Goddammit!Is this what a heart attack feels like?
I rub my eyes because they must be playing tricks on me—I don’t believe what I’m seeing. There is no way in the world Miranda would have another man in her bed.
There’s no way.
She’s not like that.
I trust her.
She’s never given me any reason not to trust her. Ever!
I take a step further, not believing my eyes, and I kick something on the floor that rattles. The sound bounces off the walls in the quiet bedroom.
Miranda sits up quickly and shakes her head trying to clear her sleep fog. “Ali?” Miranda gasps, her eyes widen with panic as she takes in that I am standing inourbedroom hours earlier than I said I would be.
I look over at the bedside clock, it’s 11:59 p.m. I made it.
“What are you doing home so early?” she asks quickly, then swallows hard.
“Surprise,” I say through gritted teeth.
The man beside her groans, shaking his dark hair as he sits up.
No.
No.
No.
Why him?
Of all the people you could have fucked.Why him?
I feel the moment my heart breaks inside my chest as the familiar brown eyes stare back at me. After all these years, I thought the rivalry would have stopped now we’re fucking adults.
It seems I was wrong.
Dead wrong!
“Shit, Ali, you’re home early,” my brother grumbles as if my presence is an annoyance to him.
Anger bubbles through my veins as I launch myself at him. “Youfuckingasshole,” I swear as I grab and then haul him from the bed, where I notice he’s naked. My fist meets his jaw with a crunch multiple times as I lay into him.
“Ali, stop! Please stop,” Miranda screams beside me.
“Why? Why her?” I yell as my brother fights back.
“She was mine first,” he screams. “You fucking took her fromme.”
I took her from him?
Has he lost his mind?
As blind rage fills me, I continue to lay into my brother.
“Ali, please stop hurting George,” Miranda yells at me.
She wantsmeto stop hurtinghim.