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AN INDIFFERENT FRIEND

Author: JOSSY
last update Last Updated: 2025-02-14 19:59:34

A striking white color greets my vision the second I peel my eyes. I feel like total crap, worn out, with a very bad taste in my mouth and a churning belly on top of a blinding headache.

“What the heck happened?” I murmur through the pain, my eyes shutting on their own to the striking headache.

I pull myself up and lean back on the bed as I sit up. I take my hands to my temples, massaging them slowly to soothe the pain.

“You are such a spoiler! You know?”

I stop on the remedy I was working on to soothe my pains and peel my eyes to take in the figure that I had not noticed.

“Janie?” I force words through the pain, looking at her not-so-welcoming features parked at the edge of the bed. “What am I doing here?” I drag the last word as the memories of the last moments before I blacked out start playing in my head.

The betrayal. The heartbreak. The way I ran off into a bar. The excessive drinking, which was so unlike me. The unwanted conversation with the stranger. The bashing. The blackout
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  • MY STEPBROTHER'S RETURN   SOMETHING AMISS

    She smirks—that sarcastic smirk that cuts deep to my lungs—as she crosses her arms on her chest, squaring her shoulders. “You did not just manage to put Joe’s life in danger, but you managed to get him sick and worried. That is why he called me to watch over you while he tries to make sure that you at least do not become a murderer and rot in jail!”Something is not right here. Why is she acting like this? Why is she so cold to me? The Janie that I know would be sympathizing with me in this situation. She would be the one shaking and asking me what we should do. But this cold woman before me right now, I don’t recognize her at all.“And I just realized that I made the greatest mistake of my life by calling you here, Janie!”Both of us knock at the door. Joe’s cold expression greets us as he marches inside, his surgical coat still on. “Joe!” I run to him, hugging him tight.He wraps his hands around me, encompassing me into solace. For a moment, all the bitterness I had for him fades,

    Last Updated : 2025-02-14
  • MY STEPBROTHER'S RETURN   UNENDING NIGHTMARES

    My father and his wife, Joe’s mother, walk in. The drips of cold chills fall in the room with every single step they take toward us. No words are spoken. If I am good at guessing, I would say that this denotes danger. Bad vibes. The coldness I am sampling from my father is almost making my spine numb. But then, if I could not have guessed that the man that I gave my all to was nothing but a scam, even now, I may be wrong.Joe’s hand tightens around my waist. Even as he hugs his mother, who seems too cold for a loving mother who is supposed to be welcoming her only child after ten years apart, Joe does not let go of me. He keeps closer. Closer than even his own mother.The hug takes merely a second, and they break apart. All this while, my father’s gaze has been scanning me with an expression that I still can’t quite decipher, leaving me unsettled. I snuggle with Joe after he is free from the hug. At the moment, he seems to share something in common with me. The awkwardness of the mome

    Last Updated : 2025-02-14
  • MY STEPBROTHER'S RETURN   THE ACCUSED

    I look at this man, and I realize just what a big fool I have been all this while. Why didn’t I see these layers of his skin that are just showing off now? How could I have been so blind? Why did I not sense any of these sides that he is showing now?Breaking his trust, really? Was I the one he found in bed riding another man? The nerve he has, huh! What is he even going on about? What made him leave his horny bimbo and come here? To laugh at my predicaments? If that was so, why isn’t he showing just how enthralled he is right now seeing me in this situation? Why is he trying to pin the blame for what he caused on me?Why?I yanked my hand from Joe, and he was not quick enough to stop me. I take a step closer to this son of a moron, wearing my crown of bravery. “You have the audacity to talk about trust, you shameless bastard? Do you have any idea what that word means?" I hiss, my poisonous gaze dripping with contempt.His icy features do not melt. On the contrary, they grow more cold

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  • MY STEPBROTHER'S RETURN   THE ACCUSATIONS

    “You have no right to hurt her. She cannot be responsible for what you are accusing her of!”I peel my eyes at the sight of Joe holding the woman’s hand in the air, his eyes bleeping wrath on her. He looks like he can slap the shit out of the woman if she tries that again. That explains why I didn’t feel the impact of that slap. I have been waiting for it for ages. From the bottom of my heart, I really appreciate what this man has done for me in the few hours he has been back. His return was indeed planned by the gods. It came at the right moment.The woman yanks her hand from him, and he lets go of her. She takes a step back, fuming mad with rage. His face is blindingly red from ear to ear. “She is a shameless woman! She has been throwing herself at my husband and threatening him with the power that her family holds if he tries to break up with her. And now that he finally had the courage to risk it all and break up with her, this shameless woman almost killed him! She deserves a sev

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  • MY STEPBROTHER'S RETURN   THE BEARDOWNS

    I cross my hands on my chest, taking a step forward to these two conniving devil’s incarnates. “Well, accuse me of anything you want, but you cannot crash me with mere lies. My conscience is clean. Take this to any court or anywhere you want; I am ready for this battle. But I swear on my dear mother’s name, the moment I manage to prove that this is all a conspiracy.” I fix my gaze on the woman who is now shaken. “You will not be able to pay for the damage that you have caused me. Neither will you have anywhere to hide.”I give her time to digest my words, and gauge her take on this. She just stares at me as if she does not believe what I said. Well, she can think whatever she wants, but Belladine Montana does not give empty promises. Someday she will wish she did not cross my path!“Will you keep denying even when the truth has come to light?” The voice of this father devil makes the air crackle.I lift up my cold eyes to him. Looking at him, I inwardly wonder where all the feelings I

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  • MY STEPBROTHER'S RETURN   BURIED IN SHAME, PAIN, AND REGRETS

    I curl up in bed, enveloping myself in the warmth of the duvet as I breathe in the cold air of the harsh reality pressing me from all sides of this life. I stare blankly at the wall; you would think that my mind is barren of any thoughts. But on the contrary, my head is a chaotic whirlwind of a thousand thoughts crashing against each other.The shame. The immense despair. And the deep regrets of even things that I had no control over that led me to this situation. These past three days have been nothing short of a blur, a dense nightmare that will take a whole lot of time for me to wake up from.I have cried until my eyes feel like dry pools now. I have banged my head with questions that I still have not found answers to.Joe strolls in with a tray of something that smells so mouthwatering, but only for people who have appetites, and I am not included. I lost my appetite three days ago. I am hungry, but I am afraid this suffocating situation will make me puke everything I put into my

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  • MY STEPBROTHER'S RETURN   A DEEPER TANGLE

    “I am sorry,” he says with utmost sincerity—the very first time I am sensing sincerity in him. “I didn’t mean for it to come out that way. But look, believe me, you are giving that jerk more pleasure if you continue like this. Please, eat. For your own sake. You need enough strength to be able to stand up on your feet again. Because I know Belladine Montana does not stay on the ground. This is not you, and this is not beyond you, B.”He is right. I am not someone who is easily weighed down by things like this. But then, this is too much. I have never been in such a dilema. I have never been this cornered. I have never been in such a deep sh*t. I feel like I am really drowning. I know I should rise above all this. I know I must. I know I will. But where do I start? My name is all covered in mud. Stained. Covered is lust. Where do I begin cleaning?“Dad is worried about you.”I snap out of my engrossed thoughts at Joe’s words. Dad? “He is?” I ask, curiosity rising in me with every secon

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  • MY STEPBROTHER'S RETURN   A DEEPER CONNECTION

    My race is weirdly racing as I stare at other people in my life. I am trying so hard to piece together the pieces of the chaotic puzzle that my life has become and trying to mull over why he is still here and so calm. Why does his return feel like a mystery? It was a somehow sweet mystery because I would still be swimming in the dark of the betrayal playing right under my nose.The room seems to close with every single second that passes by, and yet, I can't seem to read anything about his father. The questions still hang like heavy clouds in my head.“You are staring. Is anything the matter?” Joe breaks the silence after a long moment of pure stare and lull, staring back as he tries to gauge my facial idioms.Why would I not be staring with mental confusion like this? This is all so puzzling. Even why he is helping me is so obstinate to what I would have anticipated. How he remains unagitated and cool like a cucumber in this quagmire is yet another mystery that I need to understand.

    Last Updated : 2025-02-15

Latest chapter

  • MY STEPBROTHER'S RETURN   WHEN IT STARTED

    “Rule number one,” I start after a long moment of pure stare. “It is high time we embrace ourselves as who we really are—siblings! From this moment on, you are my brother, and I will address you as such!”He laughs my statement off, "But you have never seen me as your brother from the beginning.”“Well, things have changed now. We should try to relate like the half-siblings that we are to clear this confusion,” I state.“Do you know how ridiculous you sound?”Well, no, I don’t! The only ridiculous thing here is this affection that is building in us because it is forbidden. “What is ridiculous is you telling people that you left your perfect life in Cuba to come and fall head over heels for your half-sister!” I scream from the top of my voice, hoping and wishing that he gets my point and quits making this so difficult for me. “What sort of catastrophe do you think that statement alone would cause?”“It is not in our hands to tune our hearts to the direction that we want it to go. Our h

  • MY STEPBROTHER'S RETURN   A GROSS MORNING

    The mornings are known to bring about new hope and new beginnings. They mark a new start to forget what happened the previous day and usher in something new and better. With the rising of the sun, a new hope and a new faith are born. And that's what this morning means to me.I have been hurt, confused, and wrongly judged. I messed up too. I have done enough justice by crying my sorrows out. But that was until last night. This beautiful morning, I open a new chapter in which all wrongs would be rewritten. This is the day I start correcting all my wrongs and setting the record straight. This is where I draw the line of hiding as if I were anything close to the criminal that they have labeled me, and go out there and clear my name. This is where I start setting things straight.I take another sizable sip of the steaming hot lemon coffee, and I savor the bracing taste of it as it washes my throat down. This is a sweet remedy indeed. It's so soothing. So refreshing. So re-energizing."Good

  • MY STEPBROTHER'S RETURN   BY MY RULES

    I suck?Well, I guess I do. Pretty much, indeed. Because if I didn’t, why would I be hurting from words that I formulated for him? I suck so much, and that explains why I have been entertaining these feelings for him. I suck so much, that is why even a disgusting nobody like Leon dumbed me like I was a piece of rotten shit. Yes, I stink pretty much, and that must be the reason why even my only best friend has abandoned me at a time when I need her the most.And ooh, wow! I had to hear that directly from him! And it had to fucking hurt this much? Curse him! Screw him!I scour away the tears furiously; unfortunately, there is no remedy to the loud throbs of pain from my heart. It hurts. It stings so much that I wonder why it has to hurt like this.It is Joe, for fucks sake! He never saw anything good in me. He never saw anything good about me. This is the real Joe that I knew ten years ago. The Joe I was wondering where he went. This is him slapping the shit to my face without caring ho

  • MY STEPBROTHER'S RETURN   NOT ON THE SAME PAGE

    Forget about the last two annoying words. Is he trying to be insultive or something? Who exactly is he to judge me?“Listen, Joe!” I start boldly, fuming inwardly with disapproval at the choice of his words. “If you are here, it is because you want to. So mind your business while I mind mine. I will handle my shit the way I want and at my own pace. Fuck off my case already!”His right eyebrows raise up, forming a very admirable curve above his eye that gives his face a sinfully adorable look. Were it not for his annoying smugness that is choking my demons, I would have gotten lost in taking in his features.“And, what is funny?” I quiz, crinkling my brows at his unsettling reaction.“It is funny how you lie, B!” he states confidently, taking some slow, deliberate steps forward, while I am drawn into awe.I am lying. About why he is here, or about me wanting him to mind his fucking business, or is it about me saying that I can handle my shit? Which is which exactly?“Not another step!”

  • MY STEPBROTHER'S RETURN   AT ODDS

    If there has been a time in my entire life that I was confused, it is now. Nothing that is happening is ringing a bell to me at all. Not how I could have fallen for that mother fucker and how not-pleasant I could not see beneath his mask. Not how a heartbreak was capable of almost turning Mr. into a murderer. How did Joe come into the picture and become my beacon of hope and solace? That is a puzzle I don’t know how I will crack. The sudden change of mood and the rift between me and Janie? I still don’t get a shit about that. I have been checking my phone since several days ago.Today, when the rays of the morning sun stroked me up from my not pleasant slumber, I checked again. And still, not a single call from Jane. Not a text. Not even a ‘how are you coping up’ knowing what I am facing. And that is definitely not her. I had sworn to just deal with this mess and not call, but I had to swallow that pride toady. So, I called two times, but she ignored my calls for the very first time s

  • MY STEPBROTHER'S RETURN   A SWING OF EMMOTIONS

    But his composure is challenging all my contradicting thoughts; the way his beguiling deep stare is unbreaking from me even when I am trying everything to break it speaks volumes. It is like he wants our eyes to remain locked. Like he is trying to explain something through eye contact. Like…like…ooh my! What is going on here?I look away, but only for a minute, because I am snapped back by his presence as he perches himself beside me, leaving zero distance between us. And again, our eyes don’t even struggle to find each other. They engange in this deep stare, diving into the deepest depths to excavate the secrets behind what is happening.But what is even there to unearth? There shouldn’t be anything. But everything is challenging my believe in all aspects. The mere fact that we shouldn’t be this close yet we are and the mere fact that we shouldn’t be staring at each other like yet we can’t seem to want to break this spell are enough reasons that there is something that was born by hi

  • MY STEPBROTHER'S RETURN   A DEEPER CONNECTION

    My race is weirdly racing as I stare at other people in my life. I am trying so hard to piece together the pieces of the chaotic puzzle that my life has become and trying to mull over why he is still here and so calm. Why does his return feel like a mystery? It was a somehow sweet mystery because I would still be swimming in the dark of the betrayal playing right under my nose.The room seems to close with every single second that passes by, and yet, I can't seem to read anything about his father. The questions still hang like heavy clouds in my head.“You are staring. Is anything the matter?” Joe breaks the silence after a long moment of pure stare and lull, staring back as he tries to gauge my facial idioms.Why would I not be staring with mental confusion like this? This is all so puzzling. Even why he is helping me is so obstinate to what I would have anticipated. How he remains unagitated and cool like a cucumber in this quagmire is yet another mystery that I need to understand.

  • MY STEPBROTHER'S RETURN   A DEEPER TANGLE

    “I am sorry,” he says with utmost sincerity—the very first time I am sensing sincerity in him. “I didn’t mean for it to come out that way. But look, believe me, you are giving that jerk more pleasure if you continue like this. Please, eat. For your own sake. You need enough strength to be able to stand up on your feet again. Because I know Belladine Montana does not stay on the ground. This is not you, and this is not beyond you, B.”He is right. I am not someone who is easily weighed down by things like this. But then, this is too much. I have never been in such a dilema. I have never been this cornered. I have never been in such a deep sh*t. I feel like I am really drowning. I know I should rise above all this. I know I must. I know I will. But where do I start? My name is all covered in mud. Stained. Covered is lust. Where do I begin cleaning?“Dad is worried about you.”I snap out of my engrossed thoughts at Joe’s words. Dad? “He is?” I ask, curiosity rising in me with every secon

  • MY STEPBROTHER'S RETURN   BURIED IN SHAME, PAIN, AND REGRETS

    I curl up in bed, enveloping myself in the warmth of the duvet as I breathe in the cold air of the harsh reality pressing me from all sides of this life. I stare blankly at the wall; you would think that my mind is barren of any thoughts. But on the contrary, my head is a chaotic whirlwind of a thousand thoughts crashing against each other.The shame. The immense despair. And the deep regrets of even things that I had no control over that led me to this situation. These past three days have been nothing short of a blur, a dense nightmare that will take a whole lot of time for me to wake up from.I have cried until my eyes feel like dry pools now. I have banged my head with questions that I still have not found answers to.Joe strolls in with a tray of something that smells so mouthwatering, but only for people who have appetites, and I am not included. I lost my appetite three days ago. I am hungry, but I am afraid this suffocating situation will make me puke everything I put into my

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