“Justin,” he supplies before turning to my mother. “Bernadina?” There’s a question in his voice.
My mother’s face contorts in disbelief. ”What are you doing here, Gabriel?” She whispers my name as if it’s a curse.
I step back, realization digging knives into my chest. “You sent me an invitation. I … I thought you wanted me to come?”
Her new husband—Justin—looks taken aback, clearly not at all aware that his new wife has a son.
He clears his throat awkwardly. “It’s nice to meet you,” he says. “I didn’t know Bernadina had a surviving son.” So she told him about Carlos, but she didn’t bother mentioning me?
Sharp talons sink into my chest, twisting and yanking until it becomes difficult to breathe.
My mother tries to regain her composure, her voice strained. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. There must have been an oversight. I didn’t mean for you to be here. I?—”
The words sting more than I expect, and anger bubbles up within me. “An oversight? Really, Mom?” There’s a bite in my voice that I don’t intend to be there, butfuck—is she for real right now?
The younger of the groomsmen steps forward. “I’m the one who sent the invitation,” he says, and all eyes turn in his direction. “I found your contact information in Bernadina’s address book. I didn’t know who you were. I thought you were family, given the last name. I’m sorry. I was just trying to help with the wedding.” He ducks his head and mumbles another apology.
“It’s alright, son,” Justin tells him. “We’ll get this sorted out.” I can see it now. The resemblance between the two of them. I flick my gaze between him and another of the groomsman, who’s now making his way toward us.
“Hey.” He smiles wide as soon as he’s close and offers me his hand. “I’m Asher. Have we met?”
They’ve got to be no more than a year or two apart. Close to my age. Brothers. A spear of jealousy hits me square in the chest.
Cecilia’s fingers wrap around my biceps. “Gabriel?” she says, and I realize the groomsman—Asher— is still waiting for me to shake his hand.
Fuck. My jaw clenches.
Asher drops his hand once he realizes I’m not going to take it. He looks around at the faces in our circle, taking note of the tension that hangs thick in the air. “What’s going on?” The question is directed at his brother. “Adam?”
“You replaced us,” I say to my mother. “One for Dad—” I indicate Justin, her new husband. “One for Carlos.” I turn to Adam. “And one for me.” My eyes meet Asher’s dark brown and confused gaze. He’s the closest in age to me. Hell, for all I know, he’s also twenty-two. A stepbrother. Carlos is dead, and this guy is now my stepbrother.
The surrealness of the situation slams into me and I bark out a laugh. It’s jagged and hollow even to my own ears, but fuck if I care.
My mother winces.
What she’s doing, it’s a slap in the face. She’s built an entirely new life with a new husband and new children, one where there’s no room left for me.
I can’t contain my emotions any longer. “I’m sorry for intruding on your perfect day,” I snap, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Congratulations on your new family. I hope you give a shit about this one more than you did your last.”
I turn my back on them and storm away. Cecilia rushes after me, struggling to keep pace in her heels. I know I need to slow my steps, let her catch up to me, but I can’t. All I want to do is put as much distance as possible between me and my mother.
Fuck her and fuck her new family.
“Gabriel, wait!” Cecilia calls out.
I ignore her. I can’t … fuck. The walls are closing in on me. I can’t breathe. My chest squeezes like a vice cutting off myairflow. I can’t do this right now. I need—my eyes dart around, searching for an escape— a way out of this nightmare.
I shove my way through the crowd, ignoring the bewildered looks from my mother’s guests. Cecilia’s cries fall on deaf ears, drowned out by the storm of emotions raging inside me.
She just … she fucking replaced me. And worse, she erased me. Her new husband didn’t know who I was. Didn’t know she had a son. That I was a part of her life. That I existed. She told him about Carlos. About the son she lost. But she didn’t tell him about me.
Why?
I stumble past the entrance gates, my fingers fumbling for my phone. Typing out a quick message to Felix, I head for the sidewalk. I need some air. I need—I don’t know what the fuck I need. Air, space—anything to make sense of the chaos in my head.
Fuck.
I just need a minute. A goddamn minute to think. Or …
