My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 345

Chapter 345

Gianna

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At first, Raphael did not lose his mind in a loud, angry way. Instead, a calmness washed over his entire body. His face became completely still, like it was carved out of stone.

He reached down and took my hand. His palm was warm, and his long fingers wrapped completely around my trembling knuckles, holding me.

“Come with me,” he said.

He didn’t wait for me to answer. He started walking, as he led me back across the empty gas station. My heart began to hammer against my ribs all over again as the convenience store grew closer and closer, but his hand pulling mine kept me moving forward.

We stopped just outside the glass entrance. Through the clear windows, I could see the dirty linoleum floor and the bright blue slushie cups still sitting abandoned on the plastic counter.

Raphael stopped walking and turned his body toward me. He let go of my hand and placed his palm flat against the small of my back, gently nudging me toward the frame of the door.

“Go on first,” he murmured, his dark eyes looking over the top of my head toward the inside of the shop, “I will follow right behind you.”

Panic seized my throat. I instantly went stiff, my heels digging into the concrete as I shook my head back and forth violently. My breathing hitched, and I wrapped my arms tightly around my waist, trying to hide the ugly burn on my chest.

“No,” I whispered, as I took a tiny step backward against his arm, “No, Raphael, please. I am not going back in there.”

Raphael didn’t get frustrated. He didn’t force me. He simply leaned down a little, bringing his face level with mine so that I couldn’t look anywhere else. His eyes locked straight onto mine with an intense focus that completely cut through the panic in my brain.

“Gianna,” he said softly, his voice a deep, soothing purr that vibrated right in my chest, “Look at me. Don’t you trust me?”

I stared back into his eyes, my breath catching in my throat. I looked at the calm expression on his face, the absolute strength in his broad shoulders, and the way he stood in front of me.

Suddenly, a strange, beautiful feeling washed over my entire body. It was a deep, pure sense of safety, a kind of protection that I had never felt a single time in my entire life.

When I was with my father, I was always waiting for the next scream. When I was with the doctor, I was always waiting for the pain. When I was with Leone, I was always trying to hide my flaws so he wouldn’t look at me with disgust.

But standing here with Raphael, the whole world felt quiet. I knew, with absolute certainty, that as long as this man was with me, nobody in the universe could ever hurt me again.

“Of course I trust you,” I whispered, the words coming out small but completely honest.

A tiny, almost invisible nod passed through his jaw. He dipped his head slightly, using his hand on my back to give

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me another gentle, encouraging push toward the entrance.

I took a deep breath, steeling my nerves, and pushed the glass door open. The little metal bell above the frame let out that same loud, cheap chime.

I stepped onto the dirty floor first, my boots making a soft clicking sound.

The two men were still standing exactly where I had left them. The dirty pervert in the ripped leather jacket was leaning against the cigarette rack, and the clerk was sitting behind the cash register, counting a stack of dollar

bills.

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