My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 527

Chapter 527

My eyes burned, “Does my mom know?”

Perla hesitated, then shook her head, a tear rolled down her cheek, “No. Hazel doesn’t know but listen to me,” she continued quickly, grabbing both my hands, “I will get a message to her. Somehow. I don’t care how long it takes. The second I get an opportunity, I’ll tell her where you are. And your mother will find you.”

I looked down at the tickets again. The words blurred together. The numbers meant nothing. The destinations meant nothing. Everything looked like a mess of shapes and lines.

“I can’t do this,” I whispered, my breathing sped up, “I’ve never done anything alone. I don’t even go to school alone. I don’t go anywhere alone. There are always guards. Drivers. Somebody telling me where to stand and where to go,” my voice broke, “I don’t know how.”

Perla grabbed my shoulders hard enough to make me look at her, “Then learn.”

I blinked.

Her eyes were shining with tears, “You hear me? Learn. You don’t need guards. You don’t need your father. You don’t need Leone. The only person who has ever protected you is you. You survived that house. You survived every horrible thing that the so-called doctor did to you. And You walked back into that room every day and kept going.”

She pressed her forehead against mine.

“You’re stronger than you think, Gianna. So be brave now, just this once. You want to see your mother again, don’t you? Then go find her. Trust me, she loves you so much.”

I let out a broken sob, “But I love you too.”

Perla closed her eyes. For a second she looked like she might fall apart, then she smiled, a sad smile. The kind that hurt to look at, “I know, sweetheart,” her hand brushed my hair back, “And I love you too. That’s exactly why I’m doing this.”

My throat burned as she took a step backward.

“Run, don’t stop, don’t look back, and whatever happens, never come back here.”

The dressing room suddenly felt too small.

“What about Gio?” I asked, the thought hit me so hard I almost couldn’t breathe.

My little brother.

“And Dad?” I asked but I already knew the answer and fear crawled through my stomach, “He’ll kill you.”

Perla’s smile never disappeared, “I’ll deal with your father.”

“Perla-”

“The worst thing he can do is kill me.”

“No,” the word came out instantly, violently, “No.”

Perla reached for me again, “You need to leave.”

I grabbed her wrists, “Not until you promise me something. Promise me first.”

1/3

+15 Banus

She looked exhausted, “What?”

“If he finds out…” I swallowed, “If he asks questions… You tell him I did it myself. You tell him I ran away. You tell him I betrayed him, not you.”

Her eyes filled completely, “Gianna…”

“Please,” the word barely came out, “You need to be alive or no one will take care of Gio… Please.”

For a long moment she said nothing, then she nodded slowly, “I promise.”

Relief hit me so hard my knees almost gave out.

“Now go.”

I didn’t move.

“Gianna!”

Still I couldn’t move.

The thought of leaving her behind felt impossible.

“Go,” she shoved a thick envelope against my chest, “I put the memory chip inside, the one from Hazel’s teddy

bear.”

My eyes widened.

The broken bear.

The recordings.

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