Dangerous Secrets: My Mafia Stepbrother

“I know, I know, Evelyn, you don’t need to explain to me,” James said, seeing the guilty look on Evelyn’s face. He quickly reassured her.

Evelyn was already feeling terrible, and she felt that she couldn’t make Evelyn feel worse.

Evelyn nodded. “Yes, it’s good that you understand my situation,” she said.

Seeing Evelyn calm down, James said to her, “Isabella’s condition has gradually improved. Yesterday, Emanuele took Isabella to the park for a walk. Evelyn, you should also get better soon.”

Evelyn only remembered that Isabella had lost her child, but she hadn’t stayed to see Isabella wake up before leaving. At the time, she felt immense guilt, thinking that it was because of her that Isabella had lost the baby. If she had spoken up a little earlier, if Isabella had been a little more cautious, this wouldn’t have happened.

Because of her overwhelming guilt, she didn’t even dare to wait for Isabella to wake up. Seeing Isabella wake up, seeing her sadness, Evelyn knew she would surely break down.

So at that time, Evelyn decided to leave, and she wanted to kill William to avenge Isabella. Unfortunately, no matter how capable she was, William was even more cunning, always on guard against her. The ordeal with William had even caused her to develop psychological issues, making her instinctively afraid of men.

James was different; she had a soft spot for him. He had saved her before, so she trusted him to be close. Now, hearing James say that Isabella was doing better, she was very happy.

“Is she really doing better? She won’t be sad anymore? She won’t be upset about her daughter’s departure?”

“No, she’s really getting better,” James said with a smile. “She bought a lot of things yesterday, you can tell her mood is much better.”RêAd lat𝙚St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

That’s good. Thank you, God, for blessing Isabella’s recovery. Evelyn couldn’t help but shed tears. She was so excited, truly excited.

Seeing Evelyn so happy, James couldn’t help but smile. “So, Evelyn, you need to get better soon too, okay? Isabella definitely wants to see you; you haven’t seen her much since she was admitted. She’s worried about you.”

“Okay, I’ll get better soon,” Evelyn said.

“Then, shall we go downstairs for a walk? Enjoy the sunshine?”

The hospital they were in wasn’t the one Emanuele acquired. After all, Isabella would have to return to work once she recovered, and if she saw Evelyn in the hospital, she would surely worry. James had arranged for Evelyn to be in a hospital near the outskirts of the city. The hospital was much larger and had a good environment, with a large open space for patients to walk, sunbathe, and exercise.

Evelyn followed James downstairs, where there were already quite a few people. They found a space to sit down. The weather today was very sunny, and the sunlight was strong. Inside the building, it was a bit cold, but outside, under the sun, Evelyn instantly felt warm.

She looked up at the sky, which was as blue as if it had been washed, giving a feeling of vibrant and cleanliness. The air around them carried the scent of grass and an unknown flower, giving a fresh feeling that made Evelyn feel completely at ease.

Previously, James had always encouraged her to go downstairs for a walk, but Evelyn had refused, staying in the hospital room. Although it was a VIP room and quite spacious, it lacked the natural sunlight and fresh air of the outdoors.

Now, finally being outside, feeling the sunlight, James couldn’t help but smile as he saw how happy Evelyn looked. As long as Evelyn was happy, he was too. If Evelyn was sad, he would be too. Jesus, when did he become so emotionally invested? Especially over a woman.

Before, James had never loved any woman, but now he realized how wonderful it was to like someone.

Evelyn also noticed James’s gaze; he seemed to be staring at her. She had been looking at the scenery in the distance, but now she looked back at James. “James, what’s wrong? Why do you keep staring at me?”

“Evelyn, do you like me?” James blurted out.

He didn’t know why, but he had always been reserved about expressing love, shy, and basically never dared to say he liked someone. But now, as he looked into Evelyn’s beautiful eyes, he couldn’t help but ask.

Hearing James’s words, Evelyn was stunned. She did like James, but she didn’t dare to say it. She had already started to become afraid; she had never experienced the joy of love. Those whom she had initially thought were good people had later only left her with bitterness. Especially the fear that William had instilled in her made herafraid of contact with men. Even though she knew William was dead and there wouldn’t be another man as twisted as him, Evelyn’s psychological shadow still existed. She still felt that she would be hurt, even if William was no longer around, there would be another man to hurt her. Furthermore, Evelyn felt that she had become very dirty, very dirty indeed. She was no longer the cheerful, optimistic girl she used to be.

Now, Evelyn felt like a pile of filth, dirty, smelly, and repulsive. She was not only repulsive to others, but she even hated herself.

Therefore, although James looked at her with deep eyes and spoke moving words, Evelyn responded coldly, “I don’t like you, James. If you are talking about romantic love, I’m sorry, I don’t feel that way. I just see you as a good friend, a very good male friend.”

James’s expression turned cold upon hearing Evelyn’s words. “Is that really how you feel?”

From James’s tone, Evelyn sensed a strong disappointment. Was he disappointed in her? Although Evelyn felt a bit sad inside, she didn’t show it. He shouldn’t have expectations of her, he shouldn’t have feelings for her. A person as dirty and ugly as her, both mentally and physically, didn’t deserve James.

Under James’s puzzled gaze, Evelyn nodded.

Seeing Evelyn’s response, James sighed, “Alright, I understand. Regardless, Evelyn, I respect your feelings. During this time, I will continue to protect you until you no longer need me.”

Hearing James’s words, his tone was as ordinary as before, showing no disappointment. But Evelyn felt that things were different now.