My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 482

Chapter 482

Then Raphael looked at me, like he was forcing himself to do it. As if every movement required actual effort,” Gianna.

I closed my eyes, “What?”

I didn’t even have enough energy left to be angry anymore.

He sighed, “I don’t think you’re understanding something.”

A bitter laugh escaped me, “Oh, trust me. I understand everything perfectly.”

“No,” his brows pulled together immediately, “No, you don’t.”

The frustration in his voice surprised me. It wasn’t anger. It was frustration. He was failing at something and didn’t know why.

Raphael opened his mouth, then closed it, opened it again and then stopped. I watched him struggle for almost ten seconds, “When you’re not around…” he stopped, “When I don’t know where you are, it affects my ability to focus.”

I blinked.

What?

Raphael continued, “I check things I normally wouldn’t check. I think about things that aren’t relevant.”

I stared at him, completely lost.

Raphael rubbed a hand across his face, clearly irritated with himself, “I make mistakes. I don’t sleep properly,” his eyes lowered briefly, “My concentration drops.”

I just looked at him, waiting for it to make sense. Because surely there was more, surely there had to be more. Instead he stopped talking like that explained everything.

My eyebrows shot upward, “Raphael, that means absolutely nothing to me.”

His expression tightened, “I’m trying.”

“Trying to explain what?”

His jaw clenched, “You matter… you shouldn’t.”

I stared, letting out a scoff.

Raphael looked frustrated immediately, “No,” he dragged a hand through his hair, “I mean-

He stopped again.

God.

“You occupy space.”

I blinked, “What?”

“This,” I threw my hands into the air, “Talking in riddles. Talking in circles. Acting like I’m supposed to decode whatever weird computer language you’re speaking.”

“I’m trying to explain—”

“No, you’re not!” I snapped and the tears returned immediately, “You know what, Raphael? I don’t have time for this. I don’t have time to sit here and figure out what you’re trying to say.”

His face tightened.

“My mother is dying. Do you actually realize that?”

Suddenly, the fiery anger drained completely out of me, leaving behind a cold, hollow exhaustion that made my knees tremble. My shoulders dropped. My voice fell into a flat, broken whisper that sounded incredibly small in the dark bedroom.

“My mother… is actively dying. And my little sister is only ten years old.”

I swallowed hard, the muscles in my throat tightening until it felt like I was choking on sand.

“Ten.”

The mere number hurt. God, it hurt so much it felt like a physical blow to my ribs.

“She already lost one parent before she could even form proper memories,” I said, “And now, before she even grows up, she’s going to watch her mother fade away into nothing. Everything I have left in my soul belongs to them now. My energy, my hours, my attention.” A hot tear finally broke free and slipped down my cheek, burning my skin, “I don’t have a single drop of anything left over for this. For whatever this mess is between us.”

Raphael stood perfectly still. He didn’t blink. He just stared at me, his chest barely moving as he took in every single word.

“I can’t spend the next few months trying to decipher your riddles,” I whispered, shaking my head. “I can’t waste my time wondering what you mean or what you want from me. I don’t have room for you in my life anymore. Raphael.”