Updated Mar 21, 2026 • ~7 min read
SUMMER – MONDAY MORNING, MANHATTAN
I wake up in Theo’s penthouse.
White sheets. Egyptian cotton. Thread count higher than my credit score.
He’s already up. Showered. Dressed in a Tom Ford suit.
“Morning, beautiful.” He kisses my forehead. Chaste. Respectful.
Because Theo Lancaster thinks I’m a virgin.
I am not.
I smile up at him. “Morning.”
“I have a meeting at eight. Will you be here when I get back?”
“I have to go to my parents’ for dinner tonight. But I’ll text you.”
He nods. “Of course. Family first.”
That’s what he loves about me. My traditional values. My respect for family. My modesty.
It’s all a lie.
Every single bit of it.
He kisses me again. Soft. Closed-mouth.
Then he leaves.
The moment the door clicks shut, I grab my phone.
Seven texts from Jax.
Missing you, baby.
When are you back?
I need you.
My chest tightens.
Guilt. Want. Panic.
I text back: Sunday. I’ll come straight to you.
Three dots appear immediately.
Can’t wait. I love you.
I stare at those words.
I love you.
He means it.
And I’m lying to him too.
SUMMER – FRIDAY NIGHT, BROOKLYN
I change clothes in the train bathroom.
Theo’s world: Cream sweater. Pearl earrings. Modest skirt.
Jax’s world: Black leather jacket. Ripped jeans. Red lipstick.
I stuff the sweater into my bag.
Become someone else.
Someone real.
The tattoo parlor smells like ink and antiseptic.
I push through the door.
Jax looks up from his station. His face lights up.
“There she is.”
He crosses the room in three strides. Pulls me into his arms. Kisses me like he’s been drowning and I’m air.
This kiss is nothing like Theo’s.
This kiss is fire.
I melt into him.
“Missed you,” I whisper against his lips.
“It’s been five days, Summer. Five days feels like forever.”
He doesn’t know I saw Theo yesterday. That I woke up in his bed this morning.
Different bed. Different life.
“I’m here now,” I say.
Jax pulls back. Studies my face. “You look tired.”
“Work’s been crazy.”
“You work too hard.” He tucks my hair behind my ear. “Come on. I’m almost done. Then we’re getting Thai food and you’re staying the night.”
My heart pounds.
“I can’t stay the whole weekend. I have family stuff Sunday.”
His jaw tightens. Just slightly.
“Right. Family stuff.”
It’s becoming a problem. How much I disappear. How little he knows about my life.
But I can’t tell him the truth.
Not yet.
Not until I figure out how to untangle this mess.
JAX
She’s hiding something.
I know it.
I’ve known it for months.
Summer shows up Friday nights. Leaves Sunday mornings. Never introduces me to her family. Never posts about me online.
She says it’s because her parents are traditional. That they wouldn’t approve of me. The tattoos. The piercings. The fact that I’m not some finance bro with a trust fund.
I want to believe her.
But Marco—my brother—keeps warning me.
If she’s keeping you a secret, there’s a reason.
I push the thought away.
Focus on her.
She’s curled up on my couch. Barefoot. Eating pad thai straight from the container.
This version of Summer is the real one. I know it.
The version her family sees? That’s the mask.
“What are you thinking about?” she asks.
“You.”
She smiles. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I lean over. Kiss her neck. “I’m thinking about how I want you to meet Marco. And Felix. And everyone who matters to me.”
She stiffens.
Just for a second.
“Jax—”
“I know. I know. Your family. But it’s been two years, Summer. Two years and I haven’t met a single person from your life.”
“You’ve met Melody.”
“Your best friend. Once. For coffee.”
She sets down the takeout container. “Can we not do this tonight?”
“When can we do it?”
“Soon.”
“You always say soon.”
“Because I mean it.” She climbs into my lap. Cups my face. “I love you, Jax. I’m just… navigating family stuff. It’s complicated.”
I want to push. Want to demand answers.
But she’s kissing me. And I’m weak for her.
I always have been.
SUMMER
I distract him with sex.
It works.
It always works.
Afterwards, he holds me. Traces patterns on my bare shoulder.
“Move in with me,” he whispers.
My blood turns cold.
“What?”
“Move in with me. My lease is up in two months. We could get a place together. Something bigger. Make it ours.”
“Jax, I can’t—”
“Why not?”
“My parents would disown me.”
“So what? You’re twenty-three, Summer. You’re an adult.”
“You don’t understand. In my culture—”
“Then help me understand. Let me meet them. Let me prove I’m serious about you.”
I close my eyes.
This is spiraling.
“I need time,” I whisper.
“How much time?”
“I don’t know.”
He pulls away. Sits up. Runs his hands through his hair.
“I feel like your dirty secret.”
The words hit like a slap.
“You’re not.”
“Then what am I?”
“You’re the person I love. The person I’m choosing.”
“Choosing?” He looks at me. “What does that mean?”
“Nothing. I just… I’m choosing you. I am. I just need you to be patient.”
He stares at me for a long moment.
Then he nods.
“Okay.”
But I can see it in his eyes.
He’s running out of patience.
THEO – SATURDAY BRUNCH, MANHATTAN
My mother is discussing wedding flowers.
Summer sits beside me. Smiling. Nodding. Playing the role perfectly.
“Peonies,” Mother says. “They’re classic. Elegant.”
“They’re beautiful,” Summer agrees.
My mother beams. “You have excellent taste, dear.”
Adrian—my best friend—watches from across the table. His expression is unreadable.
He doesn’t trust Summer.
Never has.
After brunch, he pulls me aside.
“You sure about this?”
“About what?”
“Her. The wedding. All of it.”
“Yes. Why?”
“I don’t know, man. She’s just… she disappears a lot. You notice that?”
“She has a close family. She visits them.”
“Every weekend?”
“Her parents are traditional. They expect it.”
Adrian shrugs. “If you say so.”
“I do.”
But doubt creeps in.
Small. Insidious.
I push it away.
Summer is perfect. Modest. Pure. Everything I want.
Everything Blake wasn’t.
Blake cheated. Made a fool of me. Humiliated me in front of everyone.
Summer would never do that.
I’m sure of it.
SUMMER – SUNDAY MORNING, BROOKLYN
I slip out of Jax’s bed at dawn.
He’s still sleeping. Peaceful.
I watch him for a moment. Memorizing his face.
I love him.
God, I love him so much it hurts.
But I’m engaged to someone else.
I pull on my clothes. The modest ones. Pack the leather jacket away.
Jax stirs.
“Leaving already?”
“Family dinner. I told you.”
He sits up. “When will I see you again?”
“Friday.”
“That’s six days.”
“I know.”
“Summer—”
“I’ll text you. I promise.”
I kiss him quickly. Before he can say anything else.
Then I run.
Like I always do.
SUMMER – SUNDAY EVENING, MANHATTAN
Dinner with my parents. Theo’s parents. Our “families joining together.”
My father toasts to “traditions upheld” and “honoring family.”
Theo’s father toasts to “a prosperous union.”
No one toasts to love.
Because this isn’t about love.
It’s about alliances. Appearances. Expectations.
My mother touches my hand. “You look pale, Summer. Are you feeling well?”
“I’m fine, Mama.”
“You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”
Everyone goes quiet.
“No,” I say quickly. “Of course not.”
Theo smiles. Squeezes my hand.
“Summer’s just overwhelmed. Planning a wedding is stressful.”
“Three months is very fast,” Theo’s mother says. “But we’ll make it work.”
Three months.
Twelve weeks.
Ninety days until I marry Theo.
While Jax thinks I’m working up the courage to introduce him to my family.
I excuse myself. Lock myself in the bathroom.
Stare at my reflection.
Two lives.
Two men.
One catastrophic lie.
And absolutely no idea how to make it stop.
Melody’s voice echoes in my head from our last conversation: This is going to explode, Summer. And when it does, you’ll lose everything.
I know.
But I don’t know how to choose.
So I keep lying.
Keep pretending.
Keep living two lives.
Until the choice is made for me.
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