— But it’s what you think, I shoot back, my voice trembling. You really believe I’d expose us—expose you, your family—to this kind of public humiliation for a little attention?
— I haven’t known you very long, Jane, he says quietly, almost apologetically. I’m just trying to understand how this happened.
That hurts more than anything else.
After the past few days… after this morning… after letting him see a part of me so few people ever do—he still sees me as an unknown variable. A potential threat.
— And naturally, your first instinct is to suspect me, instead of considering that I might be the primary victim here?
— My family’s business is at stake, Jane. Our public image is essential for our international clients.
— Oh, of course. The business, I mutter bitterly. I almost forgot—that’s the only thing that really matters in this marriage.
A heavy silence settles between us.
I study his face, searching for anything—any sign he believes me, that he’s on my side. But all I see is the businessman, coldly calculating the potential damage to his family, his company, his reputation.
— I’ll let you handle this crisis, I say finally. After all, I’m just a temporary contractual inconvenience—not a real McGregor.
— Jane, wait?—
But I’m already at the door.
He catches up and grabs my arm.
I pull free and turn to face him.
— You know what the problem with trust is, Callum? You can’t buy it. And you can’t demand it either. If you don’t believe me—if you won’t even give me the benefit of the doubt—then I don’t see how this marriage, this arrangement, whatever you want to call this masquerade, can possibly work.
He doesn’t answer, and I don’t even know if I expected him to. Still, the disappointment cuts deep.
— I need some air, I say before storming out.
I stride through the castle, ignoring the curious looks from the staff. All I want is distance—to escape this suffocating atmosphere where I suddenly feel like an intruder.
A fraud.
Which, in reality, I am. A fake fiancée. An actress playing a role.
Except now, that role is costing me what little dignity I had left.
I slip out through a side door and into the gardens. Without thinking, I take a path leading into the park, putting as much distance as possible between the castle and me… between Callum and me.
How could he think I orchestrated this? After everything we’ve shared these past few days? After this morning, when for the first time, I felt like I saw the real Callum—not just the businessman or the future husband of convenience, but the man beneath the mask?
I stop near an old oak tree and lean against the trunk, trying to steady my breathing. Around me, the park is peaceful—just rustling leaves and the occasional birdsong. Such a stark contrast to the chaos I just fled.
— Get it together, Jane, I mutter. You’ve survived worse than a compromising photo.
But it’s not just the photo that hurts.
It’s Callum’s reaction. His lack of trust. The way he immediately assumed the worst of me.
— Excuse me? Are you alright?
I flinch at the male voice behind me. Turning, I find a man in his thirties, dressed in a leather jacket and jeans, a professional camera hanging around his neck.
My stomach drops.
