Page 56 of It Should Have Been Us

I clench my teeth together. “Can you not do that?”

“What?”

I lift our linked hands. “This. As a matter of fact, can you just stay away from me?”

My phone starts buzzing in my back pocket. I try to reach for it, but he doesn’t let go of my hand.

Miguel pulls his brows together. “I don’t think that’s possible, considering the wedding is just around the corner.”

“Well, I don’t see a reason for us to interact before that. Or during the wedding, for that matter.”

“So, what should I do? Just ignore that you’re standing right there across from me?”

“Yes, you should do exactly that.” I tug harder, my hand finally slipping out of his grasp. “It’s notthat hard. You didn’t have a problem ignoring me for the past three years, so now shouldn’t be any different.”

He takes a step closer, his whole body towering over me. “Are you serious right now?”

I lift my chin higher. “What do you think?”

I haven’t cowered in front of him before, and I sure as hell won’t start now. No matter how much the voice at the back of my head screams for me to run while I still have a chance.

Miguel just stares at me, the tension building between the two of us. I swear it’s like a living, breathing thing. The air sizzles, making it hard to breathe.

“What happened to us, Rebecca?” he whispers softly after what feels like forever.

The way he says my name makes me shudder.

It’s like a caress, like the way he used to say it when we were just two crazy kids in love, and nothing mattered. When we still believed in fairytales. When we thought we could surpass everything if we were together.

But we weren’t together.

Not for a long time.

I swallow the knot in my throat as I force the words out. “You.”

I have to get out of here.

Taking a step back, I’m ready to bolt, but his hand is on mine once again, holding me hostage.

“Me? You’re blaming me whenyouwere the one who left.Youwere the one who didn’t give me a chance to explain.Youwere the one who told me you’d stand by my side no matter what and then turned your back on me. You,Rebecca. Not me.You.”

Each softly spoken word is like a slice to my heart, tearing down the patched-up pieces I worked so hard to put back together after he shot through my life like a wrecking ball.

My phone stops buzzing, but almost as soon as it’s done, it starts again.

Shit.

Nobody calls me, especially not twice in a row, not if it’s not urgent.

“We’re not doing this, Miguel. Not here. Not now. Notever.”

I yank my hand out of his grasp and turn to walk away, my hand slipping into my back pocket to pull out my phone. My gaze falls down, and my heart sinks when I see the name on the screen. The knot is back in my throat, tighter than ever. I press the answer button and lift the device to my ear.

“B-Becky?”

The sound of my name uttered in a stuttered mess makes my heart stop in my chest.

“Linda?” My grip tightens around my phone. “What’s going on? What happened?”

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