My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 36

I felt my jaw tighten. The thought of letting a man close felt like walking onto a battlefield without a shield, "Why? So they can find a new way to break me? I’m better off alone."

"You’re not," Morgan said, reaching out to touch my knee, "You’re building a wall so high that you’re trapping yourself inside. You’re turning into someone who only sees the worst in half the people on earth. That’s a heavy way to live. It's toxic, G. It'll eat you alive."

"Just one date," Bri whispered, trying to make me smile. "Someone sweet. Someone who thinks a fair fight means sharing the last slice of pizza. It might change how you see things. It might remind you that you’re more than just a... survivor."

I looked around at them. They weren't judging me. They weren't telling me I was wrong to be hurt. They were trying to pull me out of the dark hole I was digging for myself. They saw the way I was starting to look at every man, with a sneer and a sharp word and they knew it would eventually turn me into someone I didn't recognize.

"You don't have to forgive anyone," Tasha said, "But don't let anyone turn you into a version of yourself that hates everyone either. Don't give them that much power over your soul."

I looked down at my hands. They were finally still. I didn't want to be a person full of hate, but the fear was so loud.

"I don't know if I can," I whispered.

"You can," Mama D said, kissing the top of my head, "You just have to be brave enough to believe that not everyone is out to get you."

───── 𓆙 ─────

I sat at the table with the girls, listening to their soft laughter and the clink of forks. They were trying to pull me back to the light, but my mind was still in that cold, glass office.

After dinner, I hugged them all goodbye. The walk back to the Capone estate was long. Every step felt heavier than the last. The huge iron gates of the mansion appeared in the distance, glowing under the streetlights.

I thought about what Tasha had said. It’s like drinking poison.

I wanted to be strong, but my chest felt tight, like I was wearing a corset made of bricks. I didn't want to be bitter. I just didn't want to be hurt again.

As I got closer to the gate, a figure moved in the shadows. My heart jumped, and my hands balled into fists. I ready to fight.

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