Chapter 27
Sabrina knew the charity gala was going badly approximately twelve minutes after arriving.
Mostly because Lucas had tightened his grip on her hand the second they stepped out of the car.
Not painfully.
Protectively.
Which was somehow worse.
Camera flashes exploded instantly across the entrance while reporters shouted over each other from behind barricades.
"Lucas! Sabrina! Over here!"
"How serious is the relationship?"
"Lucas, are the engagement rumors true?"
Sabrina nearly tripped.
"Engagement?" she whispered harshly.
Lucas didn't even blink.
"They invent things when bored."
"That feels illegal."
His mouth twitched faintly despite the tension in his shoulders.
But Sabrina noticed something else too.
Lucas looked exhausted already.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Like he was bracing for impact before they'd even entered the building.
The ballroom inside glowed gold beneath enormous chandeliers while classical music drifted softly through the crowd.
Elegant.
Expensive.
Completely terrifying.
Sabrina adjusted the fabric of her dress self-consciously.
Immediately Lucas leaned closer.
"You look beautiful."
The compliment came automatically.
Instinctively.
And somehow that made her heart hurt more.
Because lately Lucas said things like that without thinking.
Like his feelings no longer passed through filters first.
"Thank you," she said softly.
His gaze lingered on her for one dangerous second too long before someone interrupted behind them.
"Lucas."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Sabrina turned.
Claire stood a few feet away in a black satin dress with the kind of effortless elegance Sabrina would probably resent until death.
Beautiful.
Composed.
Completely at ease here.
Claire's eyes flicked briefly toward Lucas's hand still holding Sabrina's.
And something unreadable crossed her expression.
Not jealousy exactly.
Recognition.
Interesting.
"Claire," Lucas said calmly.
Too calmly.
Sabrina hated herself for noticing.
Claire smiled politely toward her.
"Sabrina."
"Hi."
For one second the silence felt sharp enough to cut skin.
Then Claire surprised her completely.
"You know," she said lightly, "you're very different from how the media describes you."
Sabrina blinked slightly.
"That sounds concerning."
Claire laughed softly.
"They make you sound intimidating."
Lucas muttered quietly beside Sabrina:
"She is."
Sabrina elbowed him immediately.
Claire noticed.
And smiled again.
But this time there was something almost sad underneath it.
Like she was watching a movie whose ending she suddenly understood.
"You seem happy," Claire said to Lucas.
The statement landed strangely softly.
Not bitter.
Worse.
Honest.
Lucas looked briefly caught off guard by it.
Claire glanced between them once more before speaking quietly enough that only Sabrina heard.
"He never used to look at me before answering questions."
Sabrina's heartbeat stumbled.
Because she understood immediately what Claire meant.
Lucas checked Sabrina's reactions constantly now.
Instinctively.
Like her emotions mattered to him more than his own responses sometimes.
Claire noticed the realization crossing Sabrina's face.
Then quietly:
"That should scare you a little."
Before Sabrina could answer, someone called Claire's name across the ballroom.
She gave them one final look.
Not cruel.
Not warm either.
Just knowing.
Then disappeared into the crowd.
Sabrina stood frozen for a second afterward.
Lucas looked down toward her immediately.
"What did she say?"
"Nothing."
"Sabrina."
She hesitated briefly.
Then admitted quietly:
"She said you seem happy."
His expression shifted faintly.
Like the statement unsettled him.
"Claire likes reading people," he muttered.
"That sounded diplomatic."
"It's true."
But Lucas looked distracted afterward.
Thoughtful.
And somehow that bothered Sabrina more than it should have.
The rest of the night became progressively worse.
Not because of Lucas.
Because of everyone else.
People stared constantly now.
Whispered constantly.
And for the first time since the fake relationship began, Sabrina realized something terrifying:
the public no longer viewed this as PR entertainment.
They were invested emotionally.
Which made everything feel dangerous.
Halfway through dinner, Lucas's publicist approached the table looking tense.
Never a good sign.
"Can I borrow you for a second?" she asked quietly.
Lucas's jaw tightened immediately.
"Now?"
"It's important."
He looked irritated already but stood anyway.
"I'll be back."
Sabrina nodded softly.
But twenty minutes passed.
Then thirty.
Then forty-five.
And suddenly the warmth from earlier in the evening had disappeared entirely.
Her phone buzzed against the table.
A notification.
Her stomach dropped instantly.
LEAKED DOCUMENTS SUGGEST LUCAS COOPER'S RELATIONSHIP MAY HAVE STARTED AS A PR CONTRACT
The blood drained from Sabrina's face.
No.
No no no.
Her hands shook slightly as she opened the article.
Blurry screenshots.
Contract language.
Dates.
Enough to look real.
Enough to destroy everything.
Around the ballroom, phones started appearing one by one.
Whispers spreading quickly now.
People looking at her differently.
Oh God.
Sabrina stood abruptly from the table just as Lucas returned.
One look at her expression and he knew.
His face went completely still.
"Sabrina—"
"Tell me that's fake."
The words came too fast.
Too quiet.
Painfully quiet.
Lucas exhaled once through his nose.
And that hesitation alone told her enough.
Her chest caved inward instantly.
"Sabrina, listen to me."
"You said this wasn't about PR anymore."
"It isn't."
"But it started that way."
Around them cameras had already started turning.
Watching.
Waiting.
Lucas stepped closer immediately.
"Not here."
Humiliation crashed through her violently.
Because suddenly she could feel it:
every person in the room wondering if she'd been paid to stand beside him.
Like she wasn't real.
Like none of this was.
Lucas reached for her hand instinctively.
She pulled away.
The hurt in his expression flashed instantly.
Small.
But devastating.
"Sabrina."
"I need air."
Then she walked out before her pride completely shattered in front of three hundred wealthy strangers.
And for the first time since meeting Lucas Cooper, she genuinely didn't know if her heart was safe with him anymore.