Page 3 of When Forever Falls Apart

But maybe I’m not ready for swoon-worthy men either. The type who dips his cowboy hat then ravages me in his shack in the middle of the woods.

I miss having sex, and smut is only making it worse.

Out of boredom, my eyes wander to my phone sitting beside me. Slowly, I reach over and bring it toward me like it’s a bomb ready to go off.

Frankly, it is.

It was only four months ago that I saidyesto marrying Myles Whitney in my picturesque hometown of Cinnamon Springs, a small town in upstate New York.

We both worked on Broadway, which is where we officially met. Myles directed productions and I worked in the costume department. The funny thing is, our paths had crossed before at family events yet we never spoke to one another.

Our friendship blossomed into more, and we had a lot in common. That’s where it went wrong—where I confused comfort and common ground for a happily ever after. Our relationship was easy, so when Myles proposed, I saidyes.It was like another box had been ticked.

Then, I watched my older brother and best friend fall inlove. It was like a romance novel playing out before my eyes. Enemies-to-lovers, if I had to pick the theme. To make it all the more dramatic, they hid it from me. It all took me by surprise, but that surprise soon turned into resentment. My patience wore thin, and I found myself snapping at everything and everyone.

The more involved they became in their forbidden romance, the more I realized that marrying Myles was the wrong decision. I felt it settle over me like a cold shadow I couldn’t shake. It was small things, petty things, but soon it became apparent that I had settled for a friend, not someone who made me think nothing else in the world mattered besides him.

Butterflies, head over heels, can’t-breathe-without-themlove.

After I left Myles at the altar, because I was a coward and couldn’t pull the trigger before the actual wedding, I skipped town and blocked almost everyone. I’d humiliated not only myself but Myles and his family, not to mention my own.

I deleted all social media apps from my phone, reducing the temptation to see what the world thinks of me bailing on the wealthy heir… but temptation is the devil’s playground. My fingers tap the app store, coaxing me to redownload the apps—that is, until the phone rings and Eva’s name appears.

“You saved me,” I answer with relief.

“Oh no. Did you stumble into the nudist part again and see an old man’s saggy butt?”

My body shudders at the thought. “Eww, no. I was about to reinstate my socials.”

“Maddy,” Eva warns softly. “Don’t do it. You’re going to spiral out of control. It’ll do nothing but destroy your mental health.”

My mental health. Right, what’s that again?

“So, everyone’s talking about me?” I question.

“C’mon, internet trolls are just that: trolls. If I paid attention to every single person telling me I’m not good enough for a hot billionaire, then I wouldn’t be with a hot billionaire.”

I press my lips together in a grimace. “Okay, firstly, please stop using the wordhot. You’re talking about my big brother.”

Eva lets out a guilty giggle that instantly makes me roll my eyes. That’s when I know my brother is beside her, probably doing something to her that will scar me.

“Put Aston on the phone,” I demand.

“Fine,” Eva agrees. “You’re on speaker.”

“Hello, brother. Sounds like you’re not behaving yourself, as usual. Which is gross, by the way.”

“Well, what can I say?” I hear the singsong in his voice. “I have a gorgeous fiancée.”

A sigh escapes me as I admit, “You sound happy.”

“I am,” he responds. “But I know you’re not. Come back home, Madelina. It’s time to change the narrative. Whether you come back tomorrow or a year from now, people will have their opinions.”

“I know… it’s just that Dad hasn’t attempted to reach out. I didn’t block him, but still, I thought he would be worried about me.”

“You meanyourfather.” The words are gritted out with pure resentment.

And there’s the other big drama in my life. Up until my wedding day, we all believed Aston and I shared the same parents. It was my breakdown that caused the spillage of all the family secrets.