My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 567

Chapter 567

I shook my head immediately, “Raph…” my hand found his cheek to calm him, “No. I meant everything I just told you. I don’t love him. I don’t want him. I don’t want a future with him but…” I swallowed, “that doesn’t automatically mean I want him dead.”

Raphael watched me carefully and I took both of his hands into mine.

“Ciro is still alive, right?” I asked.

He nodded once, “Yes.”

“Then we can bring him home,” hope slipped into my voice before I could stop it, “Leone wants me.”

Raphael’s expression hardened instantly and I squeezed his hands.

“Listen to me, he isn’t doing this because of Ciro, he’s doing this because of me. If I speak to him, if he sees me… can make him understand. I can make him let Ciro go.”

For a long moment, Raphael didn’t say a single word. He simply looked at me. Then a small, tired smile touched his lips. He leaned down and kissed my forehead.

“You worry about Hazel,” he said quietly. “Stay with your mother. Give her all of your attention.”

His hand gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

“I’ll take care of everything else.”

“But, Raph-”

He shook his head once, “No,” his voice stayed calm, but it left no room for argument, “We’re done discussing this.”

By the time I finished getting ready, I had reached one very important conclusion, walking was a scam. Every single step reminded me of last night.

I paused in front of the bedroom mirror one last time. The girl looking back at me looked… normal enough.

A fitted red sweetheart neckline top, blue denim jeans, and white sneakers. My hair fell in loose waves over my shoulders.

The makeup had taken much longer than usual, not because I wanted to look pretty but because someone had left enough evidence to make that a full-time job.

I leaned closer to the mirror, checking the concealer one last time. The faint marks along my neck were hidden. The small bruise near my collarbone had disappeared beneath foundation. Even the tiny bite on my shoulder was covered.

I tilted my head from one side to the other.

Good enough, nobody would notice, probably.

So it won’t hurt you if I kill him, right?

The warmth inside my chest faded. Raphael had promised to let me focus on Mom, to leave everything else to him.

For some reason, that didn’t comfort me anymore. It made me nervous because Raphael never made promises he couldn’t keep.

“Hey, good morning!” Claire smiled widely.

Every head turned. My eyes lifted almost by instinct, straight across the table. Raphael was looking at me.

I noticed the tiny lift of one eyebrow. The brief glance that traveled over my face, checking if I looked tired, checking if I looked uncomfortable, checking if I was alright.

The smallest smile tugged at the corner of my mouth before I looked away. I wasn’t ready to hold his gaze for too long in front of everyone, not after everything that had happened between us.

I cleared my throat, “Good morning, everyone.”

A chorus of greetings answered me from around the table. I walked toward the empty chair between Maddie and Claire.

The chair had never seemed so far away. I lowered myself carefully. Very… very carefully. The moment I finally sat down, I nearly sighed with relief.