Page 347 of Faking the Goal

"That's when we move in."

He looks at both of us.

"Miss Lewis, you would never actually be alone. We'll have surveillance teams, plainclothes officers, and electronic monitoring in place before you ever make that first phone call. Every meeting, every movement, every location will be coordinated by us."

His expression hardens.

"Our objective is not to let Charlie hurt you."

He lets those words settle before finishing.

"Our objective is to let Charlie believe he's finally getting what he's wanted... long enough for us to catch him before he realizes he's the one walking into a trap."

The room falls quiet again.

I look down at my hand wrapped around Kentaro's.

Pretend to break up.

The thought should devastate me, especially after everything that happened last night. After telling him to leave when every shattered part of me had been screaming for him to stay. But this would be different.

This time, the distance would not be real.

It would not be me sacrificing us because fear convinced me I had no other choice. It would not be Charlie tearing Kentaro away from me.

It would be temporary.

A performance.

One final lie told to the man who has built his entire existence around deceiving me.

And if it works, there will be no more looking over my shoulder. When it is over, Kentaro and I could finally be together without my stalker's shadow stretched between us.

The possibility blooms inside my chest so suddenly and beautifully that it almost hurts.

A life with the man I love.

Not borrowed moments or stolen nights. Not a fake relationship built for everyone else to believe. Something real. Something we could choose openly without fear poisoning every touch.

I lift my gaze to him.

Tears sting the backs of my eyes.

Not from grief this time.

From hope.

It's fragile.

Terrifying.

But it's there.

Kentaro must see it because the hardness that had settled over his face since Detective Matthews proposed the plan melts away.

For a long moment, neither of us speaks.

We simply look at each other.