My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 517

Chapter 517

I should have been excited. I should have been focused. Instead, I kept thinking about Mom.

She was the only reason I was doing this. That thought settled somewhere deep inside my chest.

Claire, Madeleine and Jules were practically vibrating with excitement. Salvatore had somehow rented half the front row.

I adjusted the ribbon wrapped around my ballet slipper and glanced toward the stage entrance.

A voice announced another performer, applause followed. My cue was getting closer, my hands felt cold. I rubbed them together then I heard footsteps behind me.

Something inside me immediately reacted, I turned and I forgot how to breathe.

Raphael stood in the doorway.

For a second I genuinely thought I imagined him. My heart jumped so hard it almost hurt. He shouldn’t have been here. The Outfit needed him in Chicago. That had been the entire reason I hadn’t expected him.

Vincenzo had stayed behind, Adriano had stayed behind, Dante had stayed behind, and Raphael was supposed to

be there too.

My mouth opened, “… Raphael?”

The corner of his mouth moved slightly, the smallest sweetest smile, “I’ve been informed that this is generally considered an appropriate response when somebody travels unexpectedly.”

I stared at him, “What are you doing here?”

His eyes moved over me slowly, taking everything in, the costume, the makeup, the ballet shoes.

Something flickered across his face, “I came to watch you dance.”

I blinked, “But Chicago-”

“Will survive.”

I laughed softly, “No, seriously.”

“Gianna,” he said quietly, “there was never a version of this where I wasn’t here.”

Something tightened painfully inside my chest and I just looked at him. The last few months had been strange. We barely spoke outside of family dinners and the occasional conversation about Mom. I hadn’t said goodbye to him before leaving Chicago. I hadn’t asked him to come. I hadn’t expected him to.

And yet here he was.

Standing backstage in New York, looking at me like being here was the most obvious thing in the world.

A warmth spread through my chest, dangerous and familiar because whenever Raphael did things like this, it became harder to remember all the reasons I wasn’t supposed to hope.

Sometimes he would look at me and my heart would immediately start making stupid decisions.

Sometimes he would show up without being asked, solve problems before I even knew they existed, and stay beside me through the worst days of my life.

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• 15 Borus

And for a few reckless seconds, I would wonder.

Then I would remember that Raphael was still Raphael.

He reached into his pocket, “I brought something.”

I frowned, “What?”

His fingers opened. A delicate gold chain rested in his palm. A tiny diamond pendant hung from it. The stone caught the backstage lights and scattered them across his hand.

It was beautiful.

My eyes lifted to his, “Raphael…”

His gaze dropped briefly to the necklace, “It belonged to my mother.”

I froze, “What?”

His fingers tightened slightly around the chain, “My mother wore it often.”

I looked back down at it, suddenly afraid to touch it.

“I wanted to give it to you…”

I immediately shook my head, “No, Raphael, I can’t take something like that.”

“I want you to have it.”

The seriousness in his voice made my chest ache.

“Why?”

His eyes met mine then he said quietly, “Because it matters to me and you matter to me.”

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