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When I look up, I catch Roman’s gaze. He’s watching me. Why is he watching me?
His eyes are piercing, and I worry for a moment that, out of everyone here, he might be the one who sees right through my façade. Like maybe he knows not everything went to plan in Italy.
I look away long before he does.
As the conversation dissolves into more anecdotes, Donna points out while looking at Mom, “Rebecca, you two should go on a trip to celebrate. Thirty years is a long time, you know. You deserve to reignite that spark.”
Mom blushes, patting Dad’s meaty chest. “Please. You should try getting Daniel on a plane.”
Chloe drifts from the crowd and joins me, poking my shoulder with a dimpled, curious smile. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, of course. I’m great!” Again, I wonder who invited her — not because I don’t want her to be here, but because she’s only met my folks a handful of times, and I can’t imagine them asking her when they thought I wouldn’t be here, too. “I can’t wait to catch up properly.”
“Maddie… I do have someth?—”
“Speaking of marriage,” Brandon interrupts, tapping his fork against his glass and standing up. “I actually have an announcement of my own. Well, we do.”
Beside me, Chloe stiffens. I don’t understand why at first, not until I realize that Brandon is motioning to her. But why?
“Brandon…” She shakes her head, her eyes wide. I’ve seen that face before. It’s the one she makes when she wants something to stay between us — when she doesn’t want me to talk about a shopping spree in front of her parents or her waste-of-space ex in front of a cute guy at a bar. But why is Brandon the subject of it now? What is she trying to hide?
My stomach drops as the pieces start to fit together too slowly.
Brandon’s smile is bright and smitten, his cheeks a rosy pink. I’ve never seen him look like this before. Brandon is often as unemotional as Dad. It takes a lot for him to go all moon-eyed and sentimental the way he looks now.
“On Friday, I asked the love of my life to marry me.” He grabs Chloe, tucking his arm around her and pulling her close. She presses her lips into an uncomfortable smile, flashing me a guilty glance as she scratches her arm nervously.
My lungs tighten, and I set down my champagne when my hands begin to shake.
I must be wrong. I have to be…
“And she said yes. Chloe and I are engaged!”
I clutch onto the nearest chair, panic rising in me. My best friend and my brother are engaged. I didn’t even know they were dating. Hell, I didn’t even know they liked each other! Sure, they could hold a civil conversation when they were in the same room, but there was no sign of something more. No sign that one day, they would get married.
I’ve known this woman since preschool. I knew when she had her first boyfriend, her first period, her first damn orgasm. And she couldn’t be bothered to call me and tell me that she was dating my brother, let alone marrying him.
I feel like I’ve stepped into an alternate reality, a parallel universe.
They kept this from me. They hid it.
I’ve never felt more out of place as everyone claps and coos, including Mom and Dad.
“Mads, I know this is probably a shock for you, but we hope?—”
I cut Brandon’s words away with my hand, twisting on unsteady heels and heading back into the kitchen as tears spill over my eyes.
I thought that coming home would mean everything would go back to normal.
Now, I feel like I’ve lost the two most important people in my life — to each other.
CHAPTER2
Roman
o o o
Well, that didn’t go well.
