, 161Stepbrothers Me , Nora: , “That was pretty crazy how Ryker didn’t even care what he was saying,” I had to let her out. I needed someone to talk to. , , , , “And yet again, he had to lay out those rules for me to follow before he accepts me,” I scoffed, shaking my head aggressively as I paced around from one corner of the room to the other. , “I wonder why,” she uttered. , “Because he’s embarrassed of us. How many times do I have to remind you that he’s already accepted that he’s embarrassed of us?” I hissed at her, breathing heavily like a bull. , “Oh, right,” she sighed slyly , That’s when my phone beeped, and I noticed a notification from at group chat. I didn’t remember being in a group chat at all. I frowned and stared at the group before cautiously opening it. , My heart dropped when I saw my school fellows‘ names in the group chat. They were all chanting some pretty outrageous words at me. , Maleeka: I heard Natlaya has some proof. I bet it’s sex tape. , John: If she was so horny, she could have asked me. I would have lent her my dick for a night. , Mikal: For a night? Dude! Have you seen her? She looks like a sex goddess. I think she would need more than one night to be satisfied. , 12.170 , My cheeks turned red as I kept reading the chat, and tears welled up in my eyes again. I didn’t want this reputation, but what could be done? , I quickly exited the group, but they added me back again. I had to leave again and then uninstall and shut down my phone. , Tears streamed down my face at this point, but my biggest fear lay in the first message I had read in the group. , “Natalya has some proof. What kind of proof could it be?” I bit my bottom lip, feeling sick with worry. , “Hey, calm down. Maybe she’s bluffing. Why would she even have proof?” Akira suggested, but my heart told me she must have something to make such a crazy claim. , “Akira! I feel like the walls are closing in on me,” I gulped and sank to my knees. , “Hey! Calm down. It’s because you’re worrying too much. How about we take a cold shower–” her voice started to fade as the world around me began to shake. , It was so bad that I had to place my hand on the floor to keep my balance. With shaky hands, I adjusted the ring back on, and that was all I could do before a scream escaped my lips and my body limped to the ground. , I felt numb. I couldn’t move a muscle, but I hadn’t passed out. The next thing I knew, there was a knock on my door. , “Nora! Are you okay?” Nash called from the other side of the door. , I could only blink because my body was frozen. I opened my mouth, but only weird noises came out. , 19531 , 121700 , No, I was not okay. I desperately wanted someone to come to my , rescue, “Why are you outside her room?” All I could do was listen to them talk. It was Ryker asking Nash. , My stomach was turning upside down, compelling me to throw up, but if I did, I would choke on it and probably die. , Should I twist the ring on my finger again? But it hadn’t helped when I was falling down. , “I heard her scream, so I thought she might have injured herself,” Nash muttered from the other side. , “What? And you’re knocking on her door asking if she’s fine? Fucking step aside,” Ryker yelled, clearly losing his temper. , “Ryker, let me ask her again–” Nash began to argue, but Ryker hushed him with a grunt. , “As if an injured or passed–out person would respond to you,” Ryker retorted. , Thankfully, Ryker didn’t hesitate. With one firm push, he broke down my door. Now, I could see the figures of two broad, tall men enter my room and gasp at the sight of me. It was as though I had been keeping myself awake because I was worried nobody would find me. But the moment they did, my eyes gave up on me, and I rested peacefully. I could only feel myself being lifted from the ground and placed on a much softer surface. , My body relaxed, and the feeling of nausea subsided, but I was still too weak to move a muscle. , I drifted in and out of sleep several times. During one of my brief , , moments of wakefulness, I managed to open my eyes. I heard noises and understood that they were taking care of me. , “But what could have happened to her?” Nash asked someone while I was awake again, though my eyes remained closed. , “I’m checking her phone, but I need a code,” Ryker said. , “Don’t just do that,” Nash argued. , “Wait, I’ve got an idea.” I heard Ryker say before feeling him touch my hand and press my finger against my phone’s screen. , I was in disbelief, but Ryker would never breach someone’s privacy. I was glad Nash was on my side. , “Tell me you didn’t just do that,” Nash grunted. , “You want me to lie to you?” Ryker’s nonchalant tone didn’t surprise me at all. Then I heard him grit his teeth so loudly that even I wondered what he found on my phone. , “These **ing assholes,” Ryker’s tone was harsh, and I could tell he had found the group chat. , “Show me,” Nash sounded curious. “Oh! Somebody is getting a fist down his throat,” his comment followed immediately. , “Give me that phone,” finally, it was Cain’s voice. So I assumed he had just arrived. , I felt the bed bounce slightly and could guess Cain had thrown the phone on the mattress. , “Dad is not well either. Silas is checking on him, so after he’s done with Dad, he’ll come take a look at her,” Cain uttered, still using a very , 7207 , tone. , Did none of my misery bother him at all? I didn’t know if I should be mad at Ryker for being overprotective or at Cain for not caring at all. , 12170 , 97.161 , , Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.