My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 771

Chapter 771

A little girl.

Me.

The date sat beneath the photograph.

It was shortly after my fifth birthday.

The room seemed to tilt beneath my feet. I lowered myself into the chair again before my knees gave out. The next page appeared on my phone.

Subject demonstrates confirmed developmental dyslexia.

I barely saw the words, my eyes kept drifting back to the photograph. I remembered that dress. Mom had spent days looking for it. She’d said I looked like a princess.

I forced myself to keep reading, the following pages were different from every file I’d opened before. They were much thicker, much longer.

Entire sections had been highlighted, sticky notes filled the margins. There were diagrams connecting names with

arrows.

One name sat at the top.

Giovanni Toricelli.

Another sat beneath it.

Gianna Toricelli.

A line joined the two.

The notes surrounding it made my stomach knot.

“Direct biological relationship provides unique research opportunity.”

I frowned.

“Successful intervention in the offspring may provide strong evidence that similar neurological pathways within the parent remain modifiable despite age-related decline.”

I read it twice, then a third time. Slowly, the meaning settled over me. They believed that because I was Dad’s daughter…

Because we shared his blood…

If something worked on me, it might work on him too. I wasn’t chosen by chance. I wasn’t simply another child.

I was…

Connected to him.

I turned another page, saw more notes, more arrows, more observations. My breathing grew shallow.

The project had changed after they found out I was dyslexic.

The earlier subjects had become comparisons, control groups, references.

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Everything after that centered around me. Every protocol had been rewritten. Every schedule adjusted. Every observation became more detailed.

My file grew thicker with every year.

Another note appeared.

“Primary subject offers greatest long-term research value.”

I stared at the sentence.

Primary.

“Future treatment models should be developed using Primary Subject before consideration for application elsewhere.”

My throat tightened.

I understood.

Every change, every new machine, every different procedure, every adjustment, every success, every failure.

They tried it on me first.

If I survived…

If they believed it showed even the smallest improvement…

Only then would they consider using it on Dad.

My eyes drifted back toward the shelves. There were hundreds of files in this room but mine… Mine filled nearly an entire section by itself.

Years, page after page, test after test, observation after observation.

My childhood hadn’t been documented. It had been studied, measured, compared, rewritten.

I slowly reached out and rested my fingertips against the thick stack of papers.

All those birthdays.

All those doctor’s appointments.

All those afternoons Dad had smiled and told me to be brave.

I closed my eyes, none of it had ever been about helping me. I was never the one they were trying to save.

Dad was.

I had only been the bridge between the research and him. The child they believed they could break…

So one day, they could fix him.

– 38-

Raphael

18-

The office door opened, and Vincenzo stepped inside first.

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Chapter 771

Adriano followed close behind him.

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A second later, Claire and Maddie entered as well, both wearing matching looks of concern. None of them had expected to be called down to the underground office in the middle of the night.

The heavy door sealed shut behind them with a muted click.

Four pairs of eyes settled on me.

Vincenzo studied me for a moment before speaking, “You called us down here like the building was on fire.”

I looked at them before reaching into my jacket. The damaged memory card landed on the desk between us with a soft tap, “It might as well be.”

Adriano folded his arms across his chest. “What’s that?”

“The reason.”

Claire exchanged a brief glance with Maddie. Neither woman interrupted. They knew me well enough to understand that whatever had happened had stripped away what little patience I normally possessed.

I finally looked at Vincenzo,.”I owe you an apology.”

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