My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 545

Chapter 545

A sign hung above the entrance.

Reptile, Amphibian & Invertebrate Conservation House

Founded and funded by Raphael Capone.

Dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and protection of misunderstood species.

Raphael opened the door, “Come inside.”

The room beyond was enormous. Rows of habitats stretched in every direction. Glass enclosures, terrariums, climate controlled rooms, aquatic displays.

My eyes widened, there were snakes, huge ones, and tiny ones. Lizards, frogs, toads, tarantulas, scorpions,

beetles.

Creatures I would’ve immediately backed away from.

His slid his fingers between mine and started walking in the other direction. He stopped beside a large enclosure and inside sat the saddest looking lizard I had ever seen.

One eye, missing half its tail, scars across its body.

“What happened to him?”

Raphael’s expression changed, “He was used as bait in a dog fighting ring.

My stomach twisted as the little lizard blinked slowly.

Raphael crouched beside the glass, “He survived.”

The lizard immediately started moving toward him.

My eyes widened, “He knows you.”

“He knows I bring food.”

The lizard pressed against the glass.

Raphael touched the barrier lightly, “He wasn’t expected to live but he did.”

We continued walking, every enclosure had a story. A snake rescued from smugglers. A turtle abandoned by its owner. A blind frog. An injured gecko. A tarantula missing multiple legs.

Every single one had been unwanted, forgotten and thrown away but they were alive, safe and cared for.

I stopped beside a terrarium containing the ugliest toad I had ever seen. It looked permanently angry. One eye pointed slightly sideways. Its body resembled a potato.

Then Raphael spoke beside me, “His name is Winston.”

I looked at him, “You named him?”

“Maddie did.”

I nodded immediately, “That makes sense.”

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Then Raphael stopped in front of another enclosure. Inside rested a large scarred snake. Its body carried old injuries. Part of its jaw looked slightly uneven. The snake lifted its head when Raphael approached.

Raphael opened the enclosure and my eyes widened, “Raphael.”

“It’s fine.”

“That thing could eat me.”

The snake slid forward, straight into his hands. The massive creature immediately relaxed. Its body draped across his arms. I watched him carefully supporting its weight. The gentleness nearly hurt to look at because this was the side of Raphael nobody saw.

His fingers moved lightly over old scars, “People are cruel to things they don’t understand. They see something different. Something strange. Something they don’t like.”

The snake rested comfortably against him, trusting him completely. Raphael looked down at it.

“They decide it’s easier to fear it.”

My chest tightened because suddenly I wasn’t sure he was talking about the animals anymore.

His eyes lifted, found mine then he looked back at the snake, “I’ve always preferred the things nobody else wanted,” his thumb brushed one of the snake’s scars, “I suppose I understand them… as much as a human can understand a reptile.”

I smiled.

Then he looked at me, “They spend their entire lives being judged before anyone gets close enough to know them. They get hurt because somebody decides they aren’t worth the effort.”

The room suddenly felt too quiet because I knew that feeling. I knew that feeling. My eyes drifted away from his, toward the glass enclosures, toward the creatures sleeping inside them. And suddenly I wasn’t seeing snakes or frogs, or insects.

I was seeing myself, crying myself to sleep, tortured for being different, convinced nobody was coming, convinced nobody wanted me, convinced I wasn’t worth staying for.

A lump formed in my throat so quickly it hurt. I swallowed hard. It didn’t help. My vision blurred and I blinked rapidly.

No.

No.

Not here.

Not now.

But the memories kept coming, Dr. Vance, Daddy and Leone. And suddenly I understood why this place felt familiar because once upon a time…

I had been one of the unloved creatures too.

The realization hit so hard it nearly knocked the air from my lungs. I looked down quickly, trying to hide it unfortunately my eyes started burning.

A second later I felt Raphael watching me.

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I laughed weakly, a terrible attempt at pretending I was fine, “I think… I think I might understand them too.”

I stared at the floor, trying very hard not to cry in the reptile building at two o’clock in the morning.

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