Chapter 4

Not everyone was buying the love story.

A man in an expensive suit walked into the room one afternoon. He was handsome in a way that screamed "villain in a teen drama."

Oh, hell no, Tori's voice snarled in my head. It's Blake Harrison. My ex. And my biggest business rival. Hide the Jell-O, he'll probably try to poison it.

Blake ignored me completely and walked over to Tori's bed. He touched her hair.

"Tori, my love," he said, his voice dripping with fake sincerity. "I heard what happened. And I heard about... this." He gestured at me like I was something he' d stepped in.

"I'm Ethan Hayes," I said, standing up. "Her husband."

Blake laughed. "Husband? Please. I know Tori. She wouldn't marry a... guitar player from Austin. This is a sham."

He's not wrong, Tori's voice admitted. But he's still a jerk. Tell him his new electric car looks like a depressed toaster.

"She's changed," I said, keeping my face neutral.

"Has she?" Blake leaned in, his voice low. "Let me tell you about the real Tori. The one who fired her own mentor to get ahead. The one who dated me for two years just to get access to my company's research. She's ruthless, Ethan. She's using you, just like she uses everyone."

It was a good performance. He almost sounded convincing.

But I had a cheat sheet.

Lies! Tori's voice yelled. I fired my mentor because he was stealing my code! And I dated Blake because I was 25 and had terrible taste in men! He was the one who tried to steal my self-driving car algorithm!

I looked Blake dead in the eye. "Are you talking about the algorithm you tried to steal from her back in 2019? Or the mentor who was selling secrets to your company? She told me all about it."

Blake's smug expression vanished. He looked genuinely shocked. "How... how could you know that?"

"We don't have secrets," I said simply.

He stared at me, then at Tori's still form, his mind clearly racing. He couldn't figure it out. He left without another word.

That was awesome! Tori cheered in my head. You were like my own personal lie detector! We're a great team, Contract Hubby.

The victory was short-lived. A few days later, a woman showed up at the hospital's coffee shop. She was all fake tan and Instagram filters.

"You're Ethan Hayes, right?" she gushed. "I'm Chloe. I'm, like, a huge fan of your music. And your love story."

Warning bells are ringing, Tori's voice said dryly. She has the desperate eyes of a wannabe influencer. And her purse is fake.

Chloe tried to flirt, talking about how hard it must be for me, how lonely I must be. It was clumsy and obvious. Blake had clearly sent her. When her flirting failed, she got bolder, trying to "accidentally" spill coffee on me. I sidestepped her easily.

Later that night, I was exhausted. The constant mental chatter, the public performance, it was all getting to me.

"I need a break," I muttered to the empty room. "Just one night of silence."

Tori's voice shot back, sounding genuinely hurt.

A break? A break from what? From me? Are you breaking up with me? We just vanquished my arch-nemesis! You can't just walk out on me now! What about our fans? What about the stock price?

"It's not a breakup!" I hissed at the air. "We're not even dating! You're in a coma!"

A technicality! she retorted. You ate tacos for me! That's a sacred bond!

I was arguing with a voice in my head about the status of our fake relationship. This was my life now.