MELANIE

Iglance over my reflection in the bathroom mirror of Tyler’s apartment. No amount of carefully applied makeup can hide the fact that I’ve been crying for the past two hours. I wish I didn’t have the fundraiser tonight, but it’s the one thing keeping me from finding my brother and wringing his neck.

I sniff, stifling yet another sob. Pull yourself together, Mel. It’s not like what Nathan and I had was real. Not like he would ever truly love me.

Except it felt real. It felt better than anything I’ve ever had before. And even if it wasn’t, he made me feel like it was. He didn’t deserve any of what happened to him. Nobody deserves that, and the thought that I might have been able to stop it, or that I ever agreed to any part of it, is eating me alive. I can’t get the image of him waking up confused and terrified with some strange woman in his bed out of my head. How he told me that it broke his heart to think he cheated on me.

My head drops, and a shuddering sob wracks my body. Every thought slices through my heart like a surgeon’s scalpel. How could I have been so stupid to not have been honest with him from the start? It might have stopped him from marrying me, but at least he wouldn’t be hurt. At least I wouldn’t know the pain of losing him. Because beneath all the chatter and anger and questions racing through my head at a million miles an hour, that’s the pain that beats the hardest inside my chest.

I had the most incredible man in the world.

And now I’ve lost him.

Tyler’s soothing voice fills my ear. “Oh, baby girl, I wish I was there right now.”

I sink into the sofa in his living room and glance at his old football jersey sitting beside me. I run my fingertip over the letter M of his nickname, then pick up the jersey and press it against my face, inhaling his comforting scent. After fielding dozens of questions about where my husband was and lying to everyone about why he wasn’t with me, I left the charity event early. Every time I heard his name was like a thousand needles skewering my heart. Even the cute rescue animals couldn’t ease the overwhelming ache pulsing through my entire body.

“Your brother is a real piece of shit, you know that. I am going to kick his goddamn ass to kingdom come when I get back.”

“No, Ty, you’re not.” He knows I abhor violence of any kind, and him getting in the middle of Bryce and me always bothered me. Tyler’s had to stick up for me against my bully of a big brother for as long as I can remember, and I hate that he still has to.

“Then I hope Nathan uses some of his mob contacts to scare the living shit out of him instead then,” he huffs.

“No,” I groan. “That would be even worse.”

“Someone has to do something about him, baby girl. He’s ruined two people’s lives, and for what?”

I rub my cheek against his soft jersey and close my eyes. “I know, Ty. And I’m sure Nathan will deal with him somehow. If he has any sense, he’ll call the police, but I doubt that he will.”

“Maybe he’ll ruin him instead. Like financially. That seems more his style,” Tyler muses.

“Yeah, and it wouldn’t take that much effort. I’m sure he’s already on the brink of ruin. Goddamn useless asshole.”

Tyler snorts a laugh. “What are you gonna do now, baby girl?”

I choke back a sob. “I don’t know, Ty,” I reply honestly. “I feel so empty.”

“Oh, baby girl,” he says softly, and his compassion breaks me. My already shattered heart disintegrates in my chest, turning to a pile of ash as I press the phone to my chest. Loud, guttural sobs wrack my body. I hate that Nathan has been hurt because of me. I hate that I wasn’t honest with him about Bryce’s stupid plan from the start. But most of all, I hate my useless, waste-of-oxygen older brother.

When I press the phone back to my ear, Tyler is patiently waiting on the line. “I wish I could wrap you up in a hug, Mel.”

I wipe the tears from my cheeks. “I wish you could too.”

He sighs, and I love that he doesn’t tell me everything will be okay or reassure me that Nathan will forgive me, because we don’t know if either of those things are true.

I hear someone calling his name in the background and remember he’s supposed to be working. “You go, and I’ll call you later.”

“I’m right here on the end of the line whenever you need me.”

“I know.”

“Love you, Goose.”

“Love you too, Mav.”

After we hang up, I stare into space and hold onto Ty’s Maverick jersey, wishing with all my heart that I had my Iceman back.

I keep glancing at my cell phone on the coffee table, then at my coat hanging on the rack. I’ve been sitting on this sofa all night, wondering what the hell to do next. Drifting in and out of sleep with all manner of horrible thoughts swirling around my head. Do I call him or go confront him in person? But confronting him face-to-face would make me break my no-violence rule because I’m absolutely certain I won’t be able to hold back from punching him in his fat, arrogant mouth. Or scratching his eyes out. Maybe both.

My heart is racing like a prize-winning stallion headed for the finish line, and my fingers tremble as I pick up the phone. I take a long, soothing breath and dial Bryce’s number.

Waiting for him to pick up, I wonder if he knows what happened yet. Has Nathan already contacted him? Maybe he’s in police custody? A few seconds later, he answers.

“Why are you calling me so early? It’s barely seven,” he barks.

“Why did you do it, Bryce?” I fight to keep the tremor from my voice.

He snorts. “Do what?”

His contempt shreds my last bit of restraint. “You know what I’m talking about. You knew Nathan was traveling to Chicago for that meeting. You knew he’d be there,” I screech.

“I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about, little sister. And you’d do well to remember your tone when you’re speaking to me.”

“You’d do well to remember that I know exactly the kind of man you are, Bryce. I told Nathan about your ridiculous plan to trigger the morality clause in our prenup—”

“You did what?” he roars.

“I. Told. Him.” I enunciate each word clearly.

“You stupid little bitch!”

“I’m stupid?” I snort a laugh. “You seriously think he’s stupid enough to let you pull a stunt like that and not figure out something’s going on? You have heard about drug tests, right? Exactly how loyal do you think this poor woman you roped into your scheme is going to be once Nathan gets a hold of her? Or reports you both to the cops for sexual assault?”

“You fucking told him?” he screams again. “If I go down for this, you’re coming with me, Melanie. I’ll tell everyone you were in up to your neck.”

I let out a triumphant but hollow laugh. “So you’re admitting it was you?”

He’s quiet for a few seconds. “Fuck you!”

“I hate you, Bryce. I’ve always hated you, but this is unforgivable.”

“If anything happens to me because of this, it will be on you, Melanie.” His voice takes on a whiny tone now, and it makes my stomach roll.

He’s such a manipulative little shit, and I can’t believe I didn’t have the strength to do this years ago. “You are dead to me, Bryce. You even come near me again and I’ll go to the cops and tell them what you did to him myself. Do you hear me?”