Substitute Wife for the Mafia King R18-Chapter 379: Even

"Why does it matter? That was so long ago," Bradon replied dismissively, as if he didn’t want to talk about this topic any longer.

Despite what he wanted, I wasn’t inclined to let it go, because I could clearly imagine the consequences of his actions. I stared at him intensely while feeling a stinging sensation at the back of my eyes that made me realize that I was on the verge of tears. It was probably because I could relate to his situation, imagining the punishment and the price he had to pay to cover for me. If on that day, the one who had covered for me was truly Anthony, then I was sure he would have gotten off with little to no punishment at all. However, things must have been very different for Bradon.

"Why did you do something like that? You knew that you would be punished in my place. There was no way they would let you go without any punishment," I said as my voice cracked under the strain of my emotions.

"I did it so you wouldn’t get punished and so that no more conflict would arise between our families. I didn’t want any issue to arise in Anthony’s engagement either," Bradon explained calmly.

I wanted to ask him again why he did such a thing, but my lips only quivered. How he protected me during that incident made me believe he was a helpful and trustworthy person who would protect my sister right to the end. Little did I know that, just like me, Bradon probably needed someone to protect him. Sadly, I was forced to realize that there was probably no such person for him to rely on when he was growing up and perhaps there was no such person for him now.

"Thank you for helping me out on that day. Well, I guess this is a very delayed thank you," I said softly and shyly.

"Don’t worry about it. It was my decision, and you should not worry about the punishment. As I said, it was so long ago," Bradon said before he smiled a little at me.

"I had no idea that it was you. I couldn’t tell you apart from your brother," I confessed in a voice barely above a whisper, realizing just how guilty I felt.

Although there was no way for me to realize that the one I had met was Bradon because I had never met him before, I still felt extremely guilty for some reason. I couldn’t help but wonder if things would have been different between us or if we could have become allies in some way had I realized his true identity and the things he was going through. Despite my worries, Bradon looked calm and strong as if there was nothing for him to worry about in this world.

"Don’t beat yourself up over something like that. I have to say that I didn’t recognize you at first either. On the first day we met, I thought you were Diana," Bradon said before letting out an amused chuckle, recalling our first encounter.

Something about how he phrased his sentences caught my attention, and I ended up narrowing my eyes curiously as I stared at him.

"What about after that? What about the days after that?" I asked, feeling my chest clenched tightly in anticipation of his answer.

He did say that on the first day he did not recognize me and couldn’t tell me apart from my sister but what about the other days after that?

"Why are you suddenly so curious?" he teased as he placed his large hand on the top of my head. The way he smiled so cheerfully at me made my heart skip a beat.

"Tell me!" I demanded without backing down.

"Fine. Not so long after that, I met your sister for the first time. Somehow I could tell that she was the real Diana, and that could only mean that the one who broke the heirloom must have been you, Dahlia. That was the only day that I mistook you for Diana, and it was because I had never met her before," Bradon explained patiently before he flashed me another attractive smile.

"How could you tell the two of us apart?" I asked, sounding slightly upset. Perhaps I wasn’t a pro at acting as my sister back in the days, but it still hurt my pride a little to see that he managed to figure me out so easily.

"You two are very different. Back then, and even now," Bradon said confidently, nodding his head.

"You may have helped me, but I wish that you hadn’t done that," I whispered before letting out a sigh. I knew it was already too late and we couldn’t go back to change the past, but that didn’t stop me from feeling so guilty. I hated the idea that Bradon was punished for my sake, even if he said it was out of his own volition.

"You should stop worrying about every small little thing that happened in the past," he said in a tone that sounded very comforting.

"I don’t think that it was just a little thing," I retorted.

"Well, if it bothers you so much, let me tell you a little something to ease your mind," Bradon said before the corners of his lips lifted into a teasing smile.

"What is it?" I asked without hiding my curiosity.

"You’ve already returned the favor a long time ago. So let’s say that we are even now," Bradon said.

"What do you mean? I don’t recall returning any favor," I said, my brows drawing together in a frown. I honestly couldn’t recall any action in the past that might have counted as returning his favor for saving me on that day.

"Did I end up doing something for you while thinking that I was doing it for Anthony?" I asked, the thought suddenly crossing my mind.

"I have to say that you were a pretty good actress even when you were young," Bradon teased me before letting out a soft laugh.

"I don’t understand. What are you laughing about?" I asked, starting to feel slightly annoyed by how he was withholding the truth from me.

–To be continued...