Leah's morning started with coffee, chaos, and a notification that nearly made her drop both.
Her phone screen blazed with a headline she hadn't expected to see - or survive:
> "Adrian Blake Secretly Married? Mystery Wife Revealed!"
Exclusive photo from family dinner confirms Blake's new bride.
Below the headline was a photo - her photo - smiling beside Adrian at his grandmother's table. His arm was around her, her hand in his, eyes bright under the chandelier.
"Oh no," Leah breathed, setting the mug down before her trembling hands could make it worse. "Oh no, no, no."
Her phone buzzed again. Bella, her fellow nurse.
> LEAH CARTER. YOU'RE ON THE NEWS. ARE YOU DATING ADRIAN BLAKE?!
> It's not what it looks like, Leah typed, deleting and rewriting three times. Then she gave up and tossed the phone onto the couch.
Her stomach twisted. It wasn't supposed to be public. They'd agreed - six quiet weeks, annulment, done. No scandal. No headlines.
So how had the entire city suddenly decided she was Mrs. Blake for real?
---
The knock on her door came sharp and fast. Leah opened it to find Adrian standing there, looking like a man who'd just stepped out of a storm.
"Good morning," she said weakly. "Or should I say, congratulations, husband?"
He held up his phone. "I'm assuming you've seen this."
"Oh, you mean my glamorous debut as your accidental wife? Hard to miss."
His jaw tightened. "It was leaked. Someone at the gala committee must've sent it to the press."
Leah crossed her arms. "So now the entire internet thinks we're madly in love. That's fun."
"This isn't funny, Leah."
"No, it's ironic," she shot back. "You wanted a fake marriage to protect your image - and now your image has exploded!"
He exhaled sharply, pacing her small living room. "We can contain it. I'll have my PR team issue a statement."
"Great. What'll it say? 'Oops, sorry everyone, clerical error - my wife's just a temporary glitch'?"
He stopped pacing, eyes flashing. "That's not what I'd say."
"Then what will you say, Adrian?" she asked quietly.
He hesitated, and that silence told her everything. He didn't know.
---
They ended up at his office, where his assistant, Natalie, was already fielding calls like a pro.
"The phones haven't stopped ringing," Natalie said, handing Adrian a stack of printed articles. "Every outlet wants a comment. Your grandmother's on line three, and-"
"I'll call her later," Adrian said.
"Sir, she's called five times."
"Later," he repeated.
Leah glanced around the sleek boardroom, feeling painfully out of place in her scrubs. "Do you want me to wait outside?"
"No," Adrian said. "You're part of this now."
"Lucky me," she murmured.
He gave her a look that almost softened - almost. "Sit. Please."
---
The next hour was a blur of damage control. Adrian spoke to his PR manager, his legal counsel, and someone from a lifestyle magazine that was already drafting a "Top Ten Power Couples" feature.
Leah sat silently, trying not to hyperventilate.
Finally, when the chaos dimmed, she said softly, "Your grandmother's going to find out, isn't she?"
"She already has," Adrian said grimly. "She's thrilled."
"Of course she is." Leah rubbed her temples. "What now?"
He looked at her, that calculating spark back in his eyes - the one that always meant trouble. "We make it real."
Leah blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Publicly," he clarified. "Temporarily. We confirm the marriage and keep up appearances until things die down."
"Adrian, that's insane. You want to lie to the entire city?"
He leaned forward. "Do you want reporters showing up at your hospital? Your friends' homes? They will, if we don't control the story."
Her stomach dropped. He was right - and he knew it.
"So what, we play perfect newlyweds?" she said.
He met her gaze, steady and unflinching. "For a little while, yes."
---
Later that evening, Leah found herself standing in front of a sea of cameras, lights flashing like a lightning storm.
Adrian's PR team had arranged a "brief appearance" to confirm the marriage. She hadn't agreed so much as been swept along by the inevitability of it all.
He stepped up to the microphones, voice smooth as ever. "Thank you for respecting our privacy. Yes, the marriage is real - and we'd appreciate space as we navigate this new chapter."
Flash. Flash. Flash.
Leah blinked against the lights, forcing a calm smile. Adrian's hand brushed hers, grounding her - steady, reassuring.
Someone shouted, "How did you two meet?"
Leah froze. Adrian squeezed her hand gently, then answered, "Unexpectedly."
The crowd laughed, charmed. Leah exhaled, remembering their first disastrous meeting at city hall.
Yeah. Unexpected was one word for it.
---
When they finally escaped into the car, Leah collapsed against the seat. "I can't believe we just did that."
Adrian loosened his tie. "Welcome to the spotlight."
She turned to him, incredulous. "You're enjoying this."
"I'm managing it," he corrected.
"Managing? You just told the entire press we're really married!"
"We are married," he said quietly.
"That's not the point!"
His gaze met hers, calm and infuriatingly unreadable. "Maybe it is."
Leah stared at him, her heart thudding. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying," he murmured, "that pretending doesn't feel so simple anymore."
Silence settled between them - heavy, charged. The city lights flickered past, reflections dancing across his face.
"Adrian..." she began, but her voice faltered.
He turned away first, his jaw tight. "Don't overthink it. It's just strategy."
"Right," she said softly. "Strategy."
But deep down, Leah knew strategy didn't make her heart race every time he looked at her like that.
---
When they pulled up outside her apartment, she reached for the door handle, desperate for air.
"Leah," Adrian said, his voice low.
She looked back. "What?"
He hesitated, then said, "You handled yourself well today."
She managed a small smile. "Guess I'm getting used to being your accidental wife."
"Accidental," he repeated, like the word meant more than it should.
Then, before she could respond, he leaned forward - close enough that she caught the faint scent of his cologne again, familiar now, unsettlingly so.
His lips brushed her cheek, soft, fleeting, but it sent her pulse racing.
"Goodnight," he said, pulling back like nothing had happened.
Leah sat frozen as he stepped out of the car, every thought tangled.
Because that hadn't felt fake.
Not even a little.
---
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