"Rhys..." his name left my lips in a soft voice, but it quickly vanished from the tip of my tongue.

My eyes went wide, and my body quickly turned into a statue. For one suspended second, my mind went completely blank. All I could think about was how close he was, how I could only smell his cologne, and how his thumb brushed against my lips ever so gently.

Even though his lips never really touched mine, my heart was still pounding loudly against my chest. I stared at the way his eyes were fluttered shut, and the calm look plastered across his face.

We stayed like this for a while, his hand lightly caressing my jaw. The moment stretched on for God knows how long, until he finally pulled back, just enough for me to see his face.

His eyes searched mine carefully. "Evelyn..." My name sounded different when he said it, softer perhaps.

My pulse hammered violently against my ribs. "What were you doing?" I whispered. The words came out weaker than I intended, and I hated it.

His jaw tightened. "Saving us from whoever is hiding over there."

Only then did I remember the sound of the branch snapping and the unknown presence lurking nearby. My heart immediately dropped back to reality.

Right.

This was part of the plan. Part of the act. Part of our fake relationship. None of it was real.

I forced myself to look away, but somehow that made things worse. Because now I was painfully aware of how close he still was.

Aware of his hand around my waist.

Aware of the warmth radiating from him.

Aware of the fact that neither of us had stepped back.

A rustle sounded from somewhere beyond the trees, and I watched as Rhys’s gaze shifted briefly over my shoulder. Then, without warning, he lowered his forehead against mine, both hands firmly planted on my waist.

My eyes widened, my breath caught, and every sensation seemed to pulse in my veins. "What are you—"

"Still acting," he murmured.

The vibration of his voice sent an unexpected shiver down my spine. I hated that he noticed.

The corner of his mouth twitched, amusement dancing in the depths of his dark eyes. "Relax, my love."

I smacked him in the side playfully, and a scoff left my lips. "You seem very confident for someone who just got slapped in front of a thousand people."

A low laugh escaped him. "There she is."

I frowned, my brows drawing together. "Who?"

"The Evelyn I know."

My chest tightened unexpectedly. The teasing smile faded from his face. "What?"

Silence stretched taut between us, the air crackling with unspoken tension as we stayed like this. His eyes held mine. His expression became serious this time.

"Evelyn." He had only said my name, yet something in his voice made my stomach twist. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"What?"

"I meant what I said back there."

My heartbeat faltered. "Which part?"

"When I said I wouldn’t betray you."

Neither of us spoke for a brief moment until I finally broke the silence that had settled between us. My voice may have been soft, but it was clear and sincere. I meant every word I was going to say next.

"I know." I lifted my gaze to meet his eyes, lowering my tone into a hushed one as I whispered into his ear. "I know you won’t. But what about everyone else? How are we going to explain the cheating to the press and the board members? They may be convinced that we are an actual couple, but a cheating scandal is bound to ruin your reputation too."

He let out a breath. "Seems like your father came prepared. He knew that either way, I would be doomed."

"Not unless we find a way to turn this around on them," I countered, a smirk spreading across my face.

Before he could respond, another voice suddenly echoed through the darkness.

"There they are!"

Both our heads snapped toward the sound. Flashlights appeared between the trees.

Reporters.

Dozens of them. And among them, my family and Lucas. They were like a piece of gum stuck beneath my shoe, unable to get rid of. Of course, they were going to be here to watch us embarrass ourselves in front of everyone here. But I couldn’t wait to see the looks on their faces when the tide turned.

Rhys closed his eyes briefly. "Well."

I groaned. "They found us."

His lips twitched. Before I could react, his fingers slipped into mine, and my heart skipped traitorously.

"Looks like our performance isn’t over yet."

I let him lead me out to face the surrounding crowd, and questions immediately started flying in every direction the moment they laid eyes on us.

"Mr. Carson!"

"Miss Hart!"

"Is it true you’ve reconciled?"

"Did you really cheat on Miss Hart?"

"Who was the woman at the hotel?"

Camera flashes exploded around us like fireworks. Instinctively, I squeezed Rhys’s hand as if to seek some assurance from him. But the moment I did, every camera seemed to focus on our joined hands.

The reporters grew even louder.

His grip tightened around mine before he smoothly pulled me closer to his side. "Careful," he murmured under his breath.

I glanced up. He wasn’t looking at me, his attention remained fixed on the crowd. But the protective way he positioned himself between the reporters and me didn’t go unnoticed.

"Miss Hart!" someone shouted. "Do you believe Mr. Carson cheated on you?"

The crowd fell silent, and all eyes seemed to fall on me.

Everyone waited, even Rhys.

I could feel his gaze sliding toward me. This answer mattered, the wrong response could destroy everything we had managed to salvage tonight.

I took a slow breath, trying to steady my frantic pulse. When I finally spoke, my voice was calm. "No."

A ripple spread through the crowd.

"No?" another reporter repeated.

I shook my head firmly. "No. I don’t believe Rhys cheated on me."

More murmurs.

More flashes.

"But the photographs—"

"Photographs don’t tell the entire story," I cut him off, watching as the reporters immediately started scribbling notes. I continued before anyone could interrupt, keeping my voice steady as I spoke. "The woman in those photographs is a client. Mr Carson was simply conducting business. If you don’t believe us, you could ask Mrs Willow."

"But—"

I tilted my head to the side, arching a brow. "Are you questioning Mr Carson and me?"

The same reporter immediately lowered his head in a panic and averted his gaze. "No, I apologize for intruding, Miss Hart."

A smile formed on my lips as my eyes swept across the crowd, and satisfaction bloomed in my chest when I saw the looks of disappointment evident on my family’s and ex-husband’s faces. "If there’s nothing else, we would like to enjoy the rest of the gala."

The crowd started to disperse when a familiar voice sliced through the night.

"Evelyn Hart!"

All eyes snapped to the source of the sound. It was none other than Lucas Smith. I watched as he stepped forward, closing the distance between us.

"Are you seriously still defending that man?"

Rhys stepped forward almost immediately, like he was ready to defend me and shield me at any given time. But I quickly stopped him with a slight shake of my head.

"Do you have an issue with that, Mr Smith?"

His features twisted with fury as he yelled. "I’m your husband!"

My expression remained neutral, unfazed by everything that was unravelling around me.

"Ex-husband." The correction was immediate.

Lucas’s face darkened like the night sky above us. "We haven’t signed the divorce papers. We’re still legally married. You are still my woman. Mine!"

"But not for much longer. And I am not yours," I spat. "Did you forget how you fucked my stepsister behind my back and got her pregnant?" His face turned pale, and I continued. "Is it so wrong for me to be in a relationship with someone else now? Besides, what I do with my life now is none of your business."

A cold chuckle erupted from his lips. "None of my business? You are my wife!"

"How delusional can you get? I told you, we are over."

"It’s not over until we sign the papers." He turned his attention to Rhys this time, pointing a finger at him. "Plus, he cheated on you!"

I raised my hand and gave him a tight slap across his face. Gasps rose from the crowd, and he stared back at me with wide eyes full of disbelief.

I watched as Jessica immediately rushed over to his side, her fingers curled around his bicep as she looked up at him with concern written all over her face. "Lucas! Are you okay?" She turned to glare at me. "How dare you slap Lucas?"

Lucas only shoved her aside lightly as he narrowed his eyes at me. "Did you just..."

"I did. You don’t get to accuse my boyfriend of cheating. He’s nothing like you."

"You!"

I snickered before walking over and leaning in to whisper into his ear.

"Instead of spewing nonsense, why don’t you worry about yourself first? What do you think the board is going to do to you when the news of you cheating on me with Jessica is plastered across all the papers tomorrow? Hm?"