Chapter | Twenty Three

Two months later, we were on a date with Clara and Richard, a double date. While we were celebrating our seven month anniversary, they were celebrating their official coming out in a relationship.

Taron and Richard had chosen the restaurant, it was far from the city. It was perfect. The entire evening we had so much fun, our laughter filled the restaurant.

Everything was perfect. The food was amazing, everything was going great. Until it didn't.

People were gathering outside, eager to stare inside the restaurant. "What's going on out there?" I asked with worry. It looked like a few people were taking pictures as well.

Richard and Taron finally noticed the mob of people gathering outside. The two shared a look, I couldn't make out what it meant to them, but Taron's face began to pale.

I reached my hand up and touched his face. "What's wrong? You don't look so good" I said as I turned fully to him, he clenched his jaw and looked down at me.

"We need to go, now" He said, Richard agreed and Clara didn't question a thing, which made me feel like I was the only one who didn't know what was going on.

"The owner said we can go out of the backdoor" Richard came back and said. I narrowed my eyes as Taron pulled me up, gently but with a hint of urgency. "Taron, what's going on? Why do we need to go out of the back entrance?" I asked him. I didn't understand.

"Clara" Taron called out, the looks he gave her made no sense. But she nodded and wrapped her arm around mine. Taron and Richard went aside and discussed something.

"What's going on, Clara? Please tell me, don't treat me like I'm an idiot" I beg her. "There's just a few people out there who have seen Richard in a movie, he was an extra and they loved him. So, we just have to sneak out the back" Clara said, her lip twitched and I knew there was a lie amongst that.

"The backdoor is blocked as well now, we have no other choice than to head out front" Richard said, Taron shook his head with frustration. "Fuck" He cursed under his breath.

"Alright, stay close to me, don't listen to shit they say, okay? I need you to do this for me" Taron said and cupped my face in his hands. I nodded in confusion.

"If you tell me what's going on" I repeated. "I will, when we're out of here, okay? Stay close" He repeated and I nodded before taking his hand as he let go of my face.

He sighed deeply before he followed Richard and Clara outside. Taron instantly pulled me into his side as people began to take pictures and screamed. "Taron!" People shouted.

"Is that Mrs. Egerton!?" Someone shouted, I narrowed my eyes. "Taron! Look over here!"

"Richard! Look over here! Is that your new girlfriend?"

People shouted different things. Though what kept coming back was the 'Egerton'. Why did they call him that?

We got to our cars and Taron took us home. He was quiet the whole way back to our apartments. I didn't know what to say, I didn't know how to start.

"I really hate to do this, but I have a meeting over the phone. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay? I'll explain everything" Taron assured me, I nodded as he pressed his lips against mine once again.

"I'll see you tomorrow, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you" Taron promised me as he opened his door after pulling away. "Okay, we'll talk tomorrow" I assured him and gave him a small smile.

He sighed in relief and blew me a kiss before entering his apartment. Leaving me in the hall, I sighed in confusion once again before unlocking the door to my apartment.

I locked the door after me and sat down on my couch. My mind was racing, it wasn't the first time someone had called him Taron Egerton.

I grabbed my phone and clenched my jaw a little. Everything in my body was screaming at me not to search it, but my fingers typed away and when google loaded the search, I dropped my phone.

Tears pricked in my eyes, denial kicked in. The face staring back at me when I had googled 'Taron Egerton' was my Taron. Taron Edwards, who didn't exist.

A sob escaped my lips as I realized he had been lying to me. He was an actor, he wasn't an assistant. He gave me a fake name, a fake identity.

He was lying the whole time, he lied from the beginning when I met him. I picked up my phone once again as my sadness turned to anger.

I researched him thoroughly and pulled up a bunch of his movies and interviews on youtube. I watched his movies for the entire night, each and every one of them. Now I knew how he knew Richard Madden–who was also a successful actor.

When I thought of how Clara said he had only been an extra and had only done small jobs, I realized she had known. She knew the whole time and didn't tell me.

She had been lying to me as well, my best friend.

I cried for hours until I passed out from exhaustion. My eyes were red and puffy. I felt heartbroken and empty. The whole thing was a lie, our entire relationship was a lie.

When I woke up, I felt emptier and colder than ever. A void expression was on my face. I couldn't believe it. It had to have been a dream, a nightmare.

When I opened my phone I knew it wasn't just having a nightmare. It was real. How could I not have seen it? How did I not figure it out sooner?

I knew Taron had a night out with his friends tonight, so I knew he wasn't going to come over. I had thought he had kept his word about talking to me today, but he didn't show up the entire day and I saw him leave dressed in a suit for the boys' night.

I felt like my heart was clenching in my chest when I saw him leave. I had texted him that I was out all day, so it really was my own fault for him not stopping by.

I didn't want him to. Until confrontation I still had the world's best boyfriend, until we would talk and I would see my relationship with this man crumble.

I saw us having a family in the future. I saw us having it all. Now all I saw was a liar and a phony. How could I ever trust him again?

I knew Clara, Richard and Taron were keeping all of this behind my back, going to extreme lengths to make sure I didn't find out.

So, When the dark settled. I opened my messages. I saw Taron's unopened texts, then Clara's. I typed in the words and pressed send to her.

'You lied to me' simple, yet she knew hell had unleashed. She saw the messages almost instantly and so I locked the door behind me. Pulling my suitcase after me, I took the stairs down and saw my sister's car waiting for me.

I felt drained, heartbroken and confused. I opened her trunk and put my bag in and shut it. Then I got into the passenger seat. My sister looked at me with worry as she saw how I wrapped my arms around myself and worked hard to not cry in front of her.

She knew better than to ask the magical words that would unleash the waterfall 'are you okay?' so she did what she knew was more important; getting me the hell out of there.

She raced down the streets in her SUV and an hour later, we arrived at her house. My cousin Tamara was visiting with her toddler, so the house was still very much awake.

"I cleared out the guest room" My sister said. I nodded my head thankful for her and gave her a hug when I pulled my suitcase out of the car and turned to her.

"I'm sorry" I apologized to her, for coming this late. "It's okay, I told you I'm here, always" She reminded me and pulled me into her house.

It didn't take long for the million phone calls to dump in on my phone, both Taron and Clara were calling and texting. I knew I had been right, Clara had known everything.

I turned my phone off, letting the black screen welcome a sense of quietness.