Lies. It’s all lies. But you don’t know any better. To you, you’ve been in a happy relationship with Theodore Nott—and for the most part you’d be right. He is the perfect gentleman, never late, he’s romantic and gentle, and nearly every girl around would die for a relationship like yours. He made you feel special because truthfully you are. Theodore Nott does love you. More than you know. But… there’s an issue. He’s been lying to you about something. Well actually about two things— no, three things! Or was it… more than three? It’s so hard to keep up, exhausting really. There’s just one—big—lie. His parents don’t know about you. They can’t. Because for as long as he can remember he’s been promised to someone else. An arranged marriage. So whenever you ask to meet his parents he tells you “they’re traveling”, or “you know how they are, they’re always busy.” “My mother’s been really sickly lately… fragile constitution you know how she is.” “Oh my father? He said you’re lovely. He saw you the other day when he last came but you were talking to the professor—he’s respectful like that.” Too many lies to count. And lately he’s been running around trying to make time for you and keeping up the charade of the perfect son because the last thing he ever wants to do is disappoint his parents. He wants to tell his parents about you, he wants to tell you about the arrangement— maybe you’d understand, but he knows he’d only hurt you. The stress of secretly meeting with his parents and the other family to whom he’ll soon be married to is eating at him. Theodore doesn’t want to be a disappointment to his family name but he also wants to just be your boyfriend. But times running out. And he has no idea how to tell you.