This didn’t feel like strategy.
The city blurs past outside.
I roll my shoulders once, trying to shake out the leftover adrenaline. It doesn’t fully leave. It just settles deeper, like a weight I’m supposed to carry quietly.
We pull into the garage. The door closes behind us, sealing the outside noise away like it never existed.
Lila unbuckles her seatbelt but doesn’t open the door right away. She hesitates, fingers resting on the latch.
“They think we’re dating,” she says.
I snort softly. “They have no idea.”
She studies me for a beat, like she’s checking the answer for cracks.
Then she finally smiles and opens the door.
As we step out into the quiet, controlled space of her building, one thought settles heavy and undeniable in my chest.
She didn’t just help me today.
She chose me.
And that’s a far more dangerous thing than any headline.
Chapter thirteen
Lila
Istand center stage in the empty theater, adjusting my in-ear while the band runs the opening bars. Manny is near the wings, half-focused on the security feed, half-focused on me.
Normal. Controlled. Quiet.
At least, that’s how it’s supposed to be.
The problem is the news cycle doesn’t care about rehearsal schedules.
Rumors about me and Cam broke an hour ago.
A blurry parking-lot video. A headline built entirely out of implication.Pop Icon Seen With NFL Star Amid Scandal. Support or Romance? Inside Lila Hart’s New Relationship.
Nothing official. Nothing confirmed. Just rumor central.
My phone buzzed nonstop until I handed it to Sasha and told her to make it disappear.
I take a breath and start the verse. My voice slides into place, smooth and familiar, like it’s trying to convince my body everything is fine.
For a few seconds, it almost works.
Then the noise starts.
Not from the stage. From the house.
A man’s voice cuts through the empty seats, sharp and loud enough to echo. “You don’t love him!”
The band stumbles. My stomach drops.
I look up.
