowded room, the warmth of his voice when he said her name. These were not part of the script. And she wasn’t supposed to notice.

But she did.

And that was a problem.

A Night of Unwelcome Surprises

Adrian’s invitation to a charity gala came as no surprise. These events were part of the arrangement—public appearances that solidified their status as a couple. Elena had grown accustomed to the routine. Dress in designer gowns, smile for the cameras, and stand by Adrian’s side as though she belonged in his world.

But as they stepped into the lavishly decorated ballroom that evening, Elena immediately sensed a shift. The air was thick with curiosity, with whispers that carried across the room like ripples in a pond. People were watching them more intently than usual. The scrutiny was sharper, the glances laced with something deeper than mere fascination.

And then she saw her.

Isabelle Laurent.

Elena had heard about her—Adrian’s ex-fiancée, the woman who had once been destined to take the place she now occupied. Isabelle was stunning, the kind of woman who exuded effortless elegance. She fit into Adrian’s world in a way Elena never could, and standing in her presence, Elena suddenly felt like an impostor in her own life.

Adrian stiffened beside her, his jaw tightening in the way it always did when he was trying to conceal emotion.

“Elena,” a voice purred.

She turned to find Isabelle smiling at her, the curve of her lips betraying no real warmth.

“You look lovely,” Isabelle said, her gaze flickering between Elena and Adrian. “I must say, I was quite surprised when I heard the news. Marriage, so soon?”

Elena forced a smile, slipping her arm through Adrian’s as though it were the most natural thing in the world. “Some things just feel right.”

Adrian’s fingers flexed ever so slightly against her waist—a silent acknowledgment of the moment.

Isabelle’s expression remained unreadable. “Well, I suppose when you know, you know.”

Elena wasn’t sure what unnerved her more—Isabelle’s words or the feeling that, for the first time, she wasn’t certain what was real and what was pretend.

A Kiss That Changed Everything

The night was long. The whispers followed them from one conversation to the next, the weight of speculation pressing down on Elena’s shoulders. She wasn’t sure why this particular event felt different, why the eyes on them seemed more piercing, more demanding.

As they stepped outside into the cold night air, the paparazzi were already waiting. Cameras flashed, voices called out, demanding a moment, a statement—proof that this marriage was what it claimed to be.

And then, without warning, Adrian turned to her.

“Elena.”

Her name on his lips sent a shiver down her spine.

Before she could react, he kissed her.

It should have been another performance. A well-rehearsed display for the cameras, a strategic move to silence the doubters. But the moment his lips touched hers, the world around them vanished.

The flashes disappeared. The noise faded.

There was only him.

His hands gripped her waist, pulling her closer. The warmth of his body, the way he tilted her chin just so—it was effortless.

And terrifying.

Because in that moment, Elena forgot it was all a lie.

When he pulled away, her breath was shaky.

Adrian looked at her, his gaze unreadable.

“We should go,” he murmured.

She nodded, unable to form words.

Because something had shifted.

Something she wasn’t sure she could take back.

Lines That Shouldn’t Be Crossed

The silence in the penthouse was deafening.

Elena paced the living room, her thoughts tangled in knots. That kiss had changed something. She could feel it in the way Adrian moved around her now—quieter, more careful, as if he too recognized the shift between them.

She needed distance.

So, the next morning, she left. No explanations. No note.

She found solace in the one place that still felt like hers—her bookstore.

The moment she stepped inside, she exhaled, as if she had been holding her breath all night.

She needed to remind herself why she was doing this.

Money. Security. Survival.

Not Adrian.

Not the way he looked at her.

Not the way his touch lingered.

“Elena.”

She froze.

The voice was unmistakable.

She turned—and there he was.

Adrian Sinclair, standing in her bookstore.

He had never been here before. And the sight of him among the shelves of worn-out books and wooden counters felt wrong.

Like two separate worlds colliding.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, keeping her voice steady.

Adrian leaned against the doorway, watching her with an intensity that made her stomach flip.

“You left without telling me.”

“I didn’t know I needed your permission.”

A muscle in his jaw ticked. “That’s not what I meant.”

Silence stretched between them, thick and unspoken.

Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, Elena admitted, “This isn’t working.”

Adrian’s gaze darkened. “What isn’t?”

“This.” She gestured between them. “The act. The lie. I don’t know where it ends anymore.”

For the first time, she saw something uncertain in Adrian’s eyes.

Something almost vulnerable.

“It scares me too,” he said quietly.

The words hit harder than she expected.

Because if Adrian was afraid—

Then this wasn’t just dangerous.

It was inevitable.

The Point of No Return

Elena had walked into this arrangement believing she could keep her heart out of it.

That night, standing in the quiet of her bookstore with Adrian Sinclair looking at her like she was the only thing that mattered—

She realized she had been wrong.

Terribly, irreversibly wrong.

And that scared her more than anything.

Because when pretend starts feeling real—

Someone always gets hurt.

And for the first time, Elena wasn’t sure who it would be.