My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 352

Chapter 352

I didn’t care about the food anymore.

I threw my arms wildly around Raphael’s neck, burying my face deep into the warm skin of his throat. let out another loud, bright giggle, my body shaking against his solid chest as I thought about everything.

“I told you that you had to eat it!” he laughed into my skin.

But then, right in the middle of my laugh, a strange, heavy knot tightened deep inside my chest. The happy sound in my throat suddenly hitched, catching on a broken breath. My smile crumbled away in a fraction of a second, my lips trembling violently as a sudden wave of heat rushed behind my eyes.

The laugh died completely, turning into a loud, broken sob.

The tears came back all at once, bursting from my eyes and soaking straight into the dark collar of his shirt. didn’t mean to do it. I tried to stop it, but the crying just ripped out of me. My whole body began to shake with deep, hard gasps, my chest jerking against his wide chest as I wept.

It wasn’t because I was scared of the fire anymore. It wasn’t because of the fresh, painful burn on my skin, or the terrifying memories of the doctor, my father, and Leone.

It was because I had been carrying a cold stone inside my chest. I had spent every single day waiting for the next blow, waiting for another man to call me stupid, waiting for another man to look at my scarred legs with total disgust, or waiting for a hot flame to teach me a lesson. I had always been entirely alone in the dark, fighting to keep my head above water.

But right now, sitting on this bike, I felt the warmth of Raphael’s body against mine. I felt the grip of his strong hands locked tightly around my waist, holding me so close that not even a single drop of rain could touch me.

For the first time in my existence, the heavy stone inside me completely shattered. I felt a deep, overwhelming sense of absolute safety, a beautiful shield of protection that wrapped around my entire soul.

With him, I didn’t have to be strong anymore.

With him, I didn’t have to hide my flaws.

With him, I didn’t have to run.

I clung to him with every ounce of strength left in my fingers, burying myself deeper and deeper into his chest like I was trying to climb inside his very skin.

I squeezed my eyes shut, my nails digging into his shoulders as I let the tears pour out, clinging to the only man in the world who had ever made me feel like I was something truly worth protecting.

And right then, I knew I was falling in love with him. I knew it in my heart, and it was a scary thought. It could cause so many problems for us. He might not want me back, and he might reject me, but as I felt his strong arms around me, I realized I didn’t care about the danger. I was falling completely for Raphael Capone, because no one had ever made me feel this safe before, and I knew with absolute certainty that no one else ever would.

For the rest of the ride, I just held onto him for dear life. I kept my eyes squeezed shut against his chest, completely burying my face in his jacket. He didn’t try to move me or push me away. He just let me hold him, keeping one big, solid arm wrapped around my waist to lock me against his body while he steered the bike with the other.

The cold wind whipped all around us, but I barely felt it. After what felt like forever, the bike slowed down, turning sharply. I could feel the change in the air as we entered the massive gates of his mansion. The loud roar of

1/2

• 15 Bom.s Ban

the engine suddenly got deeper and bounced off the walls as he pulled straight into his private garage. The heavy garage doors rolled down behind us, cutting off the rest of the world.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify