Page 103 of #Moonstruck

When I arrived at his complex, with no reporters trailing after me, I turned on my phone and went to the ENZ website.

Pictures of Ryan and Skyler. The captions indicated that they were recent. Laughing over dinner. Walking her Chihuahua together. He looked happy. I let my fingers outline the shape of his face.

I read the article under the pictures. Several insiders talked about their love rekindling, with Ryan telling Skyler he’d never really gotten over her. They talked about how perfect they were as a couple, so alike in every aspect. The title of the story even asked, “Maisy Who?”

There was a crushing sensation pressing down on my chest, making it hard to catch my breath. I felt completely destroyed. Skyler had promised to ruin my life, and it looked like she’d finally figured out a way to do it. She’d said she’d get back together with him, and she had. As if I’d never existed. Never even mattered to Ryan. I leaned forward, folding in on myself. My arms and legs shook as if they wouldn’t support me if I tried to stand.

But Ryan said she didn’t like guys.

He was assuming,I reminded that inner voice.Maybe he was wrong.

These pictures seemed to indicate that he had been.

I got out of the car, feeling like a shell of myself. Nothing had been right in my life since I’d walked away from Ryan.

Fitz opened the door before I could knock and gave me a hug. I tried to smile at him but didn’t quite manage it. He offered me something to drink, but I declined.

Cole and Parker arrived together about a minute later. Fitz asked everyone to sit down. “I have some good news and some great news.”

“Isn’t it traditional to start with the bad news?” Parker asked, nodding his head toward me.

My other two brothers turned toward me. “Maisy?” Fitz asked gently. “Is there something you want to tell us?”

“Nope,” I managed. “All good.”

“Lie,” Cole said. “If you don’t want to talk about what’s bothering you right now, that’s fine. But I think it’s time you told us what actually happened between you and Ryan. It’s been bothering me for weeks. I feel like I should have beaten somebody up for hurting my sister and didn’t.”

Large tears fell on my cheeks. I shook my head. “I can’t.”

Fitz came over and knelt on the floor in front of me, taking my hands in his. “Maisy, we’re the people you can trust. You know we’re always here for you. Let us help you carry this burden.”

I needed to tell someone. Through tears and sobs, I told them in a cracking voice everything that had happened when CeCe showed up at Ryan’s apartment.

When I finally finished, I expected ... something. Threats of bodily harm, promises to make Ryan pay, a dramatic leaping to their feet and swearing to enact vengeance. Instead, I saw them exchange uneasy glances with one another.

“What?” I demanded.

“I’m sorry, Maze, but to be honest I don’t get why you’re so upset,” Parker finally said.

I blinked, too shocked to respond.

“It’s not like he knew about the kid and kept it from you,” Cole added. “Then you’d have a right to be upset.”

“Yeah. He didn’t make this happen. It sounds like he was just as surprised as you were.”

Fitz had moved onto the couch and put his arm around me while I’d recounted my story. “Maisy.” He said my name gently, like he was worried I might break. “Have you considered the possibility that Ryan needed you when he found out?”

The heartache inside me quickly shifted to anger. What was happening? “How are you guys not on my side? Don’t you see he’s just like our father?”

Cole folded his arms. “Ryan is nothing like our dad. And him having one kid he knew nothing about doesn’t make him like Louis. At all. Why would you even say that? I thought you loved Ryan.”

“I did,” I sputtered.

I do.

Then, annoyingly enough, my brothers started talking about me like I wasn’t in the room.

“She needs to get over this anger at Dad and move on with her life. It’s going to destroy any future relationship she ever tries to have.”

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