The hum of the city outside the penthouse seemed quieter now. The last few weeks had passed in a blur of late nights, soft touches, and moments that felt too real for something that was supposed to be a lie. But despite all of that, the ever-present reminder of the world outside their bubble couldn't be ignored.
Sienna stood by the window, her hands pressed against the cool glass as she watched the streetlights blink to life below. It was just past dusk, and the apartment was still—eerily so. Damien had been quieter than usual that day, distant even. She tried not to let it bother her, but the silence between them felt heavier than it had in weeks.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out, She stared at the new tabloid article that lit up her phone screen, her heart sinking with each word she read. The headline was the same as before—Damien Black's Fake Engagement Exposed, but the tone was sharper this time, more accusatory. The article included more intimate photos of her and Ethan, ones that hadn't been published in the initial leak, twisting the narrative into something worse. Speculation was rampant, and now, the press had labeled her not just as an accessory in Damien's life, but a key player in some grand PR game.
She threw the phone down on the couch, her fingers trembling as she walked back toward the window. Outside, the city lights twinkled like a million stars, a stark contrast to the chaos inside her chest. It was all becoming too much, too fast.
She thought about the first time the tabloids had targeted her, when the world seemed to explode with rumors about her and Ethan. Damien had promised to handle it. He'd sworn to track down the person responsible for the leak. And yet, here she was again—her name smeared in the press, her image paraded across the media like she was nothing more than a pawn in Damien's game.
The sound of the front door opening snapped her back to reality. Sienna took a deep breath and wiped her eyes quickly, trying to compose herself as Damien stepped inside.
His eyes immediately found her, a shadow of guilt flickering across his face. He closed the door quietly behind him, but the weight of his silence filled the room before he spoke.
"I saw it," he said, his voice low.
Sienna didn't look at him. She couldn't. Instead, she focused on the darkening skyline outside, the glow of the city doing little to light up the fog in her mind.
"Did you?" she replied, her voice brittle. "Because I'm beginning to wonder if you actually care what happens to me."
He flinched at her words, but didn't approach. Instead, he leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "You know that's not true," he said, his voice tight.
"Then why are we here, Damien?" She turned to face him now, her eyes burning with frustration. "Why does it feel like everything we've built is crumbling? Every time I think we're getting closer, you pull away. And now this… this mess with the tabloids. You promised me you'd fix it."
Damien's jaw clenched, but he didn't meet her eyes. "I'm trying. You know that. But there's more at play here than just us."
"More?" she echoed, stepping closer. "What more could there possibly be? You're telling me you're still putting your career, your reputation, before this—before me?"
His gaze flickered to her, but his lips pressed into a thin line. "I'm not putting anything before you. But you don't understand the pressure, Sienna. My father... the board... they want answers. They want results, not some fairy tale."
Her chest tightened, and she swallowed hard, fighting back the sting of tears. "So, I'm just a distraction then. Just a piece of the puzzle. Just something to keep up the image, to please the people who care about nothing but power and status."
"That's not what I'm saying," Damien said, but he didn't move toward her, his distance palpable.
"Then what are you saying?" Sienna's voice broke, the weight of his emotional distance finally sinking in. "I thought you wanted this. Us."
He was silent for a moment, and for a painful second, she wondered if he even knew what he wanted anymore. Finally, he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I do want this. I want you. But I can't promise you it's going to be easy."
She felt the knot in her throat tighten, and she shook her head. "That's not good enough, Damien. I need more than maybe. I need to know you're here. That you actually want this. That you're not just keeping me around to please the world."
He sighed, running a hand through his hair, and for the first time, Sienna saw the exhaustion in his eyes—the toll this was taking on him. But it didn't change the fact that he wasn't choosing her, not really.
"Everything with us started as a lie, Sienna," he admitted, his voice raw. "A lie that turned into something... complicated. I don't know how to make it real. I don't know how to fix it without losing everything I've worked for."
Sienna swallowed the lump in her throat, the sting of his words cutting deeper than any tabloid article ever could. She had given him everything—her trust, her heart—and still, he couldn't meet her halfway.
"So that's it?" she asked, her voice shaking. "You'll just let me go, because it's too hard? Because the world's expectations are too much for you to handle?"
Damien's eyes darkened, but he didn't speak for a long moment. "I'm not saying I want to let you go," he finally said. "But I can't give you what you need right now. I'm not in a place to be the man you want me to be."
The words hit her like a slap.
Sienna took a step back, blinking rapidly, trying to hold herself together. "So, what? I'm supposed to just wait around for you to figure it out? To decide if I'm worth it?"
Damien's gaze softened for a moment, but he didn't move. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I wish things were different. I wish I could be the person you need me to be."
She shook her head, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. "I don't even know who you are anymore."
Without another word, Sienna turned and walked toward the bedroom, her heart a heavy weight in her chest. She needed space. She needed distance. But most of all, she needed the man she thought she was falling in love with to stop being so afraid of what was real between them.
Damien stood still, the words left hanging in the air between them. The world outside was intruding once more, but the real question was: Would he finally step up before it was too late?