Semua Bab On Thin Ice: A Forbidden Step Siblings Affair: Bab 91 - Bab 100

Grayson."You know you could have just texted me back instead of calling like a psychopath," I tell Bridget, keeping my voice low as I step further away from Rae. She's still at the railing, completely absorbed in the view, occasionally glancing back with that soft smile that makes my chest tight.The city lights blur slightly at the edges of my vision—the concussion still making itself known at the worst possible moment."How dare you threaten me," Bridget hisses through the phone, her voice already high pitched with panic.I run my free hand through my hair, the motion sending a sharp pain through my skull. "Asking you to tell your daughter the truth isn't a threat, Bridget. It's called being a decent human being.""Don't you lecture me about decency, you little bastard—""Is that a no?" I cut her off, my voice turning dangerously cold. "You won't tell Rae yourself?"There's a pause, then the sound of something crashing like glass shattering against a wall. Classic Bridget tantrum. I

Raelynn.The silence stretches between us in a suffocating manner, and it takes everything in me not to turn on my heels and bolt away.When I finally look up, Gray's face confirms what I already know. The guilt written across his features, the way he's holding himself like he's bracing for me to run, the devastation in his eyes—it all tells the same story.My mother. My mother helped destroy his family.I feel like I might be sick, but I force myself to swallow the nausea, to push down the panic that's clawing at my throat. Today is his mother's anniversary. Today is about his pain, his loss, and I won't make this about me. I can't."Tell me everything," I whisper, my voice steadier than I feel. "I need to know everything she did."Gray shakes his head immediately. "Rae, you don't need to hear—""Yes, I do." The words come out sharper than I intended, but I don't apologize. "If I'm going to understand why you hated me, why Isabella can barely stand to look at me, I need to know what

Raelynn.What am I doing?The question echoes in my mind as I stare into Isabella's dark eyes, seeing nothing but cold determination reflected back at me. When I dragged her out here, I thought maybe—'just maybe’—we could find some kind of understanding. Some way to coexist now that I knew the truth about our mothers.I was wrong. So damn wrong."Look," I start, my voice steadier than I feel, "I'm really not trying to hurt Grayson. I know what you and Gray have been through, and I understand why—""You understand?" Isabella's laugh is sharp, bitter. "You'll never understand what we've been through. Your life has been perfect, princess. You have no idea what real pain looks like."I stare at her, my throat tight with all the words I can't say.Perfect? If only she knew about the nights spent hiding in my closet while my father acted like a mad man.The assault that forced me to abandon name, my identity, the idea of safety. The years of running.But I can't tell her any of that. Not wi

Raelynn."Raelynn!" My mother's voice cracks like a whip, causing me to flinch. Her eyes flash with an anger I've rarely seen directed at me. "Is that how you speak to your mother? I see that boy has been a terrible influence on you. I should have never let you move in with him."I stare at her in complete disbelief. Rather than addressing what she just revealed, she's putting the blame on Gray. The audacity is breathtaking."Don't you dare—" I start, but she cuts me off."Don't I dare what? Tell the truth?" Mum throws her hands up dramatically. "Ever since you started living in that house, you've become disrespectful, ungrateful—""Stop." The word comes out sharper than I intended, but I need her to stop deflecting. My mind is racing, trying to piece together what she accidentally admitted. "Just stop talking and answer my question."Mum continues her tirade about Gray's influence, about how I've changed, but her words fade into background noise as a horrible realization begins to fo

Grayson.Some Minutes Earlier.I glance back one last time at Raelynn, her gaze fixed on her mother's face, and my heart cracks at the broken look in her eyes. The weight of what she's about to learn, what she's about to confront, sits heavy in my chest.For a moment, I wonder if what I'm doing is right—leaving her alone to face this.SLAP!The sharp sound of someone being hit snaps me out of my thoughts. My heart pounds against my ribs as I quicken my stride toward Edward's study, dread pooling in my stomach.I don't bother knocking. The door flies open under my hand, and the scene that greets me makes my blood run cold.Isabella is on the floor, her hand pressed to her cheek, while Edward stands over her with a belt in his hand, breathing heavily like he's just finished a workout."How dare you!" The words tear from my throat as I launch myself at him, my fist connecting with his jaw before I can think about the consequences.Edward staggers backward, more surprised than hurt, as Is