Page 44 of When Forever Falls Apart

It bothers me seeing her this way.Why?I have no fucking idea.

I let out a heavy sigh. “Fine, I’ll go to this wedding with you,” I say, a hint of regret already in my voice.

Her eyes widen, sparkling with a flicker of excitement that seems to lift her spirits, transforming her from a miserable shell into someone almost lively again. The coffee could be a contributing factor, I guess.

She jumps onto her knees. “You will?”

I manage to suppress a smirk as I add, “But I’ll only go with you on one condition.”

“What is it?”

“This needs to be convincing,” I tell her, holding her gaze. “If we’re playing this game, I want to win.”

Madelina raises her brows. “Win?”

“Exactly,” I say. “You just admitted he’s moved on while you’re nursing your wounds, am I right?”

“Yeah…”

“Guys don’t need to heal. They need to act. I hate to burst your bubble, but he’s sleeping with Lara. Men get over someone by getting under someone new. Or, sometimes, behind someone.”

“Argh, okay, I get it. No need for the details; you like doggy style. Carry on.”

I cock my head, amused by her bluntness. “If he thinks you’re single and grieving, seeing you with a date will definitely make him second-guess his choices and also stab him where it hurts… Revenge, for all intents and purposes.”

A smile breaks across her face, her eyes gleaming with newfound determination. “I like where you’re going with this. So we just have to pretend that last night was casual, but by the wedding, we’ll make it official. I can do this.”

“All right, you’ve got yourself a fake boyfriend for this wedding.”

She claps her hands in delight, leaping off the bed to wrap her arms around me in a hug. It catches me off guard, but I don’t pull away, waiting patiently for her to release me. My hands bunch the shirt she’s wearing, accidentally exposing her thighs. And as we stand here inside my room, her body flush with mine, my heart beats fast, almost like an alarm warning me to step away.

When I pull back slowly, our eyes lock, and something passes between us. This back-and-forth desire is giving me whiplash, blurring the boundaries set between us. My imagination runs wild, wondering what it would be like to run my thumb against Madelina’s bottom lip, kiss her with ease, then lie her on my bed and slide inside her.

To watch her back arch as I enter her, hear her scream my name as I reach down and rub her clit until she can’t take it any longer and explodes all over me.

I swallow the lump caught in my throat and see her biting her lip while staring at my lips.

Quickly, I pull away, scratching the back of my neck. “Oh, one more thing,” I say casually, breaking the moment.

She pulls back, creating more distance between us. “What is it?”

I turn my back to her, heading toward the kitchen. “I totally saw your nipples. They never disappoint.”

“Perv!” Madelina laughs, and a moment later a cushion thuds against the back of my head.

CHAPTER 13Madelina

The relentless throb of my head punishes me like the beat of a cruel drum banging loudly inside the room.

Myles’s piercing gaze lingers in my memory, reigniting emotions I’ve long buried in order to move on with my life. He looked good—no sign of sadness or pathos.

To make it all worse, his girlfriend confirmed that he has moved on.

He’s already got his dick in some chick’s vagina, while mine is growing cobwebs with every day that passes.

All the while, I’m trying to grapple with the guilt I can’t seem to shake off.

The more I replay last night, trying to dissect every word, every glance, the more my head throbs relentlessly. I’m this close to a migraine and on the verge of dry heaving, so I force my eyes shut again, trying to drown out the noise.