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My chest heaved. “It has everything to do with me.”

Why was he so calm about this?

What else would MirandaNews say next? She had over five million followers—more than my art account. Miranda could ruin me. Would she recognize me? I’d grown up since elementary school.

“You’re having lunch with your fiancé. You should focus on me rather than working, right, darling?” Attikus kissed my forehead as Miranda approached.

I inhaled a breath as my body tensed with shock. The past flashed before me. Miranda looked the same as when she bullied me in elementary school.She wore a casual blazer over a pink shirt with jeans.

“Attikus,” she said in a tone that told me she knew him. “It’s so good to see you. Is this your lovely fiancée?” She looked at meand smiled. “Your art is stunning, by the way. I saw it at Attikus’s museum.”

“Miranda, this is Nessa.” He interlaced his fingers with mine. “Miranda has been a big supporter of the Mount Museum.”

What a small world to encounter a childhood bully who had dated my fake husband.

“Do you mind if I take a photo of you for MirandaNews?”

Attikus looked at me. “It’s better to see our pics on Miranda’s social media page than some other random person’s.”

Miranda offered me a warm smile. She didn’t recognize me.

I looked over to where the two women had taken our pictures earlier, but they’d already left.

Something else was going on behind the scenes, and I hated not knowing the truth. What game was he playing? If we were getting married, I needed to know everything.

When Miranda looked at him, something passed between them. Why the hell was I jealous? What was wrong with me?

This haughty man had taken the reins of my life without my permission. The audacity! I was infuriated with him, stressed about my mom’s situation, and now I had to deal with this sudden jealousy squirming inside me like a parasite. My life was becoming a massive mess.

Smiling, I extracted my hand from his grip, slipped my arm around his waist, and posed. Attikus wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

“Smile, Attikus,” Mirandasaid. “Perfect.” She snapped a few pictures and showed them to us.

“Send them to my phone, please.”

“Got it.” She studied me in my paint-splattered shirt and jeans. “How did you meet?”

“We bonded over art and conversation. She’s a unique woman,” he replied, even though she had addressed the question to me.

“He wouldn’t leave me alone,” I smirked and met Miranda’s curious eyes. “How didyouand Attikus meet?”

Her face changed to an awkward expression, and he squeezed my shoulder. “We should get going.”

Miranda waved at Attikus. “I’ll catch you later.” She walked across the street and down the sidewalk.

“Not sure I want to go to lunch now.”

“Why?” he asked.

“To avoid meeting another one of your exes.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

ATTIKUS

We entered Saigon Bistro,a small restaurant with about ten tables. The savory smell snuck up my nose, and my stomach growled. I wasn’t hungry minutes ago, but now I wanted to try whatever they offered here.

A long line of people stood to the side.