My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 422

Chapter 422

Gianna

He rubbed his thumb against the steering wheel absently before finally looking back at me, “I was sitting here trying to figure out how to tell you the exact same thing.”

And somehow hearing that hurt even worse.

For a second, I wished he had argued. I wished he had told me I was wrong. I wished he had fought for it. Instead he just sat there beside me looking… calm, like he always does.

My chest tightened so hard it felt difficult to breathe. I swallowed hard and forced myself to nod, “Right. That’s probably for the best.”

Raphael wasn’t looking at me anymore. His eyes were lowered toward the steering wheel, his jaw tight, like he was concentrating on something very hard.

“I don’t even recognize myself anymore,” I whispered.

Raphael’s eyes lifted briefly, I looked away before they could hold mine.

“When you first suggested it, I thought…” I laughed softly and shook my head. “I don’t know what I thought. I convinced myself it was simple.”

He frowned slightly, “It was supposed to be. It has always been for me.”

“But that’s not me,” I swallowed hard and forced myself to keep talking before I lost the courage, “I don’t even know what I was thinking when I agreed to it. I actually convinced myself this was a good idea. What kind of idiot does that?”

“Gianna-”

“No,” I shook my head immediately, “I mean it. I should’ve never agreed to any of this. I should’ve never kissed you back in the office the first time,” my eyes burned, “I should’ve never let it get this far.”

Raphael looked away toward the windshield. His jaw tightened slightly but after a few seconds he nodded, “Yeah, maybe.”

I just stared at him. That was it? After everything I had just said? That was all he had?

Yeah, maybe.

The answer hit me with a strange kind of disappointment because it sounded so casual. So detached, like we were discussing tomorrow’s weather instead of ending whatever this had become.

I looked away before he could see how much that hurt. I stared at the dashboard lights glowing softly in the darkness, “My mother would be devastated if she knew. She finally looks happy. After everything she went through. And here I am sneaking around with her husband’s son.”

The words sounded uglier out loud… much uglier.

Raphael remained silent, his eyes stayed fixed ahead as he breathed through his nose.

“I keep thinking about what people would say. What they would think about me. God,” the shame crawled over my skin all over again, “We’ve been acting like this is normal.”

Then I looked out the window toward the closed garage doors.

The sudden firmness in his voice made me stop. The car fell quiet again. Raphael leaned back slightly in his seat and dragged a hand slowly across his mouth and jaw.

His eyes stayed lowered. Fixed somewhere near the steering wheel. I knew that look. He was thinking. Carefully.. Picking through every sentence before allowing it to leave his mouth.

“I agree that this should end. I agree that things got more complicated than either of us intended.”

Raphael paused briefly. His fingers tapped once against the steering wheel before going still again.

“I agree that hiding it was never sustainable. I agree that it’s creating problems for you,” his jaw flexed, “I can agree with all of that.”

His voice dropped lower.

“But I’m not going to sit here and listen to you talk about yourself like that.”

I looked away again, “You know what I mean.”

“No. I know what you’re trying to say,” his jaw tightened again, “But those aren’t the same thing.”

I stared at the dashboard lights, “They kind of are.”

“They aren’t.”