My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 705

Chapter 705

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A laugh escaped me because, I could actually picture Raphael completely losing his mind trying to uncover a conspiracy that didn’t exist.

I used to love getting under his skin. I used to love watching that tiny crease appear between his brows whenever I annoyed him.

But somewhere along the way… I’d stopped feeling like the girl who laughed so easily.

The smile faded from my face, my eyes found him again.

Raphael stood exactly where he’d been before. Straight-backed, expression hard, speaking to Vincenzo without a single glance in my direction.

Viviane followed my gaze, “Brilliant men are strange creatures.”

I looked back at her.

“They’ll solve problems worth billions before breakfast.” She smiled. “But put the woman they love in front of them, and suddenly they forget how to function. So, if I’m ever going to destroy Raphael’s oversized ego, I’m going to need your help. I have a weakness for watching brilliant, arrogant men completely lose their composure. It’s one of my favorite hobbies.”

A weak smile found my lips, “I don’t think Raphael forgets how to function.”

Viviane laughed softly, “No?”

I shook my head, “He’s always in control.”

She gave me a look that almost made me laugh again, “Gianna…” she said gently. “If he’s anything like my husband, he only looks in control.”

Even from across the room, I could see how stiff his shoulders were. How tightly his jaw was set. How

his hands never quite relaxed.

And I wondered if he was holding himself together just as desperately as I was… that realization made

me love him even more.

3 00 –

Sleep refused to come.

I’d been lying in bed for what felt like hours, staring at the carved ceiling above me while moonlight spilled through the open curtains. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was tomorrow.

The Council.

Daddy.

Raphael.

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One decision.

One sentence.

One life changing forever.

I rolled onto my side, pulling the blanket tighter around myself.

I swallowed hard.

Tomorrow, I might walk out of this house beside my father. Tomorrow, I might never see Raphael again. The thought settled inside my chest like ice. My fingers tightened around the blanket.

No.

I couldn’t think like that.

I couldn’t.

Because if tomorrow went wrong. If everything fell apart, then what had any of it been for?

Every bruise. Every sleepless night. Every tear I’d cried asking for my mom. Every time I’d convinced myself I deserved what was happening to me. Every scar Dr. Vance had left where no one could see. Every piece of myself I’d spent years trying to glue back together.

It couldn’t all be for nothing.

It had to mean something.

It had to become something bigger than me. Something that could save someone, even if it was only

myself.

Otherwise…

What was the point?

What was the point of surviving if surviving changed nothing?

A shaky breath escaped me.

No.

I wouldn’t let everything I’d survived become meaningless. Every scar. Every nightmare. Every piece of myself that had been broken… It had to mean something.

I’d heal. I’d become better.

For Raphael.

And if anyone tried to destroy that future. I’d kill them or die trying.

I pushed the blanket away before I could lose my courage. The cold marble floor met my bare feet. I

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slipped a cardigan over my nightdress before quietly opening my bedroom door.

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