My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 685

Chapter 685

Raphael

“Raphael!”

I heard Vincenzo call after me. I didn’t answer. The hallway blurred around ine. Guards stepped aside the moment they saw my face.

I knew exactly where he was.

Dad hadn’t left the estate since Hazel’s funeral. He spent most of his time in the library. The room had become his prison.

I pushed the heavy door open. It crashed against the wall. Salvatore looked up from the armchair near the fireplace. An untouched cup of coffee rested beside him.

He barely had time to stand as I crossed the room in seconds. The front of his sweater twisted in my fist as I slartimed him backward against the bookshelf.

The shelves rattled, several books toppled onto the floor, “What the hell-”

“Tell me.”

He grabbed my wrist, trying to pry my hand away, “Raphael, let go.”

“What did Hazel tell you?”

His face changed, confusion came first and then came the surprise, “What are you talking about?”

I shoved him harder into the shelf. Wood groaned behind him, “Don’t waste my time.”

His jaw tightened, “I don’t know what this is about.”

“You do,” my grip only tightened, “You lived with her. You watched her. You knew her better than anyone after she left Giovanni.”

His breathing became heavier, “Raphael-”

“What did she tell you? Why did she refuse to let Gianna anywhere near hir?”

“What happened?”

Footsteps thundered into the hallway behind me, “Raphael!”

Vincenzo.

A second later Adriano burst through the doorway with him. They stopped for only a heartbeat before rushing forward.

“The hell are you doing?” Adriano barked.

Strong hands grabbed my shoulders but I didn’t move.

Vincenzo caught my arm, “Enough.”

“No,” my eyes never left Salvatore’s, “He knows something.”

“Raphael.”

“He knows.”

Adriano looked between us, “Dad…”

“If you know something,” Vincenzo said quietly, “now is the time.”

Salvatore let out a long breath through his nose, “You boys think life works like one of your meetings but it doesn’t. People don’t always explain their fears.”

I remained silent.

“Hazel…” his voice softened, “She wasn’t a woman who liked talking about the past.”

“She must have said something!” I snapped.

He stared at me for several long seconds, then he slowly sat back down in the armchair. His hands rubbed over his tired face.

“There were nights she’d wake up screaming. I’d ask what happened. She’d always tell me it was just a nightmare.”

He swallowed.

“If Gianna was asleep in her room, Hazel would still check on her a few times in a single night, and walk through the whole house.”

His eyes drifted toward the floor. A bitter smile appeared for less than a second.

I felt my heartbeat slow. This was what I needed, “What else?”

Salvatore closed his eyes, “If an unfamiliar car stayed outside the house for too long, she’d pull Gianna away from the windows. She’d close the curtains.”

“What exactly was she afraid he’d do?”