Page 89 of The Hearts We've Broken
The irony of it all didn’t escape me. No, I knew how it looked. But over the past few weeks, it became less about revenge and more about actually enjoying Mikey’s company. I thought maybe he felt the same way, that this fake relationship was starting to feel real.
But, once again, I was a fool.
“You’re right.” I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood. “This”—I gestured to the both of us—“should have ended a long time ago. None of this was real, and I should have never trusted you.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
mikey
Hurt flashed in her eyes, but her emotions didn’t match what she was saying.
Even though I knew I would regret it later, I couldn’t stop the words from falling from my mouth. “Well, then, we might as well end this ‘relationship’ while we’re at it.” I put air quotes aroundrelationshipbecause it was never real, was it?
It was always meant to be temporary.Fake.There was always a risk that someone would end up getting hurt, but I still went through with it.
Worse yet, I let myself fall.
My heart was screaming at me to stop, to explain. To say even though none of it was real, Iwishedit was.
But instead, poison dripped from my lips, tainting whatever was left of us. “You clearly got what you wanted, and I got what I needed out of this a long time ago, so there’s no need to pretend anymore.”
As though I drove the knife in further, ripping our chances to shreds, her shoulders fell.
“I guess not.” Her jaw set in a hard line as she tore offthe silver chain of the necklace I bought her and threw it on the ground, the blue gem shimmering in the sunlight amongst the gravel.
Without another word, she walked away, leaving me behind.
I watched as she pulled out her phone and placed it against her ear. Even with the distance between us, I heard the break in her voice when she choked out, “Come pick me up. You were right all along.”
It didn’t take long for videos of our fight to pop up on social media. Less than twenty-four hours later, gossip accounts were talking about us.
@therodeoroundup.official:Trouble in paradise? Our sources say that bull rider Mikey Tucker and his girlfriend got in an explosive argument last week in Goldfinch, Montana.
@cowboy4lifee1423:@therodeoroundup.official I heard their relationship was fake the entire time.
@kalee.marieee1:@cowboy4lifee1423 It was fake. I was there. He used her to win a bet.
@codylbarton102:@kalee.marieee1That’s rough.
@cowboy4lifee1423:@kalee.marieee1How embarrassing.
@connorridesbulls12:I knew it was too good to be true. There’s no way he actuallyliked her.
@ranchandmoto123:@connorridesbulls12 I wonder what she got out of it.
@ttchance16:@ranchandmoto123 Fifteen minutes of fame probably Typical buckle bunny shit.
@kalee.marieee1:@ranchandmoto123 She was using him to get back at her ex. It’s all messy AF.
I threw my phone across the trailer. It wouldn’t be long until the press caught wind of this and it was all anyone would talk about. My life would no longer be about my bull riding performance. It would once again be about my non-existent love life.
Old Leroy must have sensed something was wrong, because he didn’t shoot me his usual scowl when I came tearing into the trailer park the other day. He just went back to reading his newspaper, a sad expression plastered on his face.
This morning, Colter had sent me the pin for the plot of land he owed me after the bet. I was going to take it, but I couldn’t deny the twinge of guilt that pricked at my chest at the idea of it.
Sure, Juniper had used me to make her ex jealous, but I was no better. In fact, I was probably worse. The look of betrayal on her face replayed through my mind like a broken record. Every time I closed my eyes, I was teleported back to that moment.
I decided that moving would take my mind off things, at least temporarily, so I got dressed and headed outside to hook up the trailer and get out of this park for good.
