Emery stared at the blinking cursor on her screen. The words she typed earlier felt hollow—like a rehearsal for a scene she wasn't quite ready to play. But now, there was no going back.
She had agreed to tell the truth.
Not just for the article. Not just for BuzzBeat.
For herself.
The day's light filtered through her blinds as she met Liam at the corner coffee shop — the same one where they'd first started their "fake" story.
"Ready?" Liam asked, his voice steady but his eyes betraying a nervous flutter.
"As I'll ever be," Emery replied, gripping her coffee cup like a lifeline.
They headed to the BuzzBeat office together, each step heavier than the last.
Inside, Jade greeted them with a quiet nod.
"Think of this as breaking the algorithm," Jade said, smirking. "Not the digital kind — the kind that traps us in scripts and safe zones."
Emery smiled despite the knot in her stomach.
"Where do we start?" Liam asked.
They began by recounting the truth: how their 'relationship' was born as a façade — a desperate attempt to save face and fill the emptiness. How it had evolved unexpectedly, painfully, beautifully.
Emery found herself admitting things she'd kept locked away: her fears of vulnerability, her history of heartbreak, the way she'd learned to armor herself against the unpredictable chaos of real love.
Liam shared his own secrets — his past betrayals, his longing for connection beyond the digital noise.
The interview stretched on, peeling back layers neither expected to reveal.
When it was over, Jade looked at them with respect.
"You're breaking more than an algorithm," she said. "You're breaking the pattern."
Outside, the air felt different — lighter, almost electric.
Liam slipped his hand into Emery's, their fingers interlacing naturally.
"Feels like a reset," he said.
"Like we're finally writing our own code," Emery agreed.
But breaking the algorithm had consequences.
The next morning, Emery's phone exploded with notifications — messages from followers, friends, even strangers commenting on the honesty of the story.
Most were positive. Some were brutally honest. A few were downright cruel.
She hesitated to read the worst.
Liam was her anchor.
"Ignore the noise," he said gently. "This is your story."
Work became both refuge and battlefield.
Sasha called her into the office. "The column's getting traction, Em. People relate. But be careful — not everyone likes messy truths."
Emery nodded. "I want to keep writing it."
Sasha smiled. "Good. Because sometimes breaking the rules is exactly what we need."
That night, Emery and Liam sat in her apartment, the city lights casting soft shadows.
"I'm scared," Emery admitted. "Of what this means. Of losing control again."
Liam pulled her close. "Fear's just part of the process. But you're not alone."
She looked up at him, eyes shimmering.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"For what?" he asked.
"For breaking the algorithm with me."
Their relationship no longer fit neatly into a script.
It was raw, unpredictable, and real.
And in the chaos, Emery found something she hadn't in a long time: hope.