My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 546

Chapter 546

1

A truly humiliating experience.

Then I felt his hand, warm fingers slid beneath my chin. He lifted my face until I had no choice but to look at hin

Raphael’s expression had gone completely soft, “I know,” he said quietly as his thumb brushed lightly against my jaw, “I understand them too.”

I swallowed hard.

His eyes never left mine, “Because not everything knows how to tell you when it’s hurting. And people rarely look closely when something appears strong enough to survive on its own. They assume that if something looks intimidating, it doesn’t get hurt but some things don’t know how to explain what’s wrong. They can’t always tell you what they’re feeling but that doesn’t make those feelings less real.”

Something in my chest cracked because he wasn’t really talking about reptiles anymore and we both knew it.

Raphael’s gaze softened further, “Just because something struggles to communicate doesn’t mean it deserves less care, or less patience, or less love.”

His voice dropped slightly, he pulled me closer with his grip on my chin.

“So I pay attention,” his eyes searched mine, “I learn their behavior. I learn what changes. I learn what hurts them.

I couldn’t breathe properly because suddenly I wasn’t thinking about the animals anymore either. I was thinking about him. About the man standing in front of me. The man who struggled more than anyone I knew to explain

what he felt.

Raphael held my gaze.

And for the first time, I realized something that made my chest ache.

Maybe he loved unloved creatures because he had always been one himself too.

Then he exhaled quietly, “I need you to do the same thing with me, ballerina.”

The words caught me completely off guard.

His fingers tightened slightly against my cheek, “Be patient with me because I’m trying.”

There was no arrogance in his voice, no confidence, just honesty.

“I spent months convincing myself that staying away from you was the right thing to do,” A faint frown appeared between his brows, “It wasn’t. I thought I was protecting you. I was just making both of us miserable.”

The corner of my vision blurred, “Raphael…”

I could hear the effort underneath it, the effort it took for him to say any of this, “I am going to get things wrong. Statistically, I will get many things wrong. I don’t always know what I’m feeling until it’s already become a problem but I’m trying to learn. And I don’t want to lose you because I failed to say something important. I’m not easy, Gianna. I’m not simple and I’m definitely not normal.”

I smiled shakily.

And Raphael exhaled slowly, something vulnerable flickered across his face, rare enough that it almost startled

“I need you to do the same for me, ballerina,” his hand remained against my cheek, “Be patient with me I’m not perfect, Gianna. I don’t always know how to explain what’s happening inside my own head.”

A humorless smile touched his mouth.

“Half the time I need a therapist, three security reports, and a minor psychological crisis just to identify an emotion.”

A watery laugh escaped me.

Raphael’s eyes softened, “But I know this. I know that you matter to me more than anyone else.”

My heart stopped then started again twice as fast.

“I know that when something happens to you, it affects me. I know that seeing you happy makes my day better. And I know that every plan I make now… somehow ends with you in it.”

My eyes immediately burned.

“And if I occasionally fail to find the correct words…”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify