Chapter 3: Masks and Promises
The night was quiet, the kind of quiet that only existed far from the city. The air smelled of rain and pine, the windows rattling faintly as a breeze swept through the tiny cabin tucked into the hills.
Lena sat cross-legged on the floor, her long hair falling over her shoulders, a plain white dress clinging softly to her frame. There was no glittering gown, no makeup, no flashing cameras. For the first time in years, she wasn't Lena Grace, the idol. She was just Lena.
And tonight, she was going to be a wife.
Adrian knelt across from her, fumbling with the small velvet box in his hands. His usual confidence—the same charisma that made the world adore him—was nowhere to be found. Instead, he looked almost nervous, his sharp jaw tense, his fingers clumsy as he tried to pry the box open.
"Adrian," Lena giggled softly. "You're supposed to look smooth. Isn't that your thing?"
He shot her a mock glare. "Excuse me, I'm trying to be romantic here. Do you know how hard it is to sneak away from three managers, two assistants, and a nosy stylist just to do this?"
She laughed, the sound soft and warm, filling the cabin. For a moment, the weight of fame, contracts, and expectations melted away.
Finally, the box clicked open. Inside lay two simple gold bands. No diamonds, no extravagance—just pure, unadorned gold.
Lena's breath caught. "They're perfect."
Adrian's smile softened. "They're us. No spotlight. No cameras. Just… us."
He took her hand, his thumb brushing against her skin as if committing it to memory. His voice lowered, tender and unsteady.
"Lena Grace… no. Just Lena." He corrected himself with a soft chuckle. "From the day I met you, you've been everything I never knew I needed. Even when the world screamed for my attention, it was your silence that pulled me back. Even when the lights blinded me, it was your smile that grounded me."
Her throat tightened, tears prickling her eyes.
"I don't care if we have to hide," he continued. "I don't care if the world never knows. You're mine. And I swear to you, as long as I'm breathing, I will protect what we have."
He slid the ring onto her finger, the metal warm from his touch.
"Your turn," he whispered.
Lena swallowed hard, her hands trembling as she picked up the second ring.
"Adrian Cole," she whispered, her voice breaking. "To everyone else, you're the golden boy, the superstar, the man they'll all fight to keep for themselves. But to me, you're just… you. The man who remembers I like my coffee sweet. The man who stays awake to hold me when the noise won't stop. The man who lets me be myself, even when I forget who that is."
Her tears spilled over, but her smile was radiant as she slid the ring onto his finger.
"I don't care if the world never knows," she said. "Because I know. And you know. That's enough for me."
For a moment, silence filled the cabin, broken only by the sound of their uneven breaths.
Then Adrian leaned forward, cupping her face with both hands. Their foreheads touched, their noses brushed, and their lips finally met in a kiss that sealed every promise they had made.
It wasn't a kiss for cameras or fans. It wasn't staged or perfect. It was messy, desperate, real.
The kind of kiss that could carry them through years of lies.
The kind of kiss that could make a marriage survive in shadows.
The kind of kiss that made the impossible seem bearable.
When they finally pulled apart, Adrian rested his forehead against hers, their rings glinting faintly in the dim light.
"From now on," he whispered, "no matter what mask I wear out there, this—us—is the only truth I'll ever need."
Lena smiled through her tears, her voice steady despite the storm in her chest.
"And as long as I wear this ring," she whispered back, "I'll never forget it."
---
The memory faded as Lena blinked back tears in her penthouse bedroom years later. She lay on her side, staring at the city lights through the window, the chain around her neck pressing against her skin.
The ring was still there, hidden from the world.
But with every rumor, every staged smile, every headline tying Adrian's name to someone else, she couldn't help but wonder—
Were their promises strong enough to survive the masks they had to wear?