I couldn’t say it. The words wouldn’t come out. Standing there with Isabelle so close, wearing my robe, her eyes full of vulnerability and courage, I felt every wall I had built collapse.
“I… I feel it too,” I finally admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “God, Isabelle, I’ve been fighting it for months. Every time you laugh, every time you fall asleep on the couch, every time you make coffee exactly how I like it… I’ve been falling for you too. But I was terrified of ruining everything.”
Tears slipped down her cheeks as she smiled — a real, beautiful smile that made my chest ache. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me. For the first time, I held her properly, breathing in her warmth. The robe slipped slightly off one shoulder, and I felt my resolve completely disappear.
We stood like that for a long time, the immigration email forgotten on the table. But reality soon came crashing back.
“What are we going to do about the interview next week?” I asked, still holding her close. “If we admit this started as fake, we’re finished.”
Isabelle pulled back slightly, her hands resting on my chest. “Then we make it real. Starting now. No more pretending. We’ll go to that interview as two people who actually love each other… because it’s becoming true.”
My heart was pounding with both fear and excitement. This decision could save us or destroy us completely. As I leaned down to finally kiss her — something we had both wanted for months — my phone rang. It was the immigration lawyer.
Isabelle looked at me, her eyes full of hope and nervousness.
“Answer it,” she whispered. “But whatever happens… I’m done pretending. I want this to be real with you.”
As I reached for the phone, my mind raced with questions. Could we really turn our fake marriage into something genuine in just one week? Or were we about to lose everything because we broke the most important rule of all?
The future suddenly felt terrifyingly uncertain… and incredibly exciting.
Watch movie:
*Content is hosted on a partner site.
