Chapter 1 - The Night He Heard My Secret
I dropped a wedding invitation into the sink and whispered: "I wish someone would pretend to love me for just one night."
When Roman Rossi arrived at the kitchen island, he discovered my forgotten phone showing the message that destroyed my confidence. But one sentence on the screen changed his expression: "Please don't embarrass the family by coming alone."
Roman Rossi suddenly realized I wasn't asking for a boyfriend.
I was asking for a way to survive humiliation.
The kitchen was silent.
Too silent.
The kind of silence that made every small sound feel enormous.
The faucet continued running, sending warm water over my tired hands as I stood alone beneath the soft lights of the Rossi estate kitchen. The marble counters reflected everything around me—the expensive appliances, the perfectly arranged flowers, the spotless surfaces.
Everything looked flawless.
Except me.
I looked down at my gray maid uniform.
The same uniform I had worn for almost two years.
The same uniform that had absorbed endless coffee spills, cleaning chemicals, and long hours while everyone else in the mansion slept.
My shoulders ached.
My feet burned.
But the pain I felt inside was worse.
My phone sat face down on the marble counter.
I already knew what was on it.
I didn't need to look again.
The messages had already done enough damage.
My mother’s words kept replaying in my head.
“Are you bringing someone tomorrow?”
“Please don’t show up alone, Sadi.”
“Your sister’s wedding rehearsal dinner is important. Everyone will be there.”
And the one that hurt the most:
“I moved your seat closer to the kitchen so you won’t feel uncomfortable.”
Closer to the kitchen.
That was how my family described hiding me.
I was twenty-eight years old, but somehow those words made me feel like I was sixteen again.
The daughter nobody wanted in the family photos.
The girl who was always “too much.”
Too loud.
Too emotional.
Too big.
I dried my hands slowly and stared at my reflection in the dark window above the sink.
My hair was tied into a messy bun.
My face looked exhausted.
My cheeks were flushed from working all day.
And my body…
I had spent years apologizing for my body without ever saying the words.
I had learned to take up less space.
To sit carefully.
To choose clothes that hid me.
To laugh when people made jokes about women who looked like me.
Because it was easier than admitting they hurt.
My younger sister Chloe had always been everything my mother wanted.
Elegant.
Thin.
Perfect.
Tomorrow was her rehearsal dinner.
A room full of relatives.
A room full of people who would look at me and silently compare.
And sitting at another table would be Derek.
My ex-boyfriend.
The man who had once looked at me and said:
“You're amazing, Sadi. But I need someone who takes better care of herself.”
Three months later, he was engaged to a fitness instructor.
Someone who looked like she belonged on a magazine cover.
Someone my mother proudly showed pictures of.
Someone who made me feel like I had failed some invisible test.
I grabbed the edge of the counter.
The kitchen suddenly felt too large.
Too empty.
“I can’t do this.”
My voice was barely a whisper.
I hated that it sounded broken.
I hated that I was crying over a dinner.
But sometimes the smallest moments carried years of pain.
I wiped my face quickly.
“No.”
I shook my head.
“I’m not going to cry over this.”
But my voice betrayed me.
Because deep down, I knew the truth.
I didn’t want revenge.
I didn’t want to prove anyone wrong.
I just wanted, for one night, to walk into a room and not feel like everyone was wondering why I was alone.
I looked at my phone again.
My fingers hovered over the screen.
Then I whispered the most embarrassing sentence I had ever said.
“I need a boyfriend by tomorrow.”
I froze.
The words sounded ridiculous.
Almost childish.
A grown woman standing in a mansion kitchen begging the universe for a fake relationship.
I laughed quietly at myself.
A sad little laugh.
“Great, Sadi.”
I shook my head.
“Now you’re asking for miracles.”
“Usually miracles don't happen after midnight.”
The voice behind me made my entire body freeze.
My breath stopped.
Slowly, I turned around.
Roman Rossi was sitting at the far end of the kitchen island.
I had no idea how long he had been there.
The man who owned the house.
The man everyone in Chicago knew.
The man whose presence made employees lower their voices and straighten their backs.
He wasn't wearing one of his expensive suits.
Tonight, he wore a black shirt with the sleeves pushed slightly upward and dark pants.
But somehow that made him seem even more intimidating.
Because without the suit, he looked less like a businessman.
And more like someone who never needed permission from anyone.
“Mr. Rossi.”
My hand flew to my chest.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were here.”
His dark eyes remained on me.
“You were talking loudly enough for half the house to hear.”
Heat rushed into my face.
“I was just tired.”
Roman tilted his head slightly.
“You said you needed a boyfriend.”
I wanted the floor to open.
“I didn’t mean—”
“You did.”
His calm response stopped me.
Roman stood.
Slowly.
Quietly.
He walked toward the counter.
Every step made me more nervous.
Not because I was afraid of him.
Because I was embarrassed.
He stopped a few feet away.
“You received messages today.”
I looked at him.
“What?”
“Your phone.”
My stomach dropped.
“You read my messages?”
“No.”
He glanced at the screen.
“They appeared when you placed it down.”
I immediately grabbed my phone.
“That’s private.”
For a moment, silence filled the kitchen.
I instantly regretted my tone.
Nobody spoke to Roman Rossi like that.
But instead of getting angry, he looked almost interested.
“You’re the first person in this house who has ever said that to me.”
I looked away.
“I apologize.”
“You shouldn’t.”
His answer surprised me.
Roman leaned against the counter.
“You work fourteen hours a day.”
I said nothing.
“You remember every employee’s coffee order. You know which flowers the housekeeper likes. You stayed during the security investigation last month while everyone else was panicking.”
“That’s my job.”
“No.”
His voice became quieter.
“That’s who you are.”
I looked back at him.
For some reason, that sentence hurt more than criticism.
Because nobody had ever noticed those things.
People noticed my mistakes.
My weight.
My awkwardness.
My failures.
Not my kindness.
Not my loyalty.
Not me.
Roman looked at my phone.
“Your family expects you to arrive alone.”
I swallowed.
“Yes.”
“And your ex-boyfriend will be there.”
My eyes narrowed.
“How do you know that?”
“I know things.”
That answer was very Roman.
Cold.
Simple.
Frustrating.
I crossed my arms.
“Why do you care?”
He was silent for several seconds.
Then he answered:
“Because I need something from you too.”
There it was.
The real reason.
I almost laughed.
Of course.
A man like Roman Rossi didn’t do favors.
“What do you need?”
He looked directly at me.
“Tomorrow night, I need to attend a civilian event.”
I frowned.
“A wedding dinner?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because my presence there creates an explanation for where I am.”
I stared.
I understood only half of what he meant.
But I understood enough.
“You need an excuse.”
“Yes.”
“And you think pretending to be my boyfriend helps?”
“Yes.”
The honesty shocked me.
I stepped back.
“You’re serious.”
“Very.”
“You’re offering to pretend to date me?”
“Yes.”
“Why me?”
Roman didn’t answer immediately.
Then he said:
“Because you’re the only person I trust not to turn it into a performance.”
I didn’t know what to say.
The most powerful man I had ever met was standing in front of me, asking me to pretend to be his girlfriend.
It was absurd.
Impossible.
And yet…
I thought about tomorrow.
The judgment.
The whispers.
Derek’s expression.
My mother’s disappointment.
I hated that part of me wanted to say yes.
I hated that I wanted one night where I walked into a room and someone stood beside me.
Someone chose me.
I looked at Roman.
“If we do this…”
He waited.
“You have rules.”
“Of course.”
“No intimidating my family.”
“Fine.”
“No threatening Derek.”
A small pause.
“I wasn’t planning to.”
I gave him a look.
Roman almost smiled.
Almost.
“And you have to act like you actually like me.”
Something changed in his expression.
A tiny movement.
A brief hesitation.
Then:
“I know how to pretend.”
I looked away.
“Six o’clock.”
“What?”
“You pick me up at six.”
Roman nodded.
“Be ready at five forty-five.”
I watched him turn toward the hallway.
Before he disappeared, he stopped.
“Sadi.”
I looked up.
“Wear the dress you were afraid to wear.”
My heart skipped.
“How did you know I had one?”
Roman looked back.
“Because you keep hiding things you should be proud of.”
Then he walked away.
Leaving me alone in the kitchen.
But for the first time that night…
I didn’t feel invisible.
The next evening, I stood in front of my mirror for almost twenty minutes.
The green dress hung perfectly against my body.
The same dress I had bought months ago.
The same dress I thought I was never brave enough to wear.
My hands trembled.
I almost changed.
Almost.
Then I remembered Roman’s words.
Stop hiding.
At exactly 5:45, a black SUV stopped outside my apartment.
My heart started racing.
I walked downstairs.
Roman Rossi stood beside the vehicle.
Not as my employer.
Not as the man everyone feared.
But as the man who had agreed to walk into my family’s judgment with me.
He looked at me silently.
For the first time, I saw something different in his eyes.
Surprise.
Not fake.
Not polite.
Real.
“You look different,” he said.
I smiled nervously.
“Different good or different bad?”
Roman stepped closer.
“Different like you finally stopped apologizing for existing.”
I didn’t know why that sentence affected me.
But it did.
He opened the car door.
I reached for the handle.
Then my phone buzzed.
A message appeared.
From my mother.
I looked down.
And my smile disappeared.
Because the message said:
“Don’t bring anyone unexpected tonight. Especially not someone who could embarrass this family.”
I slowly lifted my eyes toward Roman.
He noticed my expression.
“What happened?”
I locked my phone.
“Nothing.”
May you like
But Roman already knew I was lying.
And when we arrived at the wedding rehearsal dinner, the moment the doors opened, my family saw who was standing beside me...
