Chapter 1

Ethan Miller tapped his foot under the table, the sound lost in the cheerful chaos of his parents' Michigan kitchen.

His mom refilled his coffee cup for the third time.

"So, any nice girls in Chicago, Ethan?" she asked, her voice bright.

"You know, someone you might... bring home?"

Ethan forced a smile. "Work's been crazy, Mom."

This was the real reason he'd driven three hours from Chicago, the unspoken agenda behind the weekend visit. He was twenty-nine, a software developer with a good job, but in his family's eyes, he was dangerously close to thirty and still single.

The pressure was a familiar weight.

Later that night, back in his downtown Chicago loft, the city lights painted stripes across his floor.

His phone buzzed, Maya's name flashing on the screen.

A thrill, sharp and immediate, cut through his earlier unease.

"My place?" he texted back.

"Too boring, E," her reply came instantly. "Rooftop. Your building. Ten minutes."

He sighed, a small smile playing on his lips. This was Maya Rodriguez, twenty-five, an event planner with a taste for the dramatic, and the younger sister of his best friend, Rick.

For five years, their relationship had been a secret, a whirlwind of stolen moments and intense passion.

He found her on the deserted rooftop, the wind whipping her dark hair around her face.

She was perched on the ledge, her flashy red sports car a speck on the street below.

"You're going to give me a heart attack," he said, his voice tight as he joined her, carefully avoiding looking down.

Maya just laughed, a bright, carefree sound.

She pulled him close, her lips finding his, hungry and demanding.

Her hands were already unbuttoning his shirt, her touch electric.

"Missed me?" she murmured against his skin.

"Always," he breathed, lost in her.

She loved these risky encounters, the thrill of almost being caught.

His loft, her car, exclusive parties where they pretended to be casual acquaintances – these were their stages.

Ethan, more reserved, sometimes felt flustered by her boldness, but he chalked it up to her youthful exuberance, the same energy that made her so vibrant.

He was deeply in love, and Maya's insistence on secrecy – citing Rick's overprotective nature and her own desire for "no pressure" – was a price he'd willingly paid.

After, they lay tangled on a discarded blanket he kept hidden on the roof, the city sprawling beneath them.

Maya traced patterns on his chest.

"You're quiet tonight," she said.

He hesitated. "Just thinking."

"About?"

"Us," he admitted, the word feeling heavy. "My parents are... you know. Asking questions."

She propped herself up on an elbow, her expression serious.

"What kind of questions?"

"The usual. Settling down. Marriage."

Maya's eyes softened. She leaned in, kissing him gently.

"Babe," she whispered, her voice full of affection. "I'm getting ready for that. Just a little more time."

A wave of relief washed over Ethan. He pulled her tighter.

"Really?"

"Really," she confirmed, her gaze sincere. "I love you, Ethan. You know that."

He did, or he thought he did. Her words were a balm, soothing the anxieties his family visit had stirred.

Their future, he believed, was secure. He just needed to be patient a little longer.

He felt a surge of optimism, the city lights below suddenly seeming brighter.

A week later, Maya was throwing a lavish welcome-back party for Leo Vance.

The trendy Chicago rooftop bar buzzed with energy. Leo, Maya's high-school "dream guy," had just returned from a prestigious art program in Paris.

Ethan watched Maya, a knot tightening in his stomach.

Her focus on Leo was intense, her laughter a little too bright as she hung on his every word.

Ethan felt like an outsider, a familiar feeling in their public charade.

He stepped away from the crowd, needing air, and found a secluded corner near the service entrance.

That's when he heard them – Maya's closest friends, Chloe and Zoe, their voices carrying clearly.

"Maya's really laying it on thick with Leo tonight," Chloe said, followed by a knowing laugh.

"All that 'practice' with Ethan is paying off!"

Zoe chimed in, "Totally. Five years of rehearsing every move, every line. Ethan was the perfect clueless guinea pig."

Ethan froze, the glass in his hand trembling.

"She said she needed to perfect her 'girlfriend game' for when Leo finally came back," Chloe continued. "From how to argue and make up, to what gifts impress, even bedroom 'techniques' – Ethan got the full beta test."

A third voice, curious, asked, "Wait, so Ethan was just... a trial run?"

Then, Maya's voice, playful and dismissive, joined them. She must have just walked over.

"A trial run?" she scoffed, a champagne flute presumably in her hand. "Honey, he was my live-in, five-year intensive training program. You don't get good at anything without practice, right? Would you get attached to your driving school car?"

The words slammed into Ethan with physical force.

His breath hitched. The rooftop, the city, everything tilted.

He stumbled back, unnoticed, the laughter of Maya and her friends echoing in his ears.

His world, so carefully constructed around his love for Maya, shattered.

He remembered meeting her through Rick, his college roommate.

Rick had warned him, half-joking, "Stay away from my little sister, Miller. She's trouble."

Maya had been persistent, charming, relentless.

She'd pursued him, making him feel like the most desired man in the world.

He'd fallen hard, believing her declarations of love, her reasons for secrecy.

Now, those five years replayed in his mind, each stolen moment, each whispered promise, tainted, twisted into a cruel charade.

Every shared laugh, every intimate touch, every plan for the future – all practice.

He was a rehearsal for another man.

The pain was a raw, gaping wound.

He felt sick, humiliated, utterly broken.

He stumbled towards the elevator, the city lights blurring through a haze of unshed tears.

The drive back to his loft was a blur.

He walked into the space they'd shared so many times, a space now echoing with her deceit.

The scent of her perfume lingered faintly in the air, a cruel reminder.

He saw her favorite throw blanket on his sofa, a gift he'd cherished.

He snatched it up, his hands shaking, and hurled it across the room.

He needed to get out, to escape this city, to escape her.

His phone rang. His mother.

"Ethan? Honey, are you okay? You sounded a bit off earlier."

The pressure he'd felt from his family, the desire to settle down, suddenly felt like a lifeline.

"Mom," he said, his voice hoarse. "I think... I think I'm ready to meet someone. Seriously."

A new life. He had to start a new life.

He wouldn't confront Maya. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

He would just disappear from her well-rehearsed play.