CHAPTER 27: HONEYMOON

She looked so heartbroken that for a moment, I thought that she was the one who had broken up with Sam instead of me. This was exactly why I didn’t want to tell her, especially if it was right before her wedding.

"I’m sorry I just didn’t want to tell you before the wedding, you know, because it would ruin your big day," I replied honestly. My mother wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a hug. Her embrace made me feel slightly emotional but I was far from bursting out into tears.

"Don’t worry about me. It’s over now and I’ve gotten over it," I told her as I patted her back.

"You should have told me. No wonder he didn’t turn up to my wedding. I wasn’t sure if you told him about our move or not and there are some of his things left at our house, so I gave him a call and that’s when I found out," my mother said while sounding very depressed.

I wondered if she also found out that Sam had just married Emily, my best friend. When she released me and stared at my face, I tried my best to smile reassuringly to tell her that I was fine. The fact was that I had much bigger problems to deal with now and I had almost forgotten completely about Sam and his betrayal.

"Is this the reason why you haven’t been going to work lately?" She asked knowingly.

"I won’t lie and say that that’s not part of the reason but after thinking about it for a while, I think I’m going to quit my job," I confessed to my mother after making a firm decision to move on.

"Honey, I just want you to know that I’m always here for you and that I will support whatever decision that you make. I know that you’re going through so much for the sake of my happiness so that my marriage with Bennett would work out and I want to do the same for you," she said as she took my hands into hers.

"Please don’t cry, you’re going to make me cry too. I’m going to look for a new job and move on so please don’t worry about me. I’m really fine," I told her with a firm nod of my head before pressing my lips into a thin line.

After my mother left the room, I sent my resignation email. Surprisingly, there wasn’t a heavy feeling in my chest and that told me that I did not regret the decision that I had just made.

...

Moving in to live with Bennett and his family at his mansion truly came with more than a few changes for me to adapt to, and one of them was having dinner together as a family. Normally, I wouldn’t have found this to be difficult to deal with; however, the fact that Raphael was also there made it extremely challenging for me.

"Honeymoon?" I repeated those words questioningly as my eyes widened.

"Oh, did I forget to mention it? We’re going on a honeymoon tomorrow morning," my mother said before turning to smile gleefully at Bennett.

Of course, I knew that couples were supposed to go on a honeymoon after the wedding, but I

didn’t think that they would suddenly be gone tomorrow.

"That sounds wonderful. Where are you going?" I asked while trying to maintain my composure.

"Well, we decided to go on a cruise. Bennett’s close friend owns a cruise line so we thought that that would be perfect for us," my mother said before smiling sweetly my way.

"That’s right! He also promised that the weather would be perfect for our trip," Bennett chimed in smoothly.

The two of them went on joyfully to describe the entire plan of their trip, but their excitement was completely lost to me as I got absorbed in my own thoughts. If the two of them went on their honeymoon trip, then the only ones left in the house would be Raphael and me...

My eyes instinctively moved to glance over at Raphael who was seated right next to me at the dining table and my eyes immediately met his. His beautiful lips curved into a slightly teasing smile and I could see a look of mischief in his eyes as he kept on staring at me. For a moment, I felt like a small white little rabbit being toyed with by the big bad wolf.

“I hope you two enjoy your honeymoon. Don’t worry about anything. I’ll take care of the business while you’re gone and I’ll also take care of Abigail,” Raphael told our parents reassuringly before smiling warmly at them.

“Thank you so much! If you’ll help take care of her, then I guess I have nothing to worry about,” my mother said as she pressed her hand against her chest with a very relieved look on her face.

A tight knot formed in the pit of my stomach as I watch Raphael chat smoothly to all parents while acting out the part of the perfect stepbrother flawlessly. If only they knew the truth about the secret that we shared, I wondered if the world would just split into two. Raphael’s perfect gentlemanly stepbrother act made me feel like there were hundreds of butterflies fluttering in my stomach and I couldn’t bear to watch for much longer. Just when I thought that I should excuse myself, I felt a soft touch on my thigh. I glanced down to see his hand resting on my lap but when I turned to look at his face, Raphael was still chatting animatedly with our parents as if nothing had happened. My mouth hung open in shock as his hand began stroking my thigh through the fabric of my skirt.

“Why don’t you take Abigail on a tour of our office while we’re away?” Bennett suggested.

“That sounds like an amazing idea! I’m so scared that Abby will be bored while I’m gone,” my mother said before letting out a small laugh.

–To be continued...

Thank you for reading, please support my other books: Forbidden Heat, Love Slave to the Mafia Boss’s Passion, Love Slave to My Devil CEO Boss, The Alpha Prince’s Purchased Maid, Lust Contracts, Conquering the Emperor, Substitute Wife for the Mafia King