My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 500

Chapter 500

Then I swallowed and reached into my pocket, “Raphael.”

His eyes shifted to me immediately.

I pulled out my phorie and held it out to him. He didn’t take it at first, just looked at it then at me.

“What is this?”

My grip tightened slightly, “Leone.”

Something changed in his expression. A dark stillness that wasn’t there before.

“He’s been messaging me non-stop,” I said quietly. “Calling too. I blocked him. A lot. I don’t even know how he keeps getting through. He threatened me… if I don’t talk to him, he’ll come here. To see me. I don’t want that,” added quickly. “I don’t want him near me.”

Raphael didn’t move but his eyes dropped to my phone again then back to me like he was making sure he heard me correctly.

I rushed on, because the quiet suddenly felt too loud.

“I don’t trust him,” I said. “And I don’t want to deal with this alone. So I’ll take security with me to college. Just… make sure he can’t contact me again,” my voice lowered, “Please.”

His hand slowly reached for the phone, “He contacted you repeatedly,” he said.

I nodded once.

“You blocked him,” he repeated softly.

“Yes.”

“And he still found ways to reach you.”

“Yes.”

His jaw flexed once then again. It was subtle, but I saw it. Something in him recalculating, not just the situation.

Me.

Raphael’s voice dropped slightly, “You don’t want him.”

It wasn’t a question again.

I blinked, “What?”

His eyes stayed on me, “You don’t want him,” he repeated, slower this time, like he was confirming it out loud.

I shook my head, “No,” I said honestly. “I don’t.”

The words settled between us and I saw it then. The smallest shift in his expression like something he had been holding in place for a long time had just… loosened.

His grip on my phone tightened once then relaxed, “Good, I’ll handle it. And the security,” he said, “you will take it?”

I pulled back just a little, still holding his arm, “Thank you,” I said quietly. “For everything you did for my mom. For setting all of that up. I know you didn’t have to.”

His eyes stayed on me for a second longer. Then his jaw shifted slightly, like he was holding something back. His gaze dropped slowly to my lips. My breath caught before I could stop it. He leaned closer, too close now. His face leaned in, inch by inch, until there was barely any space left between us.

So close I could feel his breath.

So close our noses almost touched.

That was when it happened.

A gasp.

I turned immediately.

Claire stood at the end of the hallway, completely frozen. One hand slightly lifted like she had walked in at the exact wrong moment and didn’t know whether to step forward or disappear into the floor.

Her eyes were wide.

Her gaze flicked from me.

To Raphael.

To where I had just been holding his arm.

Then back again.