“Pretend You Love Me, Please…” — Powerful CEO Begged Single Dad Right In Front Of His Ex.
Without raising her voice, silence fell over the room. Lucía looked at him, unable to believe his courage. Derek, flushed, tried to regain control. Lucía, honey. You should be more careful about who you are. These people don’t belong in our world. She took a deep breath. For a second, she hesitated. She could have kept quiet, smiled, and carried on as if nothing had happened. But she remembered Miguel’s words. Don’t forget who you really are.
You’re right, Derek. He said finally. Miguel doesn’t belong in your world; he belongs in a better one, one where people don’t measure their worth by the money they make, but by what they carry in their hearts. A murmur of approval ran through the room. Derek gritted his teeth, humiliated. Lucía took Miguel by the arm and led him toward the exit without looking back. Out.
The cold air hit their faces. Lucía breathed a sigh of relief, but also embarrassment. “You didn’t have to come,” she said. “Now everyone will talk.” They’d talked before, he replied with a calm smile. “But at least now they’ll know you’re with someone who isn’t afraid to stand up for you.” She looked at him tenderly.
Why are you doing this? Why are you exposing yourself like this for me? Miguel shrugged. Because you deserve someone to take care of you without expecting anything. Lucía wanted to say something, but she couldn’t. She just rested her forehead against his chest. The silence between them spoke louder than any words. For the next few weeks, the media gorged themselves on the story. The CO in love with the janitor, the tabloids headlined.
Some called her brave, others crazy. Investors began to get worried. Her assistant warned her, “Lucia, this could cost you contracts. The partners want a stable image.” That word irritated her. Stable was what she had always pretended to be.
But when she looked at the photo of Miguel and Sofía on her phone, she knew she didn’t want to pretend anymore. One afternoon, she looked him up at the Alameda bar. “I need a favor,” he said. “Dim, I want to take you with me to the charity event next month.” Miguel laughed. “Another gala. I don’t think my uniform matches your jewelry. I don’t want you to match. I want you to be you.” He looked at her silently.
In those eyes, there was a mixture of fear, pride, and love. He knew her world was a minefield, but he also knew he couldn’t deny her anything. The event was held at the Museum of Fine Arts. That night, Lucía arrived hand in hand with Miguel. Flashbulbs were quick to explode. Their glances exchanged a mixture of disbelief and outrage.
At one point, a journalist approached. “Ms. Ortega, may I ask you a question? How do you feel about introducing yourself to a man who’s not part of your circle?” Lucía smiled serenely. “Proud,” she replied. “A lot of pride.” Miguel watched her, amazed by her strength. He had never seen someone so elegant yet so human.
And then he realized that he truly loved her, not for her success or her beauty. He loved her because behind all that was a woman capable of looking at the world without fear. At the end of the gala, they went out into the garden. The air smelled of Asa. Lucía took off her heels and giggled like a little girl. You know? She said, “All my life I’ve sought perfection, and now I realize that perfection lies in imperfection.” Miguel looked at her tenderly.
“I only see a brave woman, and that’s the most perfect thing there is.” Lucía took his hand. “Thank you for not letting go when everyone wanted you to back away.” “I never would,” he whispered. For a long silence, they stared at each other under the museum lights. That night there were no speeches, no cameras, no witnesses.
Just two people finding solace in the truth they’d tried to hide. Lucía rested her head on his shoulder. The wind gently moved her hair. Miguel said, barely audible. I don’t think I know how to pretend anymore. He smiled. So, finally, we’re being real in the heart of the Valencian night. Lucía Ortega, the woman who thought she had it all, realized that the only thing she was missing was precisely what the world considered insignificant.
The sincere gaze of a man who saw her as she was. And as the city lights flickered in the distance, she knew that this love, born from a lie, was going to change everything. The following months were the calmest and happiest Lucía could remember in years. For the first time she’d started her company, she left her phone on silent at night, cooked leisurely, and laughed at simple things. Miguel and Sofía had become a natural part of her life.
On weekends, the three of them would go out together to Turia Park. Sofía would ride her bike, Miguel would carry tortilla sandwiches and flaunt himself in sneakers and a ponytail, barely recognizable. She was learning to step down from the pedestal she’d lived on for too long. Sometimes people looked at her in surprise. She’s not the director of Ortega Capital, but Lucía wasn’t hiding anymore.
“If anyone judges me for loving, the problem is with the one looking on,” she said with that serenity that only the certainty of doing the right thing can bring. One afternoon, while they were walking by the river, Sofía ran to a fountain and shouted, “Papa Lucía, come here! Look, there are rainbows in the water.” Lucía approached, laughing.