Damon was busy washing the dishes when his phone began to ring. Without turning from the sink, he called out to Elena, "Can you get that for me? Put it on speaker, please."
Elena walked to the living room where the phone lay on the coffee table. Picking it up, she strolled back to the kitchen, tapped to answer, and set it on speaker.
"Hey, baby! I'm back!" a cheerful, feminine voice chimed through the phone.
The plate Damon was drying slipped from his hand, shattering into pieces on the floor. His face went pale, his eyes widening as if he'd just seen a ghost.
He quickly grabbed the phone from Elena and ended the call. But the way his hand shook and his face drained of color didn't escape her notice.
"Who was that?" Elena asked, her tone sharp.
Damon forced a nervous chuckle. "No one, just… an old friend."
"An old friend?" she repeated, her eyes narrowing. "Calling you 'baby'?"
Damon swallowed, fumbling for words. The situation was slipping out of his control, and he feared Elena could see right through him.
As if on cue, the phone rang again. Elena's eyes flicked to the screen, and before Damon could react, she snatched it from his hand and answered the call, putting it back on speaker.
"Baby, why'd you hang up? I'm back!" the same bubbly voice chimed in.
"I'm sorry, miss," Elena replied in her best imitation of a professional secretary from TV dramas. "The boss is currently in a very important meeting. May I know who's calling?"
"Oh… Well, just let him know his fiancée called. And tell him I'm back."
"Certainly, I'll let him know," Elena replied smoothly, then ended the call. She turned to Damon, her face unreadable.
"Elena… I can explain," Damon stammered, his voice full of desperation.
"Don't bother," she interrupted, her voice icy. "This trial marriage is over. I was foolish to trust a man like you. Please, just leave."
With that, she spun on her heel and stormed into her bedroom, slamming the door shut. She locked herself inside, leaving Damon standing alone, his heart aching. Her words cut deeper than anything he'd felt before, even more than the pain of losing his best friend, Zach.
He approached her bedroom door and knocked softly. "Elena, please, let me explain. It's not what you think."
Inside, Elena lay on her bed with her earbuds in, blasting music to drown out the sound of his pleading voice. She'd sworn to herself that she'd never let herself fall for another man who could hurt her, who would lie. Damon, with his secrets, was nothing but a massive red flag. She wasn't about to let him break through her defenses again.
When his knocks went unanswered, Damon reluctantly finished the dishes and left the apartment. Still conflicted, he lingered outside the building, debating whether to leave things as they were or stay and try to explain himself.
Thirty minutes later, sure that he was gone, Elena finally emerged from her room, breathing a sigh of relief. But as she walked toward the living room, Damon appeared out of nowhere, lifting her off her feet and carrying her back to her room. Before she could fully process what was happening, she found herself lying flat on her bed, Damon hovering above her.
"She was my fiancée, yes," he began, his voice a mix of frustration and desperation. "But it was never real, Elena. We didn't even kiss. She left me years ago to study abroad, and I never expected her to come back or call me. Ten years, Elena. That's how long it's been. There's nothing between us now—nothing there has ever been."
Elena studied his face, searching for any hint of deceit. She had a knack for reading people, an ability that had saved her from heartbreaks before. She'd exposed cheaters with just a glance, detecting the smallest cracks in their lies. But as she looked into Damon's eyes, she saw sincerity, the kind she'd only ever seen in the eyes of her father and brother. Her heart gave an unexpected, traitorous skip.
"Give me a chance, Elena," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "A chance to show you that what we have here… it's real, and it could last."
His words stirred something deep within her, bringing a prickling sensation to her eyes. Sincere words had always been her weakness. If someone spoke from the heart, she found it almost impossible to resist.
She smiled softly, her hands moving to his shoulders. She pulled him closer until their noses nearly touched. "Then promise me. Promise me you'll never lie to me again. I hate liars."
"I promise, Elena. I'll never lie to you again," he vowed, his voice steady.
That was all she needed. She closed the distance between them, her lips brushing against his in a delicate kiss. It took Damon less than a heartbeat to respond, his mouth pressing against hers with a mixture of passion and relief.
Their moment, however, was abruptly interrupted by the sound of footsteps and a familiar voice approaching from down the hall.
"El, you better not be sleeping at this time!" her brother Rico's voice called.
They broke apart, wide-eyed, as the doorknob began to turn.
"Under the bed," she hissed, pushing Damon off her.
"What?" he asked, confused.
"Hide under the bed!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Damon dove underneath, just as Rico walked in.
"Elena, let's go," Rico said, glancing around the room with a hint of suspicion.
"Go where?" she asked, feigning cluelessness.
He frowned. "What do you mean, 'where'? I told you yesterday that we'd go to the civil affairs bureau first thing this morning to get your marriage certificate revoked."
"Ah, right… that…" she muttered, her mind racing. She had completely forgotten about the plan.
"Come on, we don't have all day!" Rico urged impatiently.
"Rico, wait…" Her gaze darted to the bed, her thoughts fixated on the man hiding beneath it.
"We just got married yesterday, Rico," she said, stalling. "Isn't there a waiting period before we can actually file for a divorce? I thought it'd take at least a month or two."
"Nah, we'll just say he forced you," Rico replied nonchalantly. "Didn't you say he threatened to hurt our family if you didn't go through with it?"
"When did I ever say that?" Elena replied, her eyes betraying her nerves.
Rico's gaze followed her line of sight, narrowing as it landed on the bed. "Elena… is there something you're hiding?"
She forced a laugh, though it sounded strained. "What? Me? Hiding something? Come on, bro, don't be ridiculous."
"Bro?" Rico raised an eyebrow. "You only call me that when you're lying. What's under the bed, Elena?"
She panicked, holding her hands up defensively. "Nothing! Come on, let's go talk in the living room—"
But Rico was already on his hands and knees, lowering himself to peer under the bed. His face shifted from curiosity to pure shock as he registered the figure hiding underneath.
"Elena!!!"