Forbidden Affair with My Mafia Stepbrother R18-Chapter 152: Different Directions

"What?" I asked before blinking my eyes rapidly. My breath was caught in my throat as I imagined my mother’s reaction when she heard the entire truth from us.

"There’s no point in hiding it anymore. If you want to break the engagement between Rosabella and me, the first step is to tell your mother the truth about us," Raphael replied calmly.

I was stunned for a moment before I nodded my head in agreement. I realized that I couldn’t expect effort only from his side when I wasn’t going to do anything. Once again, I reminded myself that it was better that I tell my mother the truth because she deserved to know.

"I’m going to try my best to tell her," I said as I strengthened my resolve once again.

"That’s my good girl," Raphael whispered before he leaned in and placed a tender kiss on my cheek.

...

Raphael’s words were playing in my head repeatedly over the next couple of days. I could hear his voice and his determination when he told me to tell my mother the truth. I swore to myself multiple times that I would. I swore to myself that I would find the courage to finally sit across from my mother and look her straight in the eyes before telling her everything. However, every time that I tried, the words seemed to die in my throat. The fact that all my mother could talk about was Rosabella after our shopping trip with her to support her wedding preparations made it even harder for me.

"I think Rosabella has such beautiful eyes. Don’t you think so? I feel like it would be great if the two of them have a daughter who inherited her eyes. A son would be great too," my mother said before smiling dreamily at me.

My mother was already the perfect embodiment of Raphael’s stepmother, and she was already thinking ahead to celebrate the birth of their child.

All I could do was nod my head as I felt my entire body go numb. Matters only got worse and worse as time went by. Another day, my mother was on the phone as she talked to Rosabella. Her smile was wide as she responded enthusiastically to Rosabella, who was talking on the other side of the phone.

"Oh, I think the ivory lace will look so elegant at the reception. I’ll take care of the flower arrangements and make sure that it turns out perfect. You don’t have to worry about a thing!" my mother said excitedly.

I was there with the intent to talk to my mother and reveal the truth to her. However, when she hung up and turned to face me with a laugh filled with happiness that I hadn’t seen in years, I couldn’t bring myself to bring it up.

"Can you believe it, my sweetheart? Soon Rosabella will be your sister-in-law, and we’re just going to be the most perfect family ever," my mother said before approaching me and pulling me into a tight hug.

To her, she had found the perfect husband and had finally built the perfect family that she had always dreamed of. I couldn’t help but wonder how she would feel when she found out that she had failed once again, just like she had failed by choosing my father all those years ago. Her joy felt like a knife to my side.

To make matters worse, it wasn’t just her that was looking forward to the wedding. Bennett was practically floating every time Raphael’s name came up. He would go on and on about how finally the two families would be united and how everything was finally falling into place.

"Who knows, maybe we’ll be seeing grandchildren before long," he said before chuckling joyfully. My mother quickly agreed before they embraced in a hug. They truly looked like blissful grandparents-to-be.

All I could do was remain silent as I tried to fake multiple smiles within the same day. I felt so guilty because I would be the one to shatter their happiness. That reality made me hate myself so much, even though I tried to tell myself that I wasn’t the one in the wrong.

"Abigail, is something the matter? You seem unusually silent today," my mother suddenly asked me. I could feel both of their attention on me as I quickly came up with the best excuse that I could think of.

"I guess I’m just a little tired and maybe a little hungry," I replied, although I seriously had no appetite at all.

"Well, that’s perfect. Actually, Rosabella is coming to join us for dinner tonight right here in our home!" my mother announced excitedly.

"It’s finally the day. I’m very glad to have her here with us, and when the two of them get married, we’ll be a big family, and she’ll be having dinner with us every single day," Bennett quickly added with a big smile.

I felt my blood run cold in my veins. Apparently, Rosabella wasn’t willing to wait for me to make the first move. It was just like her to strike first, just like a sly snake.

...

By the time that I sat down at the dining table, everyone in the family was already there, including Raphael. Once again, Rosabella was making a move, and I feared what she was going to do next. The only comfort that I had was that the deadline she had given me had not yet arrived; that meant that I should still have some time on my hands.

"Rosabella should be here any moment now," my mother said with a smile.

I could feel Raphael tense slightly at my side, but if he was surprised that Rosabella was joining us for dinner, he didn’t show it.

"I’m sorry that I’m a little late!" Rosabella’s sweet voice announced her arrival.

Her presence filled the room as everyone greeted her warmly. My mouth fell open in shock at the fact that she didn’t come alone. Rosabella arrived on the arm of her father, David. His presence filled the room in a way that only powerful men could.