Silent Strangers

EIGHTEEN

Chapter EIGHTEEN:
Tobias

I sat back down on the bed, feeling defeated. I had let Grace down. I had promised her we'd find a way out, but now, reality hit me like a freight train—there was no way.

As I lay there, staring at the ceiling, I couldn't help but laugh at myself. "Yeah, Tobias. Top-tier strategy right there. Maybe next, you'll run for office with your flawless ability to not plan ahead," I muttered dryly. "Or hey, why stop there? How about fixing global warming with an ice cube?"

The ridiculousness of it made me chuckle, but the laughter felt hollow. What a joke I'd become, thinking we could just waltz away from centuries of power and control with a half-baked idea. Dreamers like me weren't built for this kind of reality. We thrived in fantasies, and fantasies crumbled when faced with families like mine, the Archers and the Reeds.

And then, just as I let out a deep sigh, my phone buzzed, snapping me out of it. Grace's name lit up the screen.

The humor vanished as quickly as it came. This was no longer a joke, no longer some wild daydream of escape.

I stared at her name for a second, feeling my heart sink. The weight of everything settled on my chest. Slowly, I swiped the screen.

"Grace," I whispered, my voice low, carrying the weight of all the things I could never fix.

"Grace," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "We need to talk."

Her sigh echoed through the line. "I don't know what else we can say, Tobias. I feel like we've run out of options."

I leaned back against the wall, running a hand through my hair. She sounded exhausted, and I didn't blame her. The weight of everything—our families, the arranged marriage, the future neither of us wanted—it had all become suffocating.

"I've been thinking," I said slowly, measuring every word. "Maybe... maybe we're looking at this all wrong. We've been trying to run, but maybe we need to stop running."

A pause, then her voice cut through, sharper now. "What are you talking about?"

I took a deep breath. "What if we go through with the marriage?"

There was silence on the other end. I could practically hear her jaw drop. Grace wasn't the kind of person to hide her shock.

"You're joking, right? That's your grand solution—to just marry me?"

I chuckled, but it was a humorless sound. "I know how it sounds. But I'm serious, Grace. Think about it. Right now, they're watching us like hawks. My father, your family—they're waiting for us to make a wrong move, to resist. If we do, they'll tighten the chains. But if we act like we've given in, like we're playing along... we can buy ourselves some time. Enough time to figure out how to escape."

More silence. I imagined her pacing around the room, biting her lip like she always did when she was deep in thought. She finally spoke, her voice quieter this time. "You really think we can fool them?"

"It's the only way to walk into the lion's mouth and make it out alive," I said. "They'll drop their guard. If we go through with it, they'll assume we've surrendered. Then, once they're not looking... we make our move."

Her response was immediate, the disbelief clear in her voice. "Do you really think we can just waltz out after the wedding? Tobias, this is insane. You're talking about pretending to marry me, like it's some play. What happens if we get caught in this game?"

"I'm not talking about playing pretend," I countered. "We go through with it. The ceremony, the vows, all of it. We act like we're willing to be a part of their world. But it won't be real. It's just a temporary measure. We'll use the wedding to create a smokescreen, a distraction. While everyone's celebrating, we'll have a way out."

I waited for her to argue, to shut down the idea completely, but instead, there was a long, heavy silence.

"Tobias... this could go horribly wrong."

"I know," I said softly. "But if we don't do something, they'll never stop controlling us. Running isn't an option anymore. We need to be smarter than them."

Grace's voice wavered. "And if it doesn't work? If we end up trapped for real?"

I closed my eyes, imagining her on the other side of the line, probably with her back against the wall just like me. We were both cornered, caught in a game neither of us asked to play. But I couldn't let her feel abandoned, not when she needed me to be strong.

"If it doesn't work," I said, "then we'll keep fighting. I'll find another way. But I promise you, Grace, I won't let them trap us. We're getting out of this, together."

Her sigh came through again, softer this time, like she was weighing her options, trying to see the hope in my plan. When she spoke again, her voice was steadier. "Okay. We'll do it. But I need you to promise me something, Tobias."

"Anything."

"If this all falls apart, if it starts going wrong, you have to tell me. No hiding, no pretending. We face this together."

"Together," I agreed.

She let out a small laugh, though it was tinged with the same nervous energy I felt. "God, I can't believe I'm agreeing to this."

"You're not the only one," I said, cracking a smile. "But if we pull it off... we'll be free."

We spent the next half hour hashing out the details, talking in quiet, measured tones as if we were already afraid someone could overhear us. The plan was simple, but it had to be airtight. No sudden movements, no signs of rebellion. We'd attend the engagement parties, smile at the right moments, make all the necessary preparations. The families would be distracted by the spectacle, too busy planning their perfect union to notice the cracks in our facade.

Meanwhile, we'd quietly prepare our escape. We'd need allies—someone to help us disappear. I had a few names in mind, old friends who had no love for my father's empire. We'd need new identities, a place to run where even the Archers and my father's reach wouldn't extend.

Grace's voice grew softer as we neared the end of the call. "It's going to be strange, pretending like everything's fine."

"I know," I said. "But it's just temporary."

"Tobias... what if pretending starts to feel real?"

I froze for a moment, her words lingering between us. That was the risk, wasn't it? Not just that we'd get caught, but that the line between pretending and reality would blur. We were already so deeply entangled in this mess, and now we were about to step even deeper.

"We'll keep our heads," I said finally, though the uncertainty gnawed at me. "This isn't real. It's just a means to an end."

Grace didn't respond right away, but I could hear the doubt lingering. I understood it. We were about to walk into the fire, and I wasn't entirely sure we wouldn't get burned.

"We'll get through this," I added, more for myself than for her. "I promise."

There was a pause before she finally whispered, "I trust you."

As the call ended, I sat in the quiet of my room, staring at the screen of my phone. The reality of what we were about to do sank in. We were walking straight into the lion's mouth, and there was no turning back now.

But deep down, I knew there was no other way.

The clock was ticking.