My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 321

Chapter 321

“Yeah, yeah, we love you too,” Bri giggled, throwing her arms around my neck again. “Now cut the cake before the frosting melts.”

The rest of the night blurred into a beautiful haze of vanilla frosting, tears, and loud, chaotic laughter. The girls forced me to set up the new phone, Brianna and Jas yelling over each other about which apps I needed to d****** d first.

But as the clock crawled past three in the morning, the laughter in the room began to quiet down. The girls fell asleep one by one, curled up against each other on the plaid couch under mismatched blankets.

I stood up quietly, slipping my new phone into my pocket. I kissed Mama D on her soft cheek while she dozed in her rocking chair, and then I stepped back out into the freezing night.

The walk back across the city was cold. The happiness from the birthday cake slowly drained out of my boots with every block I walked, replaced by that familiar, suffocating weight in my chest.

And the only thing I could think about was Raphael.

With the girls, my mind had been distracted, but now, the quiet streets only echoed with the sound of that awful slap. I looked down at my right palm, my skin still feeling ghost-stung from hitting his face. My stomach twisted into a tight, agonizing knot of pure regret.

I had been so mean to him. I had used him as a punching bag for all the anger I couldn’t throw at my mother or my father. I had accused him of wanting to use my body when he was just…

I’m sorry, I whispered into the dark, empty air, the wind catching my breath, I’m so sorry, Raphael.

By the time I reached the perimeter of the estate, the sky was starting to turn a faint, bruising shade of purple. I didn’t use the main gates. Instead, I snuck toward the laundromat that sat on the edge of the property line, the one with the backdoor that connected straight into Silvio’s hidden underground passage.

I dragged my feet through the dark, I didn’t want to go up to my bedroom. I couldn’t bear to look at the overturned vanity, the spilled jewelry, or the empty places where my helpers used to be.

So, when I finally reached the exit of the passage near the main house, I didn’t go inside.

I walked out onto the stone courtyard and just sank down onto the very bottom step of the grand front entrance. The cold stone bit sharply through the fabric of my clothes, but I didn’t care. I buried my face into my knees, my hands gripping my ankles tight, and let the silent tears finally spill over.

I didn’t sob out loud, I didn’t have the strength left for noise but my shoulders shook violently in the freezing morning air.

I felt so small, so entirely broken, and so utterly alone.

A soft, scraping sound cut through the air. I didn’t move. I kept my face hidden against my knees, too tired to care if a guard was coming to tell me to go inside.

But then, the air right beside me shifted, and I felt his presence. He came to a halt right next to my step, standing completely still.

Slowly, trembling, I lifted my head from my knees. My vision was blurry from the tears, but as I turned my neck, my eyes dropped to the ground first.

My eyes fell on the black tactical boots that I knew far too well.

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My eyes traveled slowly up his pants, past the wide, solid line of his thighs, until they found his chest. He wasn’t wearing his jacket anymore. Just a thin, black shirt that clung to the hard muscles of his torso, rising and falling.

I swallowed hard, my throat tight and dry.

The silence between us wasn’t empty anymore. It felt the loudest it has ever been. My heart began to batter against my ribs. My gaze dragged further up his strong throat, past the tight, clenched line of his jaw.

Slowly, I lifted my chin, forcing myself to look all the way up.

My eyes went up and finally met his eyes in the dark.

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