Sebastian woke up earlier than Eleanor. With a stupid smile on his face, he observed her for few seconds. Sleeping naked beside him with her hair covering her bare shoulders, she looked so beautiful and peaceful. He could not help but to stare at her freckles, at her long eyelashes, at her beauty.

He didn't remember the last time that he had felt so happy. But despite the happiness, there was also a glimpse of nervousness. The nervousness that is an undeniable part of the beginning of a relationship. Even so, he was over the moon; she was beside him and that was all that mattered.

'Good morning,' he said as she slowly opened her eyes.

She smiled. 'How long have you been staring at me?'

'Not long enough.' He placed a soft kiss on her lips. 'It's still early, you can go back to sleep.'

'And you?'

'I'll stay here you with a little longer. Then I'll go downstairs to work before you get up.' He wrapped his arms tighter around her.

'I thought you weren't a morning person.'

'I'm not. But if I work now, we'll have free time for ourselves afterwards.'

'Sounds good,' she said while yawning, and then placed a soft kiss on his lips.

After closing her eyes, she quickly fell asleep in the comfort of his embrace. Sebastian stood beside her a little longer and when she was sound asleep again, he got up and picked up his laptop. Making no noises that could wake her up, he went downstairs to work.

He had been working for a while when Lina entered the living room and sat in the armchair beside him.

'Good morning, Lina,' he said as he looked at her with a smile, and Lina knew immediately that things were going well between Eleanor and him.

'Morning,' she yawned. She was still so sleepy that she could barely open her eyes. 'I see that you have become an early bird. I never thought it would happen.'

He chuckled. 'And I see that you're still not.'

'Is Eleanor still asleep?'

Still typing on his laptop, he nodded.

'How long have you two been two together?'

'Officially, the day that the news article about us came out.'

'And unofficially?'

'I'm not sure about the date, but we were already going out for a while before that. Why?'

'Is not like you to have a serious relationship. I think that this is the first time that you introduced someone to me. I'm just curious. How much do you know about her?'

'More than you think.'

'Give me some examples.'

'Why does it matter?'

'Just tell me.'

'Fine. She likes jazz, hates mushrooms, favorite food is salted caramel ice cream, and she still wears glasses sometimes... and what is this about Lina?'

'I know the truth, Sebastian,' she announced with a stern face and intimidating look, which was unusual for her.

Despite the blue eyes and piercing look of the Crain family, Lina always had a softness and sweetness on her face.

'What truth?' he asked, not taking his eyes off the screen for a moment.

She leaned forward and closed the laptop, forcing him to pay attention to her.

'I know it started as a lie. Do you realize how stupid that was? Why go to such lengths?'

Sebastian did not want to have this conversation with his sister. He was well aware that he messed up big time and he was trying to work on that, but the last thing he needed was someone meddling between Eleanor and him. Their situation was complicated enough without involving anyone else.

Eleanor got up, took a shower, got ready, and went downstairs to look for Sebastian. As she heard voices coming from the living room, she approached the door to see who was inside.

'What about now? Is it still a lie? You are not just playing with her, are you?'

Sebastian hesitated; he did not know where to begin. He wanted to make sure that he chose the right words to explain everything to his sister. But his silence broke Eleanor's heart into a million pieces. She thought that if their relationship was genuine, then his answer should have been immediate and simple.

With tears in her eyes, she ran back upstairs, telling herself that it was time to leave. Eleanor could not spend another minute in his presence knowing that none of it was real. She had deceived herself by letting her mind believe that they had an actual connection, that they had a genuine relationship.

'This has nothing to do with Montgomery, right?' asked Lina.