My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 369

Chapter 369

Gianna

My knees shook so badly under my dark trousers that I had to press my palm against the cool wooden doorframe just to keep myself from collapsing onto the floor.

I took a tiny, hesitant step forward, the soles of my shoes making a small scraping sound against the wood. Nobody blinked. Nobody shifted in their seats.

“Good… good morning,” I whispered, my voice coming out as a tiny, pathetic squeak.

Nothing. No one answered.

My mother slowly picked up her cloth napkin, wiped the corner of her mouth with slow movements, and looked right past me, staring at the window. I turned my desperate eyes toward my little sister, Jules. Usually, the second I walked into a room, Jules would jump up, her bright eyes shining as she ran over to wrap her arms around my waist. But today, she kept her head down. She picked up her heavy silver spoon and began tracing the edge of her bowl over and over again, completely ignoring me, her little face hard and tight.

A hot, stinging burn rushed up behind my eyes. The tears were right there, blurring my vision until the entire dining room looked like a wavy, dark nightmare. My chest felt so tight I could barely draw a single breath of air into my lungs.

“Did I…” my voice broke, “Did I do something wrong?”

At the middle of the table, Claire slowly set her fork down against the porcelain plate with a loud clink that made me jump. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. She tilted her head, her eyes cutting right through me.

“I don’t know, Gianna,” Claire said, “Did you?”

My heart completely shattered inside my chest. My lungs gasped for air, but it felt like there was no oxygen left in the room. Huff. Huff. I began to hyperventilate again, my chest heaving up and down rapidly under my crop top. My vision started to go fuzzy at the edges, dark spots dancing in front of my eyes. I looked back at my mother, my eyes begging her to say something, to defend me, to tell me why everyone hated me so much. But she just sat there, her face blank.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Claire, Maddie and Jules all yelled together, their voices exploding into the room.

A shaky breath rushed out of my lungs, making my whole body go completely limp with relief. I let out a soft, watery laugh, my lips stretched into a wide, bright smile, my cheeks burning from the sudden shift from pure terror to total happiness.

They didn’t know, right?

“Oh my God,” I gasped out, my voice still a little shaky as my heart finally slowed down its wild, frantic beating.” You scared me. I thought you all hated me.”

“Never, birthday girl,” Claire laughed, her eyes sparkling as she pulled out the chair right next to her, “Now come on, get over here and sit down before the food gets cold.”