My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 666

Chapter 666

Gianna

Everyone had gone to bed hours ago.

I stood alone in the kitchen, one hand resting against the cold marble countertop. The lights above the island were the only ones still on.

I stared at the knife block.

I didn’t move. I just… stared. My fingers slowly curled against the edge of the counter until my knuckles turned white.

Mom’s voice drifted into my head, “Promise me.”

The memory was so clear it almost hurt. She had held my face between her hands. Her eyes had been wet.

“No matter how hard life gets… promise me you won’t hurt yourself again.”

I had promised, not because she forced me but because she’d looked terrified. Terrified of what might happen to me if she wasn’t there anymore. I hadn’t realized how much she had held me together simply by being beside me.

Now that she was gone…

I finally understood that her presence had been the one thing keeping my mind from falling apart.

I squeezed my eyes shut, “I promised…”

The words barely left my mouth. Everything inside me wanted the noise in my head to stop, just for a minute, just long enough to breathe.

I dug my nails into my palm instead.

“No…” I whispered to myself, “You promised.”

The words sounded weak and far away. I opened my eyes again. The knife block was still there.

My breathing became uneven. My hand lifted almost without me realizing it.

“What are you doing?”

The voice hit me like cold water. I flinched so hard my heart slammed against my ribs. I turned around immediately. Jules stood in the doorway. Claire stood beside her, one hand resting gently on Jules’ shoulder.

I forced my face into something that almost looked like a smile, “Nothing,” my voice sounded so strange, “I… couldn’t sleep,” I looked toward the refrigerator, “I thought I’d find something to eat!”

Claire studied me for a second, then she smiled softly, as if choosing not to push, “Perfect timing,” she looked down at Jules, “This little one couldn’t sleep either.”

Jules nodded, “My stomach is awake.”

Claire laughed quietly, “So is mine.”

She walked into the kitchen and, without any effort at all, lifted Jules onto the countertop.

Jules giggled even though her eyes were swollen, “You’re so strong!”

Claire playfully flexed her small, slender arm, “I’ve worked hard for these muscles.’

I swallowed.

She brushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear, “Grief needs air. If you lock it away, it doesn’t disappear. It waits. And one day it comes back all at once.”

Her thumb gently brushed my cheek. Behind her, Jules looked between us quietly.

Claire finally lowered her hands, “I won’t force you to stay here right now but when you’re ready… come sit with us. You don’t even have to talk. You can just… be.”

Claire went back to making a sandwich for Jules. Jules was swinging her legs against the cabinet, chattering away the same way she used to with Mom.

Claire laughed softly and for a moment… It sounded just like the kind of laugh Mom used to fill the kitchen with.

I watched them for a long time.

It felt like I was standing outside a window, looking into someone else’s life.

A home.

A family.

Something warm.

Something I couldn’t seem to step back into.

Claire caught me looking, and she smiled again. The smile hurt more than if she had looked away because everyone kept reaching for me. Everyone kept trying but I couldn’t seem to reach back.