Our Accidental Forever
Chapter 53: Real Friend, Fake Fiancee

Chapter 53: Real Friend, Fake Fiancee

I sat on the edge of my bed, my hands trembling in my lap, staring blankly at the floor. Arec’s words echoed in my head, repeating over and over again until I couldn’t think of anything else. I had always known this marriage wasn’t real, that it was just a contract between us. But in that moment, when Arec looked at me with suspicion, as if I’d done something wrong, something inside me cracked.

It wasn’t the contract. It wasn’t even Joanne, not really. It was the fact that, in that moment, Arec didn’t trust me. He had chosen to believe Joanne over me.

The memory of his voice, his tone, gnawed at me. "Are you sure there’s nothing going on, Ella? Joanne seemed upset. She’s never lied to me before."

Never lied to him before? The words felt like a slap. Did he really think I’d lie to him? That I’d try to push Joanne away for no reason?

I rubbed my temples, trying to soothe the growing headache.

From the beginning, I had felt Joanne disapproval, her cutting remarks, her subtle way of making me feel like I didn’t belong. But I had never questioned it before. I had always shrugged it off, saying Joanne was just protective of her friendship with Arec.

But now... now it felt different.

I picked up my phone, scrolling through the messages from Kate, her words of support calming me, if only slightly. I needed to talk to her. I needed someone to tell me that I wasn’t losing my mind.

I hit the call button, and after a few rings, Kate picked up. "Ella? What’s going on?"

"I don’t know what to do, Kate." My voice broke, and I hated how weak I sounded. But I couldn’t hold it in any longer. "Arec thinks I’m lying. He thinks I don’t want his friend, Joanne around."

Kate sighed, her voice instantly sympathetic. "That’s ridiculous. Why would he think that?"

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my emotions in check as I explained what had happened at the venue. How Arec had come back, only to receive Joanne’s message that implied I’d pushed her away. How he had looked at me with doubt in his eyes.

"I told him she had something urgent to take care of," I said, my voice shaking. " Because I didn’t want to tell him what Joanne said to be before she left, and now he’s starting to think I’m hiding something from him."

Kate was quiet for a moment, and I could almost hear her wheels turning on the other side of the line. "Ella, listen to me. This isn’t about you. Joanne is playing a game, and Arec’s too blind to see it."

"I know," I whispered, tears threatening to spill over. "But it still hurts."

Kate’s voice softened. "Of course it does. You’ve been nothing but honest with him, and he’s questioning that. But you know people like Joanne would always bring discord. And she and Arec has been friend long before Arec met you, so of course he will side his real friend over his fake fiancee"

I closed my eyes, leaning my head against the wall. "Why didn’t he just marry her, then? If he trusts her so much... why didn’t he offer her the contract marriage?"

The silence on the other end of the phone was deafening. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but now that I had, the thought consumed me. Arec and Joanne had been friends for years. She knew him better than anyone. If he trusted her so completely, why hadn’t he turned to her when he needed a wife?

"I don’t know Ella," Kate finally said, her voice cautious. "Maybe because he needed someone like you. Someone he could rely on."

"But he doesn’t rely on me, Kate. Not really. Not when Joanne’s involved. He doubts me because of her." My throat tightened, and I swallowed hard. "How am I supposed to live like this? Always wondering when she’s going to turn him against me again?"

"You don’t have to prove anything to anyone," Kate said firmly. "You’ve done nothing wrong, Ella. Joanne’s manipulating him, and he’s falling for it. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about you."

I wanted to believe that. I wanted to believe that this was just Joanne’s influence, and that Arec would eventually see through it. But doubt had crept in, and it wasn’t going away.

"Ella, you need to talk to him," Kate said after a moment. "Don’t let Joanne come between you two. If you don’t stand your ground, she’s going to win."

"I don’t know if I have the strength for that," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "I’m not like her. I don’t play games."

"You don’t have to," Kate said, her tone soft but unwavering. "Just be honest. Tell Arec how you feel. If he’s the man you think he is, he’ll listen."

I wiped a tear from my cheek, nodding even though Kate couldn’t see me. "You’re right. I’ll talk to him."

"Good. And Ella? Don’t let Joanne make you feel like you’re not enough. You’re stronger than you think."

After I hung up, I sat there for a while, staring at the phone in my hand. Kate’s words had given me some comfort, but the knot in my stomach remained. How was I supposed to confront Arec without making it seem like I was attacking Joanne? How was I supposed to prove myself when I’d done nothing wrong?

I thought about everything that had led us to this point. The contract, the arrangement that was supposed to benefit us both. I knew what I was getting into. But no one had warned me about Joanne. No one had told me that being married to Arec, even in name only, would mean constantly fighting to prove myself against a woman who had been in his life for years.

I didn’t know what Joanne’s endgame was, but I could feel the pressure building. If I didn’t find a way to stop her, she was going to drive a wedge between me and Arec that we might never be able to bridge.

I took a deep breath and stood up. I couldn’t let this continue. Not like this.