By the next morning, everything exploded.
Lena didn't even have time to process the conversation from the night before before her phone started buzzing nonstop.
At first, she ignored it.
Then it kept going.
And going.
And going.
With a growing sense of dread, she reached for it.
The moment she unlocked her screen, her heart dropped.
News alerts.
Messages.
Notifications flooding in faster than she could read them.
Her name—
Everywhere.
"Billionaire Aiden Cole's Fiancée Linked to Shady Past?"
"Who Is Lena, Really?"
"From Debt to Diamonds: The Truth Behind the Engagement"
Her breath caught.
"What…?" she whispered.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she opened one of the articles.
It was worse than she expected.
They weren't just speculating.
They were digging.
Twisting.
Exposing parts of her life she had never imagined would become public.
Her financial struggles.
Her overdue rent.
Even things she had only told a few people.
"This is insane," she muttered.
"You've seen it."
Aiden's voice came from behind her.
Lena turned quickly.
He was already dressed, composed as ever—but his expression was darker than usual.
Tense.
Controlled.
But just barely.
"You knew this would happen?" she asked.
"I expected attention," he replied. "Not this level."
Lena let out a disbelieving laugh.
"They're tearing my life apart," she said. "How do they even have this information?"
Aiden didn't answer immediately.
And that?
That was enough to make her chest tighten.
"Aiden," she said slowly, "how do they know all this?"
A pause.
Then—
"It was leaked."
The words hit hard.
"Leaked?" she repeated. "By who?"
Aiden's jaw tightened slightly.
"I'm working on it."
"That's not an answer," Lena snapped. "Someone just exposed my entire life to the public!"
Her voice shook—not from fear.
But anger.
"You said you'd protect me," she added.
"I am protecting you."
"This?" she gestured at her phone. "This is protection?"
Silence.
For the first time—
Aiden didn't have a response ready.
Lena looked away, trying to steady her breathing.
"This was a mistake," she said quietly.
Aiden's eyes snapped back to hers.
"No."
"Yes," she insisted. "This whole thing—this deal—it's ruining my life."
A pause.
Heavy.
"Then end it," Aiden said.
Lena froze.
The words hung in the air like a challenge.
"End it?" she repeated.
"Yes."
Her chest tightened.
"After everything?" she asked.
Aiden held her gaze.
"If that's what you want."
Lena searched his expression.
Looking for something.
Anything.
A reason to stay.
A reason not to walk away.
But his face remained unreadable.
And that?
That hurt more than she expected.
Before she could respond—
Her phone rang again.
This time—
It wasn't an unknown number.
Vanessa.
Lena hesitated for a second.
Then answered.
"What?" she said.
"You've seen the news," Vanessa's voice came, calm as ever.
"Was this you?" Lena asked immediately.
A soft laugh.
"Do you really think I'd need to do something so… obvious?"
"That's not a no."
"It's not a yes either," Vanessa replied smoothly. "But if you're asking for advice?"
Lena rolled her eyes. "I'm not."
"You should leave him," Vanessa continued anyway. "This is just the beginning."
Lena's grip on her phone tightened.
"You sound very sure."
"I am," Vanessa said. "Because I've been where you are."
A pause.
"And look how that turned out."
The call ended.
Lena lowered the phone slowly.
Her thoughts were racing again.
Everything was spiraling too fast.
Too far.
"I can't do this," she said finally.
Aiden's expression hardened slightly.
"You can."
"No," she said, shaking her head. "I didn't sign up for this level of exposure. This level of chaos."
"You signed up for me," he replied.
The words landed heavily.
"And this comes with you," he added.
Lena stared at him.
"That's exactly the problem."
Before he could respond, another voice cut through the room.
"Mr. Cole."
Both of them turned.
One of the staff stood at the entrance, looking uneasy.
"There's a situation downstairs."
Aiden's gaze sharpened.
"What kind of situation?"
"They're… gathered outside."
Lena frowned. "Who?"
"Reporters," the staff replied. "And more are arriving."
Her stomach dropped.
"Of course they are," she muttered.
Aiden moved immediately, grabbing his jacket.
"We're leaving," he said.
"Leaving?" Lena repeated. "Through that?"
"Yes."
"You've got to be kidding me."
Aiden looked at her.
"No," he said calmly. "I'm not."
Minutes later—
They were standing at the entrance.
And chaos erupted.
Cameras flashed.
Voices shouted.
Questions were thrown at them from every direction.
"Lena! Is it true you were in debt before meeting Aiden?"
"Did you trap him into this relationship?"
"Aiden! Is this engagement real or just a cover?"
Lena's heart pounded as Aiden's hand tightened around hers, pulling her forward.
"Stay close," he murmured.
She barely heard him over the noise.
It was overwhelming.
Suffocating.
Relentless.
Then—
One question cut through everything.
"Is she just another mistake, Mr. Cole?"
Aiden stopped.
Lena froze beside him.
The world seemed to pause.
Slowly—
Aiden turned.
His expression was calm.
But his eyes?
Sharp.
Dangerous.
Unforgiving.
"No," he said clearly.
The crowd went silent.
Then—
"She's not a mistake."
Lena's breath caught.
Aiden's grip on her hand tightened slightly.
"She's my choice."
The words hit harder than anything else.
For a moment—
Everything else faded.
The cameras.
The noise.
The chaos.
It was just that sentence.
Just him.
And the weight behind those words.
Then—
The noise came rushing back.
And just like that—
They were back in the spotlight.
But this time—
It wasn't just a performance.
Because somewhere between the lies, the danger, and the pressure—
Something real had slipped through.
Something neither of them could take back.
And now—
The whole world was watching.