My Stepbrother, My Enemy {BL}-Chapter 45: The Truth Revealed

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As Ethan kept talking, I couldn’t help but focus on his lips instead of the actual words. His voice was tense with frustration, and his hands moved sharply as he vented about Adrien, how arrogant, fake, and unbearable he was. Each word hit me like heavy stones sinking into my chest.

I felt a wave of sickness wash over me.

I wanted to say something to stop him, anything, but the words got stuck in my throat. My heart raced, but it wasn’t out of fear of him; it was because the truth felt like fire under my tongue, begging to be released.

"Noah, you understand, right?" Ethan said, running his hand through his hair again. "People like Adrien—"

"H–he’s my stepbrother," I blurted out before I could think better of it.

Ethan froze, his mouth slightly open. For a second, the only sounds were the faint hum of the diner lights and dishes clattering from the kitchen. He slowly furrowed his brows, as if he couldn’t quite believe what he’d just heard.

"...What?" he asked, his tone low and careful.

I swallowed hard, gripping my plate. "Adrien... he’s my stepbrother. My

...uh, mom married his dad right before the semester started."

He just stared at me, his face blank, and my stomach twisted in knots.

"I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know how to break it to you," I rushed out, hoping that spilling the words quickly would somehow cushion the impact. "You already hated him, and I thought it wouldn’t matter or that you’d think I was keeping secrets."

"Wait." He blinked a few times, processing what I said. "So, you’re saying you and Adrien Fell live together and you’re siblings?"

I nodded, feeling small. "Yeah. But we don’t talk much. We just... don’t get along."

Ethan leaned back in the booth, dragging a hand down his face. "Holy shit," he muttered, caught between disbelief and irritation. "You’ve been living with him this whole time?"

"I was going to tell you," I insisted, my voice trembling. "I just— I didn’t want to make things worse between you two. You already can’t stand him, and—"

"Worse?" he laughed, a short sound that wasn’t cruel but made my heart sink. "Noah, this is Adrien Fell we’re talking about. The guy I fought, the reason I got suspended, and he’s your stepbrother?"

I nodded again, smaller this time. "Yeah."

He was silent for what felt like ages. His gaze wandered from me to the table, then to the window where the neon lights reflected like shattered shards of red and white.

"I’m sorry," I whispered, barely able to meet his gaze. "I should have told you sooner."

He didn’t reply right away, his jaw was clenched, and his thumb tapped slowly against his glass as if he was trying to process everything.

Ethan’s expression shifted so quickly that it made my stomach drop. He looked stunned one moment, then his jaw tightened, and something flickered in his eyes that I hadn’t seen before.

"Why are you only telling me this now, Noah?" His voice was low, but edged with anger, barely contained by the diner’s public setting.

I blinked, surprised. "I... because Adrien and I wanted to keep it a secret. It’s complicated and if the school knew–"

Ethan let out a humorless laugh and shook his head. "Complicated? You’re dating me, Noah. You should’ve told me." His tone had a mix of disbelief and hurt. "Why didn’t you trust me enough to tell me something like that?"

"I do trust you!" I exclaimed, my heart racing. I could feel eyes from other tables on us, but I didn’t care. "It wasn’t about trust, Ethan. I just—"

He interrupted, leaning closer. "Then what was it about? Because right now, it feels like I’m the last to know what’s going on in your life." His voice wasn’t loud, but the force behind it made me instinctively shrink back.

I looked down at my hands, twisting the napkin in my lap. "It’s not like that. I just thought it would make things worse between you two if you found out—"

"Oh, come on," he said, raking a hand through his hair. "So instead, you just lied by omission? You let me think Adrien was just some jerk at school—when he’s been living with you?"

The sting of his words hurt. I swallowed hard. "I wasn’t trying to hurt you, Ethan. I just didn’t know how to say it."

He leaned back again, staring at me, anger simmering just beneath the surface. "Is that why you wouldn’t let me walk you home?"

His question hit me like a slap. My throat tightened as I whispered, "Yes."

His eyes widened. "Fuck." He exhaled in frustration, drumming his fingers against the table before speaking again, quieter but still tense. "All those times you said your mom didn’t like you dating till college—you were just trying to keep me from finding out, weren’t you?"

I nodded slowly, guilt creeping in. "I’m sorry, Ethan. I didn’t want to lie; I just didn’t want to mess it all up. Things were finally good between us, and I didn’t want you to see me differently."

He stared at me, his eyes dark and h. When he finally spoke, his voice was softer but still heavy. "I can’t believe you didn’t trust me enough to be honest."

That felt like it broke something in me. My chest tightened painfully. "Ethan, please—"

He exhaled, eyes closing for a moment, jaw flexing as if he was holding back. As he turned slightly away, looking out the diner window, my heart sank. Ethan had never been angry at me like this. In that moment, I was scared—scared I’d finally done something he couldn’t forgive.

He didn’t say anything else. He pulled out his wallet, tossing enough cash on the table to cover our meals. The bills landed next to my untouched fries, fluttering slightly with the hum of the diner’s air conditioner.

"I need to go," he said quietly, avoiding my gaze. His voice wasn’t angry anymore...it was worse. It was flat, empty, like he was holding everything in just to avoid saying something he’d regret.

"Ethan—wait," I managed, but he was already turning away. The bell above the diner door jingled faintly as he walked out, and the sound echoed in my chest long after he was gone.

For a moment, I just sat there, staring at the condensation on my cola glass. The booth felt so big and too quiet. My reflection in the window looked small and foolish, like some lovesick idiot who didn’t have a clue what she was doing.

Letting out a long sigh, I muttered, "Great job, Noah. Nailed it."

The waitress glanced over, and I offered her a quick, forced smile before looking away. My throat burned, and I blinked back tears, refusing to cry in public.

I knew I’d done the right thing, Ethan deserved the truth—but it still felt like I’d set fire to something fragile and beautiful without meaning to.

Maybe this was it, I thought bitterly. Maybe I’d just ruined my first real relationship in record time.