Page 75 of Claimed By The Other Brother

"The permanence of it. The finality. Standing up there and promising forever when I wasn't sure I knew what forever meant."

"So you just didn't show up?" My voice rises.

"That was your solution? To leave me there and let me fall apart in front of everyone?"

"I panicked." He looks at me with tears in his eyes.

"I know that's not an excuse. I know I hurt you in theworst possible way. But I panicked, and by the time I realized what a massive mistake I was making, it was too late. You were gone. Your phone was off. I didn't know how to reach you."

"You could have tried harder." My hands are shaking.

"You could have come to my apartment. You could have called Jane or Sarah. You could have done anything other than leave me voicemails that said absolutely nothing."

"I know." He takes a step toward me.

"I was a coward. I didn't know what to say. How to explain. How to make it right."

"You can't make it right, Miles." I shake my head.

"What you did is unforgivable."

"Is it?" He searches my face.

"Scarlett, we had three years together—three good years. Doesn't that count for something? Doesn't that mean I deserve a chance to explain? To try to fix this?"

I stare at him, and a strange calm settles over me. I'm still angry. Still hurt. But there's something else underneath it now; a realization that's been growing for two weeks. I look at Miles—really look at him—and think about the secret I'm carrying. The nights with Dax. The way I responded to his brother in ways I never responded to him.

Miles has no idea. He's standing here pouring his heart out, completely oblivious to what happened after he left.

The thought should make me feel guilty. Instead, it just makes me feel tired.

"You were playing a game all along," I say quietly.

"Weren't you? The engagement, the wedding planning, all of it. You were just going through the motions because it's what you thought you were supposed to do."

"No." Miles shakes his head vehemently.

"That's not true. I loved you. I love you. I just... I didn't know how to handle it. How to be what you needed."

"What I needed was someone who showed up." My voice is steady now.

"What I needed was someone who didn't run when things got real."

"I know." He takes another step closer.

"And I want to prove to you that I can be that person. That I can do better. Be better."

I don't respond. Just stand there, arms crossed, waiting.

"I didn't realize how much you meant to me until I lost you," Miles continues.

"I know that sounds cliché, but it's true. These past two weeks have been hell. I can't sleep. I can't focus. All I think about is you and how badly I fucked this up."

"Good." The word comes out harsher than I intended.

"You should feel like hell. You should think about what you did every single day."

"I do." His voice drops.