LIES WRAPPED IN LOVE
The first lie Elliana told that day came easily.
"I'll be home after study group," she said, grabbing her bag.
Her father looked up from the newspaper, eyes tired but sharp. "Don't be late."
"I won't."
The second lie followed hours later—texted, deliberate.
Elliana: I'm fine. Everything's normal.
Normal had stopped existing the moment Leon Blakk stepped into her life.
She met Leon at the edge of the city where the lights blurred and the streets felt empty. He leaned against his car, tension written into the set of his shoulders.
"You shouldn't be here," he said.
"Neither should you," she replied.
A sad smile touched his lips. "Fair."
They sat on the hood of the car, the night quiet around them. Elliana leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder. For a moment, everything felt still—safe.
"This can't keep going," Leon murmured.
Elliana stiffened. "You don't mean that."
"I do," he said softly. "Every time I see you, I put you closer to the fire."
She pulled back to face him. "You think walking away will save me?"
"I think staying will destroy you."
Elliana's chest tightened. "Or maybe you're afraid you'll lose."
Leon went silent.
She reached for his hand. "I don't need saving. I need honesty."
Leon exhaled slowly. "I'm wanted in three counties. If they catch me, I disappear."
The words settled between them, heavy and final.
Elliana swallowed. "Then don't disappear."
He looked at her like she was asking for the impossible.
Across town, Austen Charles stared at his phone, scrolling through photos—blurry images taken from a distance. A black car. A familiar girl.
His jaw clenched.
Austen: You owe me.
A reply came seconds later.
Unknown: What's the plan?
Austen's fingers hovered over the screen before he typed:
We end this.
That night, as Elliana lay awake, wrapped in thoughts of love and fear, a plan began to form—quiet, calculated, and cruel.
Because some lies aren't told to protect hearts.
They're told to break them.