My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 438

Chapter 438

Moving on pure, desperate instinct, I crouched low to the ground, my knees scraping against the marble. With shaking, clumsy fingers, I began to gather the ruined remnants of the bear. I scooped up the torn, hollowed-out brown skin, dragging it into my lap. I reached under the edge of the couch, pulling out small clumps of the white cotton stuffing, squeezing it tightly in my fist as if I could somehow put it back together.

My tears dripped directly onto the shredded fabric, darkening the brown fur. I picked up a piece of the black plastic casing, the edge cutting into my thumb, but I didn’t care about the pain. I gathered every single wire, every tiny piece of broken metal, hoarding them against my chest like they were precious jewels. It was all I had left of my mom.

I clutched the broken, deflated remains of the teddy bear tightly against my stomach, burying my face into the torn fur, and wept silently on the floor while the three men stood above me, watching my world fall completely into pieces.

The shadow of his body fell over me again, blocking out the bright morning sun.

My father dropped down to his haunches right in front of me before I could tuck the ruined pieces of the bear away, his hand shot forward. His fingers clamped around my jaw, his thumb digging brutally into one side of my cheek while his fingers crushed the other. He didn’t just hold me, he squeezed until my bones ached, forcing my face upward until I had no choice but to look directly into his eyes.

He was so close I could feel the hot rush of his breath against my wet cheeks, “Look at me, Gianna,” he murmured.

I couldn’t nod. I couldn’t move my head even a millimeter. His grip was a vice, completely controlling the movement of my neck.

“You think I do this because I’m cruel?” he asked softly, his eyes searching mine with a look that almost resembled genuine pity. He shook his head slowly, a small, sad smile touching his lips. “No, my darling girl. I do this because you are mine. I do this because I am the only person in this whole godforsaken world who actually gives a damn about keeping your stupid self alive. Your mother? She doesn’t love you, Gianna. She just wanted to use you to get to me. She’s a disease. And I am protecting you from her.”

A tiny, broken sob hitched in my throat, but the pressure of his hand against my throat made it hard to even draw air. My chest heaved, desperate for oxygen, but he was crowding my space so completely that it felt like he was inhaling all the air in the room before it could ever reach my lungs. He controlled everything. He controlled the room, he controlled my body, and right now, he controlled my very breath.

“Daddy, please…” I choked out through my squeezed lips.

“Listen to me very carefully, my sweet girl,” he whispered, his thumb pressing deeper into my flesh, tilting my face just an inch higher so he could look down his nose at me, “You are never going to see her again. Do you understand me? Never. Not next month. Not next year. Not for the rest of your life.”

The words felt like bricks crashing down onto my chest.

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