**1. The Selfie Stunt**
The penthouse door clicked shut, sealing me in a gilded cage with the one man who knew exactly how to unravel me.
Oliver's cufflinks hit the dresser like gunshots. "Relax, Lila. I don't plan on ravishing you." A slow smirk. "*Tonight.*"
I launched a pillow at his head. "There's only one bed."
"Observant." His tie slithered loose, revealing the tanned column of his throat. "We're adults. We can share."
"Like hell we—"
His phone buzzed. A text from Ethan lit up the screen:
>> **POST A COUPLES' SELFIE. MEL'S PARENTS WANT PROOF WE'RE NOT PAYING YOU TO PRETEND.**
Oliver's fingers circled my wrist, tugging me against him until the heat of his body seared through my dress. The scent of bourbon and expensive cologne flooded my senses—*just like it had three years ago.*
"Smile for the camera, sweetheart."
The flash blinded me. His thumb brushed the bare skin above my hip—a whisper of contact that shouldn't have sent lightning down my spine.
Then the notification popped up:
**@LexiLovesEthan commented: "Ask him what really happened at The Delano. Bet he won't tell you."**
Oliver's grip tightened to the point of pain.
---
#### **2. The Scar**
I wrenched free. "What's she talking about?"
He turned away, rolling up his sleeves with deliberate calm. A faded scar slashed across his forearm—*one I didn't recognize.*
"Since when do you have that?" I demanded.
"Since Miami." His voice was ice. "Drop it."
"Or what? You'll *ghost me again*?"
The moment the words left my mouth, his mask cracked. Something raw flickered in his eyes—*guilt? Anger?*—before he schooled his features.
"We have a deal, Lila." He stepped closer, backing me against the bed. "You play the doting fiancée. I get Melanie to sign the prenup. No questions."
I held my ground. "Lexi just asked one."
His phone buzzed again. Ethan:
>> **SHE POSTED THE PHOTO. DAMAGE CONTROL NOW.**
Oliver swore, shoving the screen in my face.
Our selfie had gone viral. Beneath it, tagged in Lexi's feed: a photo of Oliver and her, half-naked in a Miami cabana.
Dated: *The night after our first date.*
---
#### **3. The Bed**
Midnight. The storm outside mirrored the chaos in my skull.
I woke to heat—Oliver's arm draped over my waist, his breath stirring my hair. Somewhere in sleep, we'd tangled like vines, his knee wedged between my thighs.
His phone lit up on the nightstand. Another text:
>> **LEXI'S TELLING MEL YOU PAID LILA TO FAKE THIS. FIX IT.**
Oliver stirred. His lips grazed my shoulder. "You're thinking too loud."
I held my breath. Three years, and my body still arched into his like a damn traitor.
Then—*click*—the sound of a screenshot.
Oliver's ex had posted another photo: him and Lexi at The Delano's pool… with *my* sandal visible in the corner.
*I was there too?*
Oliver's eyes snapped open.
"You really don't remember, do you?" His voice was rough with sleep—and something darker. "That night at The Delano…" His fingers traced my jaw. "*You were there too.*"
### **🎯 WHAT'S NEXT?**
- **Chapter 5**: Oliver's POV flashback to Miami (*what really happened?*).