Chapter 3: I Fell For You
1965 Words
*Week three, and their secret was almost exposed.*
Adrian’s grandmother, Mrs. Helena, fell ill and had to be admitted to the hospital.
Adrian panicked. It was the first time Naya saw him completely out of control. His tie was loose, his hair messy, and his phone hadn’t stopped ringing since they got there.
“Grandma can’t find out about this contract. She’d be devastated,” he said, pacing back and forth in the hospital room. His voice was low, almost desperate.
If Helena found out this was all fake, it might break her heart for real.
Naya stepped forward and took his hand. His fingers were cold.
“Calm down. I’m here. We’ll act together. One more week, Adrian. We can do this.”
Adrian stopped pacing and looked at her like she was the only steady thing in the room.
“You’re really too good to me, Naya. Why would you help someone like me?”
Naya gave a sad smile. She squeezed his hand tighter.
“Because I need help too, Adrian. My brother’s sick. This money is for him. Without you, I don’t know what I’d do.”
She hadn’t told him everything yet. How Rian had cried last week saying he didn’t want to be a burden. How Naya stayed up every night wondering if she’d be late.
Adrian’s throat bobbed. He nodded slowly.
“After this is over, I’ll help your brother. No contract needed. No strings. I owe you that much.”
Naya blinked in surprise.
“Why?”
“Because you deserve it,” Adrian answered simply. Like it was obvious.
“Because you stayed when you could’ve walked away. Because you’re the only person who looks at me and doesn’t see Blackwood Group.”
That night, they took turns watching over Grandma.
The hospital room was quiet except for the beeping of the machines and the occasional nurse walking by. Naya brought two cups of hot chocolate from the vending machine downstairs. Adrian didn’t drink coffee anymore when she was around.
At 2 AM, Grandma woke up and saw them sitting side by side, Naya’s head resting on Adrian’s shoulder.
“Good… finally Adrian brought home a good girl,” Grandma whispered, her voice frail but warm. She reached out and held Naya’s hand, her skin paper-thin.
“Grandma approves of you two. Get married next year, okay?”
Naya couldn’t answer. Her throat felt tight. She just nodded, tears welling in her eyes.
Adrian beside her was silent too. But his hand squeezed Naya’s a little tighter, like he was afraid to let go.
If she knew the truth, she’d be crushed.
After Grandma fell asleep again, Adrian whispered.
“Sorry for dragging you into this lie.”
Naya shook her head.
“I’m not dragged. I’m… glad.”
Adrian turned to her, confused.
“Glad?”
Naya nodded, wiping her eyes.
“Glad because I got to meet the real you. Not the cold CEO everyone fears. But Adrian, who worries about his grandmother at 2 AM, who cooks instant noodles when he’s stressed, who remembers how I take my coffee…”
She stopped, realizing how much she’d noticed.
“Who makes me feel safe.”
Adrian was quiet for a long time. The fluorescent light reflected in his eyes.
“Naya…”
“Yes?”
“Our contract ends in three days,” Adrian said quietly.
“So what then?”
Naya looked at him. Really looked. At the man behind the mask.
“Then we tell the truth. To Grandma. To everyone.”
Adrian nodded.
“And to ourselves.”
---
*Two days later, Kevin cornered Adrian in the office.*
“So,” Kevin said, leaning against Adrian’s desk with a grin. “You’re actually in love with her, huh?”
Adrian didn’t look up from his laptop.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Kevin laughed.
“Bro, you’ve been smiling at your phone like an i***t for three days. You even canceled a meeting with Thompson to bring her soup when she had a cold.”
He paused.
“You’ve never done that for anyone. Not even Selena.”
Adrian finally closed his laptop.
“It’s complicated.”
“It’s not complicated,” Kevin said seriously.
“If you let her go after this contract ends, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. And I’ll never forgive you.”
Adrian sighed.
“I know.”
---
*The last day of the contract arrived.*
It was Grandma’s 80th birthday party. The ballroom of the Blackwood Hotel was packed. Chandeliers, white roses, a string quartet playing softly. Journalists were outside. Big. Everyone who mattered in the city was there.
Naya wore a simple blue dress that Adrian had sent over that morning. No note, but she knew it was from him. The color matched her eyes. Adrian wore a black suit, tailored perfectly. They walked in together, holding hands.
Speeches, cake cutting, family photos. Everything went smoothly. Grandma laughed more that day than Naya had seen in weeks.
For a moment, Naya let herself believe this could be real.
Until Selena showed up again.
She walked in wearing white, like a bride crashing a funeral. Her smile was sharp, calculated.
“Adrian, I need to say something,” Selena announced in front of everyone. Her voice carried through the silent ballroom.
“I’m pregnant with your child.”
The room went silent. Even the quartet stopped playing.
Naya felt the world collapse. Her knees went weak.
Adrian stood up immediately, his face dark.
“That’s impossible. We broke up two years ago.”
Selena smiled cruelly, holding up an envelope.
“Let’s do a DNA test. I have proof. The doctor’s report is right here.”
Naya took a step back. Her hand slipped from Adrian’s.
“Adrian…” Her voice was barely a whisper.
Adrian immediately went to her, ignoring everyone else.
“Naya, listen to me. That’s a lie. I never—”
But Naya was already walking out.
She couldn’t hear anymore.
Her chest felt like it was caving in. Stupid. Stupid for believing. Stupid for hoping.
---
*Outside, in the garden, she broke down.*
She sank to the ground behind a hedge, hugging her knees, and cried.
Stupid. Why did she start falling for him for real?
She should’ve known better. Rich guys like Adrian didn’t fall for girls like her. It was always temporary.
“Naya!”
Adrian’s voice was rough, out of breath. He chased after her, his suit jacket in his hand.
“Naya, wait! Please listen to me!”
Naya turned around, tears streaming down her face.
“What explanation could make this not hurt, Adrian? She said she’s pregnant with your child! What am I supposed to do with that?”
Adrian knelt in front of her, ignoring the dirt on his pants.
“Naya, look at me.”
She wouldn’t.
“Naya.”
He reached out and gently lifted her chin until her eyes met his. His eyes were red too.
“Because I never slept with her, Naya. Never. Not once. After we broke up, I never touched her again.”
His voice cracked.
“Since I met you, I can’t look at anyone else. I don’t want to. You’re the only one I think about when I wake up and when I go to sleep.”
Naya froze.
“Then what about the proof?”
“It’s fake. My lawyer’s handling it,” Adrian said firmly.
“The report is forged. Selena’s been trying to get back at me since I ended things. I should’ve told you sooner. I’m sorry I let you think I’d ever hurt you like that.”
Naya stared at him.
Honest. No lies. His eyes didn’t waver.
Her tears fell again, but this time for a different reason.
“But our contract ends today.”
Adrian nodded.
“Yes. But I want to make a new contract. For life. No end date. No money involved. Just us.”
Naya let out a watery laugh.
“So cheesy.”
“I’m serious,” Adrian said, dropping to one knee right there on the garden path. People inside were watching through the glass doors, but he didn’t care.
“Naya, will you be my girlfriend? For real. No payment. No contract. Just you and me.”
Naya covered her mouth, sobbing.
“Yes. I will. Of course I will.”
Adrian stood up and pulled her into a tight hug. Like he was afraid she’d disappear.
“Finally. Naya is mine.”
Inside the room, everyone clapped. Turns out the door hadn’t been closed all the way.
Kevin was the loudest, whistling and cheering.
Grandma in her wheelchair smiled, tears in her eyes.
“Good. Now get married next year, okay!”
---
*One week later.*
Selena’s lie was exposed. The hospital confirmed the document was forged. She left the city quietly after that.
Adrian didn’t gloat. He just held Naya tighter that night.
Naya went to visit Rian in the hospital.
“Guess what?” she said, sitting on the edge of his bed.
“The surgery is scheduled for next month. And I didn’t have to pay a cent.”
Rian frowned.
“Naya, did you… sell something? Are you okay?”
Naya laughed and shook her head.
“I met someone. He’s helping. He’s good, Rian. Really good.”
Rian studied her face.
“You like him.”
Naya went red.
“Shut up.”
Rian grinned.
“Good. You deserve someone who makes you smile like that.”
---
*One month later.*
Rian’s surgery was successful. He was healthy. The doctors said he’d make a full recovery.
Adrian paid for everything without asking for anything in return. He didn’t even let Naya thank him properly.
“You already did,” he said. “By staying.”
Naya quit her job at the restaurant. She didn’t need to work two shifts anymore.
Now she ran a small coffee shop with Adrian on the ground floor of his apartment building. She handled the coffee, the recipes, the customers. He handled the investors who kept trying to buy them out.
It was small. Messy. Loud.
And it was perfect.
Tonight, they closed the shop early. The sign said _Closed_, but the lights were still on.
Adrian pulled Naya into his arms behind the counter, right where they first kissed.
“One month contract, turned into a lifetime,” Adrian whispered in her ear. His breath was warm against her skin.
“How does it feel?”
Naya smiled, resting her head on his chest. She could hear his heartbeat. Steady. Real.
“It feels… like I’m home.”
Adrian kissed her forehead, then her nose, then her lips. Slow and careful, like he had all the time in the world.
“Welcome home, Naya.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
---
*Later that night, in their apartment.*
The city lights stretched out below them, just like the first night. But nothing felt cold anymore.
Adrian held her hand as they stood on the balcony.
“Scared?” he asked quietly.
Naya shook her head.
“Not anymore.”
“Good.” He pulled her closer.
“Because I’m not letting you go. Not ever.”
Naya looked up at him.
“What if I’m hard to love?”
Adrian’s thumb brushed over her knuckles.
“Then I’ll make it easy. Every day.”
Naya’s eyes stung again, but this time she didn’t cry.
She just leaned up and kissed him.
And for the first time, both of them knew…
the biggest lie of their lives was the beginning of the most real love.
*THE END*
- Writer
