Mira

"Um… okay."

"I made a choice a few months ago that had a much greater impact than I realized at the time. My intentions weren't the best, but I soon started enjoying what I'd done…"

"I don't understand."

"I don't know how to tell you without upsetting you," he says, pinching the bridge of his nose.

A chill spreads through my veins. If he's afraid of upsetting me, this can't be good news…

"Well, try," I snap.

He releases the folder from his grip and pushes it toward me.

"Open it."

I do as he says with a trembling finger. The first page is a sketch of the mandap for my Indian wedding. I fall into a kind of trance as I turn through the pages of illustrations I asked Grant to make for me. There are even a few drawings that were never included in my presentations because Grant and I agreed they didn't belong there.

"Did Grant send these to you?" I ask, my voice unsteady.

How else would Elliot have access to them? He shakes his head.

"Am I in trouble? I thought I was allowed to collaborate with him."

"You're not in trouble."

"Then how do you have all his work?"

Elliot lets out a heavy sigh.

"Grant doesn't exist."

My heart clenches.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm the one who's been texting you all this time."

After all those hours torturing myself over my growing feelings for two men, they were the same person all along?

"Are you kidding me?"

I struggle to believe it. It feels like a bad dream.

"No."

Nausea rises without warning. I swallow, trying to dislodge the lump in my throat, but it won't budge.

How could Elliot lie to me like this? I thought I was safe with him. I believed his sharp mind and blunt words meant he was an honest man with no time for nonsense.

Oh my God. I suddenly understand why his interventions always came at exactly the right time. Like the time he appeared at the office and offered to order me food. I could spend hours going through my memories and connecting the dots, but there's no need. There's only one conclusion: I was wrong about everything.

Elliot is a manipulator. A man who made me believe a lie for months as part of some twisted game he wanted to play with me.

Tears blur my eyes, but I blink them back. I have no right to be angry with anyone but myself. It's my fault I traded texts with a stranger, believing I could come out unscathed. I trusted Grant despite the warning signs I was stupid enough to ignore.

Have fun, Elise advised me again and again.

Be brave, Lena chanted like a battle cry.

And for what? This feeling that I'm losing something I never had? No. Absolutely not.

I close my eyes as though I can shut out what's happening.

"Why?"

Why did you do it?

Why lie to me for months?

Why pretend I mattered to you?

So many questions crowd my mind, yet I can't find the words to attack him.

Elliot lowers his gaze to his clenched fists.

"At first, I wasn't sure about your intentions. I texted you to make sure you weren't secretly plotting against me after our first kiss."

Is he serious?

"You wanted to spy on me?"

"No. I wanted to make sure you were sincere."

I'm appalled by this conversation. He was afraid I would cause a scandal. That was the only reason he texted me. It hurts like hell.

"But I quickly realized I was an idiot because you really were the kindhearted woman who wanted to invite a lonely man she'd never met over to thank him."

"A man who doesn't exist!" I shoot back, furious.

"He does exist. I swear I never lied to you except about my identity. Once I realized my mistake, I couldn't stop. I started looking forward to our conversations, and I knew you'd be upset…"

"Stop," I cut in, closing my eyes.

"I never meant for everything to get so… complicated," he continues, ignoring my request. "I thought about telling you the truth many times because I wanted you to look at me the same way you looked at that damn phone."

I don't know what he means, but I have no intention of asking.

"Forget it. That feeling is gone."

"You don't mean that," he says with a frown.

"Oh, really? And what exactly do you feel for me?"

"I want to spend more time with you."

I slap the folder down in front of him.

"I don't care what you want. I don't want to know anything else. This whole thing was one enormous mistake."

Every muscle beneath his shirt tightens, making the veins in his arms stand out.

"I really did mean to stop texting you. I just couldn't find the courage."

His admission makes my resolve to tell him to go to hell waver. I take several deep breaths and reconsider his betrayal. Could I get past it?

No. He's good at fooling me and drawing me into his web. It's over.

"I can't believe you. All you do is lie."

When my voice breaks, his gaze softens.

"I promise every conversation we had was real. The man I am with you… that's really me. You're probably the person who knows me best," he stammers.

"I don't care."

How can he expect me to believe a word coming out of his mouth?

"I swear I wanted to tell you the truth from the beginning."

"But let me guess. The right moment never came."

Elliot nods. A shrill laugh escapes me.

"You liars are all the same. Unbelievable! You always find a way to justify your actions with the same tired excuses."

Victor gave me a similar speech when I caught him red-handed with Tammy. The truth is, there's never a good time to break someone's heart.

"I understand that you're upset…" he begins, staring at me in disbelief.

A strange sound comes from my throat.

"'Upset' doesn't begin to describe what I feel."

I thought I had a chance with Elliot. It may sound stupid now, but we seemed to have… a connection. And Grant… I spent too many hours feeling guilty for kissing Elliot while Grant and I exchanged messages every day.

At least you know the truth now. Before committing your heart to a losing battle.

Despite my unsteady legs, I rise and grab my bag from the floor.

"What are you doing?" Elliot asks, standing too.

"Leaving. We have nothing else to say."

"That's it? I deserve a chance to explain myself and make it up to you."

"Seriously? You deserve nothing more than a polite hello when we pass in the halls."

"You're going to throw away two months of friendship over this? I confessed everything when I didn't have to. Doesn't my honesty count for anything?"

Does he really think I'm going to praise him for being honest? How can he expect gratitude from me? It's insane.

This man is used to getting everything he wants. You're probably the first person who's ever dared tell him no.

"We were never friends. You pretended to be someone else while manipulating my attraction to you!" I give a small, bitter laugh. "If you don't have friends, maybe it isn't because you're awkward or because you're protecting yourself from others. The problem is that you're so cynical! Who would want to open up to someone who behaves like this? Not me. That much is clear."

Elliot flinches, and I instantly feel awful. This isn't like me. I don't deliberately hurt people.

With a sigh, I try to rein in my anger.

"Maybe someday you'll be ready to show the rest of the world who you truly are instead of hiding behind your mask of indifference. Life is too short to hide because you're afraid of getting hurt. Just as it's too short to give someone like you another chance."

I've never seen Elliot wince before. Hurting him makes me sick. Despite everything he's done, I don't want him to suffer, but I refuse to stay silent. I spent too long holding myself back because I was afraid to stand up for my interests. I did it when Victor stole my idea and when Victoria treated me badly simply because she could.

That ends now.

I leave the office without giving Elliot another glance.

After slamming my bedroom door, I collapse onto my bed, my nerves frayed.

Elise pokes her head through the doorway. One side of her hair is still curled while the other is as straight as a bird's feathers.

"What happened?"

"Do you remember Grant?" I ask, sitting up.

"How could I forget Grant?"

Elise sings his name.

"Well, I plan to forget him. I want to pretend he never existed, since he never actually did exist."

My voice breaks on the last words.

"What are you talking about? Was he an old man after all? I had my doubts when he quoted Casablanca."

"No. I wish! That wouldn't hurt as much."

My friend settles on the mattress and crosses her legs.

"What happened?"

"Grant was Elliot," I answer, my voice trembling.

Her mouth falls open, then closes.

"Oh. Wow. I didn't see that coming."

"Neither did I," I reply, burying my face in my hands.

"How did you find out?"

I tell her every detail I know. Elise listens closely, interrupting only to ask for clarification when she doesn't understand something.

"Well, it could have been worse."

"How can you say that? He lied to me!"

I grab a pillow and hug it against my chest.

"Of course. I'm not making excuses for him. But at least now you don't have to feel guilty about being attracted to both of them."

"That's because I'm not attracted to either of them anymore."

"Of course not. He really screwed up."

"I thought… He seemed, I mean…"

I can't find the words to describe my feelings. The other day, I wondered if I could see myself falling in love with Elliot, but after this revelation… I don't know how he can expect me to forgive him. If he could deceive me this way for months, what's to say he won't lie again whenever it suits him? I was a complete fool not to suspect anything from the start.

A liar is a liar, no matter how he justifies it. Honestly, I can't imagine anything that would make deceiving me for as long as Elliot did worthwhile.