My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 716

Chapter 716

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Chapter 716

I closed my eyes.

Another promise.

Another person depending on me.

Another person I couldn’t fail.

Very quietly, almost too quietly to hear, Jules whispered, “Mom knew.”

My eyes opened immediately, “What?”

She pulled back just enough to look at me, “Mom knew about you.”

My heart stopped, “What did you say?”

She sniffled, “She knew.”

My brows pulled together, “Knew… what?”

She looked confused that I didn’t understand, “You and Gianna.”

I stared at her.

Hazel…

Knew?

For a moment, I couldn’t hear the engines anymore.

“Jules,” my voice came out lower than usual, “She told you that?”

Jules nodded, “She told me she wasn’t scared anymore. She said…” Jules rubbed her eyes with the

⚫ sleeve of her sweater. “…that she trusted you.”

The cabin disappeared around me.

“The night before she-” Jules swallowed hard, “Before she died. She said that if anything ever happened. to her, I should trust you.”

I felt my throat tighten.

“She said she knew you’d keep Gianna safe,” my throat tightened painfully, “She knew you loved her,” Another tear rolled down Jules’ cheek, “Because she knew you’d spend the rest of your life making sure Gianna smiled.”

I couldn’t make sense of the words.

Hazel had known.

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Chapter 76

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All this time and she’d never confronted me, never warned me away from her daughter, never looked at me differently. Instead, she had trusted me.

A sharp ache spread through my chest. I had broken the one promise she believed I could keep before I could answer…

Strong arms reached down and lifted Jules right out of my lap. She gave a surprised little squeak. Dante balanced her easily against himself, “Alright,” he nudged the side of her head with his own, “That’s enough crying.”

She let out a weak protest, “I don’t want to.”

“Tough,” he looked at her with exaggerated disappointment, “Where’s my little menace? The tiny terrorist who keeps stealing my money? The gremlin who hides frogs in my shoes. The criminal mastermind who convinced Aurelia that crayons taste better than vegetables. The world’s biggest pain in my ass.”

Jules tried not to smile, “I am not.”

“You absolutely are,” he made her stand before him, “What happened to my partner in crime? I leave you alone for one afternoon and suddenly you’re crying. What kind of terrible customer service is this?”

A tiny laugh slipped through her tears.

“There,” Dante said softly, “I was wondering where she’d gone. Come on, troublemaker. I’m pretty sure this plane has enough snacks to bankrupt a small country.”

Jules rubbed her eyes, “Can I have two?”

He shook his head, “Two? I raised you better than that.”

She frowned, “Three?”

“Now you’re thinking like a Capone.”

Before Dante walked away with her, she looked back at me, “You’ll bring her back?”

I held her gaze, there wasn’t a single part of me that doubted my answer, “Yes. I’ll bring your sister home.”

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Gianna

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My eyelids felt strangely heavy. I frowned and forced them open. The ceiling above me came into focus first.

My heartbeat slowed for one confused second.

I turned my head, cream-colored curtains, the old white bookshelf. The faded watercolor painting Mom

had hung above my desk when I was seven. The small rocking chair in the corner.

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Chapter 216

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My chest tightened. I pushed myself upright too quickly. A dull ache exploded behind my eyes and I squeezed them shut until the dizziness eased.

When I opened them again, nothing had changed. I was still here. My old bedroom. The bedroom I had left six years ago.

I stared around the room, unable to move. Everything looked exactly the same. The stuffed rabbit Mom had won for me at a carnival still sat on the shelf like the last six years had never happened.

My breathing grew uneven, then, everything came rushing back.

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