Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 509

Chapter 509: 509-I Am Not A Homewrecker.
Helanie:

I half expected her hand to land hard on my cheek and knock me down. But when that didn’t happen and I found Norman standing beside me, I thought he might have stopped her from hitting me. But that wasn’t the truth either. He had indeed arrived to prevent the slap, but it was Jessica herself who had stopped her hand.

“I can’t even hit you,” she muttered, tears falling down her face.

“Jessica, it’s not her fault,” Norman stepped between us and gently held my hand to pull me behind him. I saw Jessica watching his hand over mine and I instantly pulled away from his grip.

She was noticing every single move so closely that it started to worry me.

“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt her, Norman. I’m hurt and sad, but I know it’s not her fault,” she explained, as if justifying why she had stopped herself from hitting me.

“Can I come inside? I feel even more humiliated not being allowed into a room filled with things I chose,” she asked me directly, making Norman scoff.

“You don’t need to say anything to her,” he said in a defensive tone. I realized that whenever he spoke up for me, more tears would fall from her eyes.

“Come in, please,” I said—I needed to talk to her. I didn’t find her threatening for some reason.

Which was strange, because I thought she would be angry and might yell or hit me.

I stepped aside, and so did Norman, and Jessica walked in. The way she looked around and took a deep breath made me feel incredibly guilty.

She then went ahead and sat on the couch. I rushed to grab the empty pizza boxes off the table before her, when Norman grabbed my arm and stopped me.

“I don’t want you to clean up in front of her or anyone,” he said. I didn’t know why he thought that was a bad thing, but he began picking up the boxes himself.

And once again, Jessica noticed.

I sat with Jessica on the couch, but when Norman was about to sit beside me, Jessica cleared her throat and held my hand.

“Can it please be just the two of us?” Her request made me look at Norman, who frowned and shook his head.

“Say what you have to say in front of me,” he told her.

“I just want a moment alone with her,” she insisted again.

“Jessica, I’m the one who hurt you. I’ll talk to you—please don’t involve her,” he said. He sounded so sweet and gentle, even though it wasn’t his mistake.

He must be in so much pain, sitting across from her and not being able to hold her. He must have loved her in his own twisted way to marry her. I knew Norman—even when he was cold-hearted, the people he kept close were the ones he was willing to do anything for.

“But I just want to have a heart-to-heart with her,” she added, almost pleading. I felt bad for her. The way she looked at Norman, even after he had betrayed her, made me wonder if her love was really that pure—that even after her fiancé had cheated on her, she still couldn’t look at him with disgust.

I remembered myself.

I didn’t look at Emmet with disgust, but I was angry at him.

“It’s okay. I’ll speak with her,” I said, and as soon as I did, Norman rolled his eyes and scoffed.

“Fine, you two talk,” he finally agreed, only to lean back on his sofa and hold his phone in his hand. “Just imagine I’m not here.”

The way Jessica smiled at his action made me feel even more guilty.

“Norman, we want privacy,” I had to be firm so he’d listen without making me argue. All while Jessica watched us. I had a bad feeling she was noticing every bit of our interaction—and probably getting hurt.

And she had every right to. I remembered seeing Emmet with Sage once in a shop, and I had completely lost it.

“Fine,” Norman finally grunted and walked out of the room.

But before he was completely out of sight, he mouthed to me, “Text me if things get out of hand.”

“He acts so differently around you,” she said, more to herself than to me.

“We argue a lot. We are just two different personalities,” I replied quickly, making it clear our banter wasn’t some kind of secret love language.

“I’m sorry,” she said, and my heart jumped into my throat.

“What are you apologizing for?” I asked, confused—and feeling worse because I had taken her mate, yet she was the one apologizing. It didn’t make any sense.

“For being related to that man—” her jaw clenched at the mention of her brother. That surprised me.

“He’s denying everything and swearing on his life. But every time I look into your eyes, I feel like I’m drowning in guilt. My brother… I raised him like a mother. I don’t know when I failed to teach him about consent. I feel so responsible,” she said, covering her face with her hands as she broke down.

I was stunned to hear one of the Alpha’s family members sound this remorseful.

I thought she’d be angry that I dared to accuse her brother.

But I guess I was wrong about her. No wonder Norman had chosen her.

“You being here and saying all this means a lot to me. I’ve only heard people mock me or look at me with doubt—until the Alphas finally admitted what they did,” I said, still holding her hands.

“I know it’s not enough. But it’s all I can do right now,” she sighed. “Can I ask you something? Please answer honestly. Did you two—cheat on me during all those months you’ve known Norman?” The way her eyes filled with tears made me feel sick with guilt.

She didn’t deserve any of this.

And I was definitely not a homewrecker.

The difference between Kesha and Jessica was that Jessica and Norman had been together for years. But Kesha came after Kaye and I had already developed feelings for each other—we had even felt the mate bond.

But now, I had to answer Jessica.

And whatever I said next would either fix things or destroy them.