My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 458

Chapter 458

Vincenzo didn’t interrupt.

Sol kept going, “But after that, I remembered why things ended. I remembered who he is. I remembered what he did,” I finally looked up, “And whatever I thought I was missing wasn’t there anymore. I don’t want to talk to him again,” I said firmly. “I answered the call to tell him to not call me again. I’m done with it. That’s all it was. I missed someone who used to be important to me.”

A bitter smile pulled at my mouth.

“Then I remembered that some people are better left in the past.

Vincenzo watched me carefully like someone trying to figure out if I was telling him the whole truth.

Finally, he nodded once, “Okay.”

The single word eased some of the tension in my chest.

Then his expression became more serious, “That doesn’t change the security problem. If this man has been calling repeatedly and attempting to reestablish contact, then we need to assume he may continue trying.”

Raphael immediately nodded, “I can lock her device down.”

I already didn’t like where this was going.

Raphael continued, “I can create a filtered contact system. Unknown numbers won’t get through. Calls can be screened before they ever reach her. I can block entire networks if necessary.”

He basically wanted control over who could reach me.

Vincenzo looked at me for a long moment before speaking, “I’d sleep a lot better if you gave your phone to Raphael for a few hours.”

And suddenly a completely different thought had appeared in my head. A thought that had been sitting there quietly for days.

I looked down at my hands, “Actually…”

Three pairs of eyes landed on me and I suddenly wished they hadn’t.

I inhaled slowly, “I think I have a better solution. I think…” I paused. “I think maybe it’s time for me to move out.”

For a minute, nobody said a word. The only sign he’d heard me was the slight narrowing of his eyes.

Now them.

“I don’t regret being here but every major decision I’ve made since arriving has happened with someone standing behind me.”

A small smile touched my mouth, none of it was the reason, I wanted to love out. The real reason was standing somewhere in the room, staring at me. I couldn’t stand to stay in Raphael’s company anymore.

“I think I’m finally at a point where I need to figure out who I am on my own. I want to know what choices I make when nobody is making them for me.”

My voice softened.

“I want to know what my life looks like when I stop hiding behind everyone else.”

Vincenzo interrupted, “Are you unhappy here?”

My eyes widened, “No. No. God, no. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m happy here. You all take care of me. Sometimes too much. I’m not trying to run away from this family. You’re my family,” I swallowed, “I just don’t want to spend the rest of my life being taken care of.”

I watched his face carefully, waiting for him to argue, waiting for him to tell me all the reasons why moving out was a bad idea.