My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 716

Chapter 716

I closed my eyes.

Another promise.

Another person depending on me.

Another person I couldn’t fail.

Very quietly, almost too quietly to hear, Jules whispered, “Mom knew.”

My eyes opened immediately, “What?”

She pulled back just enough to look at me, “Mom knew about you.”

My heart stopped, “What did you say?”

She sniffled, “She knew.”

My brows pulled together, “Knew… what?”

She looked confused that I didn’t understand, “You and Gianna.”

I stared at her.

Hazel…

Knew?

For a moment, I couldn’t hear the engines anymore.

“Jules,” my voice came out lower than usual, “She told you that?”

Jules nodded, “She told me she wasn’t scared anymore. She said…” Jules rubbed her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater. “…that she trusted you.”

The cabin disappeared around me.

“The night before she-” Jules swallowed hard, “Before she died. She said that if anything ever happened. to her, I should trust you.”

I felt my throat tighten.

“She said she knew you’d keep Gianna safe,” my throat tightened painfully, “She knew you loved her,” Another tear rolled down Jules’ cheek, “Because she knew you’d spend the rest of your life making sure Gianna smiled.”

I couldn’t make sense of the words.

Hazel had known.

All this time and she’d never confronted me, never warned me away from her daughter, never looked at me differently. Instead, she had trusted me.

A sharp ache spread through my chest. I had broken the one promise she believed I could keep before I could answer…

Strong arms reached down and lifted Jules right out of my lap. She gave a surprised little squeak. Dante balanced her easily against himself, “Alright,” he nudged the side of her head with his own, “That’s enough crying.”

She let out a weak protest, “I don’t want to.”

When I opened them again, nothing had changed. I was still here. My old bedroom. The bedroom I had left six years ago.

I stared around the room, unable to move. Everything looked exactly the same. The stuffed rabbit Mom had won for me at a carnival still sat on the shelf like the last six years had never happened.

My breathing grew uneven, then, everything came rushing back.

The Council.

Raphael.

The guards surrounding me.

Dad grabbing my arm.

The car.

The needle.

“Go to sleep, darling.”

My hands clenched into fists, “What the hell…”

The words came out as a whisper before anger hit me so hard I threw the blanket off my legs.

“He drugged me,” I swung my legs over the side of the bed, “He actually drugged me.”