Semua Bab STEPBROTHERS WITH BENEFITS : Bab 121 - Bab 130

I stepped back and let myself fall onto the couch. The cushions dipped under my weight. I dragged my hands down my face before looking at her again. She was staring at me with those guilty eyes. That was all the confirmation I needed. Their pretend marriage could have lasted a year, maybe two—just long enough to keep up appearances. It didn’t have to drag on for eight fucking years. But because my mom fell for him, it did. Everything became complicated the moment feelings got involved. “Is that why you don’t wanna get yourself out of this mess?” I asked. “It’s not because your sister still needs you, is it? But because you’re actually enjoying this?” I barely saw it coming when her hand landed on my cheek. It was not hard, but it stung. “Can you blame me?” she shot back, her voice trembling. “I was trapped in this situation too! I didn’t ask for this. If I had a better choice, I wouldn’t choose this life. I didn’t want to replace your dad in my heart… but you can’t control who yo

“So… since when?” We were sitting on the couch now, both calmer than before. “A long time ago,” I answered, avoiding a specific date. I didn’t want to shock her further. “Since when did you know about us?” “I had a feeling for a while, but it wasn’t anywhere near this. I honestly thought you two hated each other, so I was worried about what he might do to you. Now that I know what’s really going on, I’m not sure if I should be relieved or more anxious.” She let out a soft chuckle. We really did hate each other at one point, and even now, it still feels surreal that we went from that to being each other’s boyfriends. “How did you find out?” “I went to your condo to visit, but I didn’t go in when I saw Kayden there. I got my confirmation when you kissed him before heading inside.” My eyes narrowed. I didn’t tell her my condo address. “Franco,” she said, noticing the question in my expression. “I asked him about it.” “Damn,” I muttered, shaking my head. “You’re happy w

When we got back to the condo, he immediately made me sit down and grabbed the first aid kit. My cheek was swollen, and the corner of my eye was bleeding.When he returned, he gently cleaned and treated the wounds. His touch was light, careful, and it barely hurt at all.Since we left the mansion until now, his face remained dark and tense. I kept silent, allowing him the space to cool off.“Does it hurt?” he asked, his thumb brushing gently over my cheek.“A bit,” I admitted.“I’m sorry,” he muttered, his face full of guilt.I furrowed my brow. “Why are you saying sorry? You didn’t hit me.”“I wish I hadn’t brought you there. Look at you. You got punched, and now you have a bruise,” he said softly.“Why? Does it make me less handsome?”He shook his head immediately. “No. You’re still as handsome as ever. But I won’t allow anyone to hurt you.”I heaved a sigh and reached for his hand.

“Noah? You still there? Noah?” Aya’s voice echoed from the phone.I didn’t answer.My mind felt like it was exploding from everything I had just seen. This was exactly what I had always been afraid of.“Don’t do anything impulsive, okay?” she continued. “We’ll fix this as soon as possible.”I still didn’t respond. Instead, I ended the call.I stood up from the bed and started pacing around the room, restless and unable to stay still. My hands clenched tightly around my phone, gripping it so hard that it almost felt like it might crack.Who could do this?Who took those photos?How long had they been watching us?So many questions ran through my mind, and I knew none of them would be answered anytime soon. I had always been confident that we were careful, that no one would find out.But all this time, someone had been spying on us.Watching.Waiting.I didn’t get a single moment of sleep that night. My body was drained from everything that happened yesterday, yet my mind refused to res

“Are you out of your mind? Why would I do that?” I snapped, my patience already stretched thin.He didn’t flinch. “People are interested in you now more than ever. They might dig up information about Kayden sooner or later—or worse, they already have. I don’t want my business and name dragged into this because of you,” he spat, his disgust palpable.My fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles ached. “He’s out of this. Rest assured I will never involve him in any of this if that’s what you’re worried about.”He let out a mocking laugh. “Oh really? Can you control that? You can’t even protect your own image, so what makes you think you can protect his?”Anger surged through me because I knew he was right. I couldn’t bring myself to speak. In the end, I chose to stand and pointed toward the door of my condo.“Get out,” I said firmly, my voice tight with rage, barely holding myself back. “This conversation is over. You’re not going to come between us. Try harder next time.”He heaved a