hapter 23 But instead of throwing a punch , Rhys took a deep breath and said , " We need to talk . [ ] I relaxed fractionally ally and plonked myself down on a bench in the waiting area . I wasn't going anywhere till Aunt Louisa came out of surgery . If Rhys wanted to talk , he could crack on . I was fully prepared to ignore every syllable . [ ] He sat next to me and lowered his voice . I need you to do something for me . ' I kept my eyes glied to the neon - red sign above the operating room door that screamed Surgery In Progress . [ ] Rhys went on . ' Look , I'm sorry I lost my temper that day and hurt you . I apologise . I turned my head slowly , like I was checking if I'd just hallucinated him saying that . [ ] Rhys Granger , apologising ? Was he ill ? Had the aliens finally replaced him with a half - decent human clone ? I'm sorry about how things turned out , " he said . ' I wish we could work something out . Mum was really upset when she found out we'd had a fight- ' We didn't just have a fight , Rhys . We broke up . ' I cut in before he could romanticise it into a bloody rom - com misunderstanding He let out a heavy exhale . Yeah , I know . But Mum doesn't I blinked . " You didn't tell her ? I said we'd had a fight . That we were , like , or a break. She told me to fix it . She thinks I'm the one who messed up and I'm supposed to win you back with flowers or whatever . I didn't respond . Mostly because I was too busy mentally filing this under You Cannot Make This Shit Up . Rhys leaned closer . ' Look , I know it's a massive favour , but would you still be my fiancée ? Just for now , Just till Mum's feeling better . I need time to , you know , ease her into the idea of me and Catherine . ' || Ah , there it was . The cherry on top of the bullshittery sundae . [ ] Rhys wanted me to play pretend fiancée while he canoodled with Catherine behind the scenes . ] " You've got to be kidding me , " I said , once my brain caught up with the sheer absurdity of it all . " I can pay you , " he added like he was doing me a favour . ' Get you a job at my company , or literally anywhere else in the city . A flat , money , jewellery - whatever you want . " ] " You seriously think I'm going to play house with you just so you can keep lying to your mum ? I stared at him like he'd grown a second head . A dumber one . Less than twenty four hours ago , I'd literally come up with the exact same plan to get my parents off my back ] But somehow , when he suggested it , it made my skin crawl . Maybe that made me a hypocrite . [ ] Or maybe it just meant I still had some shred of self - respect left , which was more than I could say for him . [ I know it's a lot to ask , ' he pressed on , because of course he did . Rhys never took no for an answer , at least not from me . His voice sped up like he was trying to close a deal before his mum came out of surgery . Which only made it worse . His muum had just been in a car crash and he was already out here , scheming how to manipulate her feelings . The man had balls , I'd give him that . [ ] " But this works out well for you too , doesn't it ? ' he pushed on , absolutely committed to his little pitch . " Your parents are pressuring you to go date that guy - what's his name ? The one you clearly can't stand . But if we're still engaged , they'll back off . You get your peace , I get mine . Win - win . " ] He actually had the gall to smile . I won't interfere in your life , he added . ' You can date whoever you want , just keep it quiet . My parents can't find out . And I swear won't take long . A couple of months , tops , then I'll- Then you'll what ?' I snapped , barely keeping my voice low enough not to get escorted out by hospital security . " You'll finally grow a backbone and tell your parents that your great romance with Catherine's been bubbling away this whole time and you've been feeding them lies like a goddamn vending machine ? || My voice was shaking . Not from nerves - more like pure rage . I shot up from the bench . This is not the place for this . Come with me ." " Wait , where are you going ? Rhys stood too , annoyed . But he followed me anyway as I stormed into the stairwell . [ ] I checked for witnesses , cameras , and possibly the ghost of a nosy janitor . Once the coast was clear , I shut the door behind us . Rhys shoved his hands into his trouser pockets , impatient . We need to settle this fast . My dad's on his way , I need to - " [ ] I turned on him so fast he , flinched . The light in the stairwell was grim and flickery , like it belonged in a crime documentary re - enactment , but it didn't do much to dent Rhys's model - groomed hair or perfectly symmetrical face . His custom suit clung to his body like it had been stitched on by a thirsty tailor . He looked like the total package . Handsome . Rich . Confident . ] Shame the warranty had expired on his decency . I raised my hand , then paused . A slap would've felt amazing but would've left a mark , and Clive Granger was due to show up any second . No way was I letting this turn into an episode of Law & Order : Pretentious Pricks Unit So I switched tactics leaned in slowly , loaping my arms around Rhys's neck like I was about to kiss him He blinked , confused , but still smug enough to think he was winning ] " What are you- That's all he managed before I drove iny knee straight into his gut ! His breath left him like air from a punctured bouncy castle Eyes wide , mouth gaping . Rhys folded like a bad poker hand I let go and stepped back . ' Since you seem to struggle with the word " no " , that was my answer to your hare brained little proposal , " I said , while he continued to wheeze . Im not going to help you lie to Louisa . You want to confess your undying love for Catherine ? Great . Find another way to do it . But leave me the hell out of it. " [ ] Sull doubled over , he made a pathetic grab for my arm , but I was already out of reach . You bitch ! You'll regret this ! [ ]