Credit to sabagul28 for the graphic above!

Comment of Chapter Fourteen goes to walkingecho you guys know I can't resist a plot twist/cliffhanger 😉💖

Any hopes of me coming clean about my undercover job were up in flames as Penelope wordlessly tapped beats onto the leather with her manicured nails.

I swallowed, my throat dry. "This isn't what you think it is."

"I don't think it matters what it is, what matters is what it means," she said. I had to give it to her, she could have been a lot more smug about blackmailing me. At least she was somewhat neutral as she stared me down. "It means I'll keep you're secrets if you keep mine. And tell me all of Cole's."

I had no choice. I just nodded.

Later that night, after letting my tears run through the shower and folding myself in my thick robe, I opened Seb's messages. He was, of course, extremely apologetic. He kept saying Mom manipulated him into it. But he knew that I knew her manipulation even better than him. He could have come to me.

Everything was so much more complicated than I thought.

Sebastian might be the only person who would understand the bombshell that had been dropped on me today. That somehow, that document really did exist. I wondered how I could even face Felix in class for the rest of the week. How could I face anyone?

In the end, I missed the next day of college. I stayed in my room watching TV and sleeping, wishing I could devise a way out of this. In the old days I'd call in the family attorney. As soon as my family's reputation was at risk my parents would take care of it. But it wasn't their reputation anymore. It was mine.

Felix called at noon.

"You weren't in class," he said. I could hear his engine in the background, he must have been driving.

"I'm sick," I said. It was half true. I did feel pretty sick.

"Well, want me to bring you something?"

I frowned, rolling over in bed. I thought he was still being weird with me for prying.

"No, I'm okay."

"Well, I'm on my way with coffee, so—"

"I'm not home," I said quickly, jolting out of bed as if it would help.

"Oh, are you sure? I'm almost there."

"Yeah," I said quickly "I'm, um, out doing something."

"Well... do you want to talk?"

I squeezed my eyes shut. I really—really didn't want to talk. I didn't want to see him until I'd found some kind of loophole. I needed to work out where I fit in this huge mess.

But, time was ticking, and if I pushed Felix away, I'd lose my connection to Cole, and the next thing I knew Penelope would be handing out copies of the marriage certificate like candy.

"Sure," I finally said.

"Okay. How about I pick you up at seven? We can grab something to eat."

I texted Penelope to warn her I'd need to use her house, but she was already out of the country. Her short visits were like a hurricane, propelling my under-cover job into urgency and desperation. But, at least I could be assured she was hundreds of miles away for now. The distance at least brought me some semblance of safety.

I caught an Uber to Penelope's apartment. Luckily, I couldn't spot Felix's car on the curb when I arrived, so I could discreetly let myself into the complex, going up to Penelope's apartment and watch from her window. I took the elevator and unlocked the door, turning on the lights and illuminating Penelope's luxurious space.

I half expected remnants of her presence, but everything appeared untouched. I folded my arms in front of me and paced, my eyes sweeping over the photos by the kitchen and the perfectly made bed. By the time I reached the balcony door I could see out over the road. Like it was on cue, Felix's car pulled up just as I leant against the wall to wait, and I quickly darted out of the way before he spotted a silhouette in Penelope's window.

He was leaning against the passenger side of the car, his arms folded across his chest. When he saw me, he seemed to soften, inviting me into a hug. My heart twisted as I felt his arms around me—a heavy guilt encompassing my chest. I broke free. "Hey."

"Hey," he said back, opening the door for me. "You feeling better?"

I shrugged, putting on my seatbelt as he climbed back into the driver's side. "Sort of. It's been a rough day. After the other night."

"I can imagine," he said. "I'm sorry for yesterday—for being so cold. I think everyone's on edge at the moment."

"Yeah," I said. I looked away so I could screw my eyes shut, forcing myself to say what Penelope told me to. "Cole's girlfriend seemed upset."

As I expected, Felix hesitated. He hadn't even turned on the car engine yet. Fat raindrops were starting to fall onto the car roof. They created shadows from the streetlight, speckling the yellow light illuminating the car.

"Yeah she was," was all he said. It was obvious he didn't want to talk about it. And neither did I. I just wanted to enjoy being in Felix's presence.

Dangerously, I pushed Penelope to the back of my mind.

"How was class?"

Felix was driving now, and a small smile cracked on the corner of his lips. I found myself looking at them for a few seconds too long. "Do you really want to hear how class was?"

"Of course," I said. "I've been in suspense all day, I can barely contain it."

"It was..." he looked at me, his eyes boring into mine. "Sexy. Really sensual, the lighting was low, and Professor Malcolm dirty talked about cash flow statements for the entire hour. I was breaking a sweat by the end of it."

"Wow, I..." I mocked clutching my chest. "I can't contain myself."

Felix laughed, and the velvety sound brought a tingling sensation to my skin.

You know Felix won't be a thing after this? None of them will.

Felix drove us to a sushi train, where conveyor belts brought dishes of all kinds past our booth in the corner. I hadn't had an appetite all day, but suddenly, with Felix telling me stories of his life as an amateur photographer during senior year of high school, I was starting to feel alive again. I could feel my cheeks burning with energy and my teeth flash in a grin when he purposely said something to make me laugh.

"Do you want to come to mine for... dessert?"

I snorted with laughter. We'd just returned back to the car, and though I hadn't even drunk anything I felt like I was on a high. "Are you really using dessert as an innuendo? Or are you genuinely trying to seduce me with food?"

"Both," Felix said, his hand landing on my lap. I stared at him for a few moments, before leaning forward to kiss him. He smiled into the kiss, and for a moment I was captured back in the false sense of security that this was real. That we weren't faking it.

"Come with me," he whispered, his fingers stroking my hair.

A word of agreement was about to leave my lips when I remembered. I remembered Penelope's warning, the secrets that were inevitably going to be revealed.

I caught his hand in mine and brought it back to the space between us.

"I think we should... slow down."

I hated saying the words. I hated giving him some bullshit excuse—to take the easy way out and distance myself. I was a coward.

"Do you think the other night was... a mistake?"

"No, I really don't," I said. But, even if I didn't want it to be, the dark voice lurking in my mind told me it was. He would think it was a mistake soon, too. "I just need some space."

"You're going through a lot," he murmured. "And I don't want to make you feel like you have to do anything. You're right, anyway."

"I am?"

He slackened, falling back into his seat and running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I mean, I know I'm not exactly lacking confidence but... it's been a long time since... you know."

"I don't know," I said, now feeling curious. I positioned myself so I was facing him and rested my elbow on the back of the car seat.

He looked at me in a way that made my stomach squeeze.

"I haven't properly dated someone in a long time. And if I'm being honest, I am worried that if I wait—if we wait—you'll get bored."

My lips parted but I couldn't really create any words. I'd been so worried—so guilty—about my secret job I'd never really considered what it meant to get lost in feelings for Felix.

"I know, it's stupid. I don't have the best rep, either. I've really fucked things up in the past. And I don't want that to happen again."

"What do you mean?"

He finally broke eye contact, shaking out his hair and ruffling it again. Maybe it was something he did when he was nervous.

"I had a really rough relationship a year ago. She... cheated. Pretty bad. It's just something that stays with you, you know? Once that happens to you, any trust you have is... gone."

He was watching me again. And I was looking out of the window. I was a monster.

"I'm sorry," I said. I wasn't just sorry that something so awful had happened to him, I was sorry that I was breaking his trust as we spoke.