My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 428

Chapter 428

My eyes never left Raphael, “This is exactly why I ended it.”

His expression hardened at my words.

I kept going, “This,” I pointed toward Jules, “Look at her. She is terrified.”

The guilt that flashed across his face lasted less than a second but I saw it.

And somehow that made me even angrier, “Why? Why couldn’t you just let it end?”

“Gianna, listen-”

“No. You couldn’t leave it alone. What if somebody else had seen us?”

Raphael opened his mouth. I didn’t let him speak.

“What if it hadn’t been Jules? What if it had been Mom? What if it had been Salvatore? What if it had been Vincenzo?”

That one landed, I saw it immediately. The muscle in his jaw tightened.

I shook my head, “You weren’t thinking. You were thinking about yourself.”

His eyes darkened at that but I didn’t care.

“You wanted the last word.”

“That’s not what happened.”

“Then what happened? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you made everything worse.”

Raphael took a step forward. I instantly stiffened and Jules did too. The movement wasn’t even threatening but after everything that had happened, both of us reacted anyway.

Raphael stopped immediately.

The realization hit him at the same moment it hit me.

Jules was afraid of him.

Then I swallowed hard, “Leave.”

His eyes found mine, “Gianna.”

“Leave.”

The word came out softer this time but somehow stronger. My chest hurt. Everything hurt. I wrapped both arms around Jules, holding her close, protecting her.

“Please leave.”

Finally Raphael lowered his eyes, just for a second. When he looked back up, something in his face had shut down completely. The familiar cold mask sliding back into place.

Without another word, he turned, opened the bedroom door and walked out. The click of the door shutting behind him echoed through the room.

I looked down at Jules and her little face was still blotchy from crying. Her eyelashes were wet. Her small hands twisted together in her lap as now she sat cross-legged on my bed.

For a second, I thought maybe she was finally calming down then she looked up at me. The fear was still there but now there was confusion too.

“Why did you kiss him?” she asked quietly.

I closed my eyes briefly then slowly sat down beside her. For a few seconds I just stared at my hands trying to figure out how to explain something I barely understood myself.

Finally, I sighed, “Jules… You know that Raphael isn’t actually our brother.”

Her forehead wrinkled immediately, “Yes he is.”

How was I supposed to explain this?

“Okay. Sometimes grown-ups get confused.”

Jules looked horrified, “How?”

“I don’t know,” I honestly didn’t, “Sometimes they care about somebody. Then they care a little too much. Then they keep making bad decisions because of those feelings.”

She looked concerned now.

I continued carefully, “Raphael and I became very close over the last few months. We spent a lot of time together and eventually things became complicated.”

“Complicated how?”

I hesitated, then chose the simplest answer, “We started caring about each other in a way we probably shouldn’t have.”

She made a disgusted face, “People hug because they care. They hold hands because they care. Mom kisses my forehead because she cares but kissing on the mouth is different. Only people who love each other do that.”

My chest tightened instantly. Jules studied my face for a second.

“Do you love Raphael?” she asked.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out because for months I had lied to everyone.

To Raphael.

And to myself.

I had called it an arrangement.

My lips trembled and I looked away because if I looked at Jules right now, I knew I was going to start crying and once I started… I wasn’t sure I would stop.