Being in a state of false belief is not a lie. Denial neither. The person makes up their own reality of how things occurred and how things really are. People can be tricked into a state of false belief with a lie but it is not a lie itself. In a state of false belief, reality is not of the world's but of their own. Reality is not real but neither a lie; to separate the truth from false belief we say actuality…
She's still here. I know she is.
He said repeatedly in his head. They finally got together and everything was perfect.
Another thing he told himself. He wasn't lying.
In actuality, she didn't know what she wanted. A relationship or to be single? To be with him or with another guy? Maybe just date herself. In his reality, there were no faults nor questions whatsoever.
But then a guy from her past showed up. A guy that made her questions triple. Maybe she was meant to be with him? He's single now, her cloudy head thought at the time, eyeing the sad man drinking his troubles away. Once she got closer to him she saw his tear stained face.
One night of regret won't hurt, her head said, taking a sit right next to him.
She returned home, wasted. Staggering into the bedroom, he knew something was wrong. She was crying. His reality cracked. He always felt threatened by the guy ever since he showed up, he knew that was the reason she was crying, but his reality refused to let him see the threat before him. He didn't like the glance shown from actuality.
"Did you do anything?" He said in a quite panic state. Through her eyes, he looked deep down in her soul for the truth.
"No." Finding no evidence of lies, he let out a deep breath. That answer allowed him to drift back to his reality. It provided him with an excuse. They were perfect. But why was she still crying?
A/N: I was actually thinking of Gone With The Wind while writing this. It took everything in my power to stop myself from putting in a scenario where someone says "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn".