Page 10 of This Beautiful Lie
I couldn’t bear his kindness. It almost made things worse.
“Hurry up," I whispered. “Before someone sees us.”
He didn’t answer, just shifted the ring in a way that made it shimmer in the dim lighting. He took a breath, then slid the ring onto my finger. “There.”
It fit perfectly.
Of course it fucking did.
I swallowed hard, my pulse thrumming an erratic rhythm as I stared down at the rock on my left hand.
It was beautiful. Catching the light in such a way that it threw tiny sparkseverywhere.
His fingers held mine for a long time. Warm. Steady. Anchoring me in place.
“Now, we’re official,” he said softly.
I exhaled hard, letting go of the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding before glancing up at him again. His expression was unreadable, but his thumb—so lightly, so fleetingly—brushed against my knuckle before he let go of my hand.
My fingers twitched, and my eyes hesitantly dropped to the ring, taking in all its glory for the first time. The weight felt strange and foreign on my finger, but I had to admit… it was beautiful.
Simple.
Understated.
A thin platinum band with a single diamond. It was the kind of ring I would’ve picked for myself if this were real. The kind of ring that said forever without shouting it.
I glanced back at Dean to find his jaw was tight.
“Don’t get too excited,” he said. “It’s not real.”
I stiffened. Just like that, the magic of the moment was gone.
Rain still splattered against the window, soft and rhythmic, but I barely heard it. I turned toward the glass, needing a moment to gather my thoughts.
I was used to this.
Used to clients treating me like someone who couldn’t be trusted… But coming from him—after the moment we’d just shared—it felt like a slap across the face.
You’re not the same as me. And you never will be.
A lump formed in my throat, but before I could swallow it down, he exhaled. “I didn’t mean to offend you. You just looked so excited, and I… I ordered it from Amazon for twenty bucks.”
I blinked.
Paused.
Then, before I could stop, laughter burst out of me. I clapped a hand over my mouth, trying not to draw attention toward the hall, but my shoulders were shaking so hard it was impossible to contain.
Dean’s brow furrowed, but that crooked, almost boyish grin tugged at his lips. “What’s so funny?”
I shook my head, still unable to catch my breath. “It’s just—I just—” I exhaled, wiping a tear from the corner of my eye. “Everything about you surprises me, Dean.”
His smile softened, the charm that was there before settling into something heavier—something that made my stomach flutter like I was free-falling.
“You surprise me, too,” he said quietly. Then, with a pause that felt thick with intent, he added, “Vivienne Blackwood.”
His hand found mine before I could respond, then slowly and deliberately, he guided it into the crook of his arm as if we’d done this a hundred times.
