I Walked Away And He Lost His Mind (Zephyra and Steven) novel Chapter 369

I was startled, my eyes wide as I stared at him. “How… how did you know?”

Was my brother a detective? I hadn't said a thing. How could he have figured out it was Steven?

Leonard's elegant, indifferent face darkened, a sharp glint in his cool eyes. He let go of my hand.

“The person who could kiss you, bite your lip, be strong enough to leave bruises on your wrist, and still make you keep your mouth shut could only be a man you were intimate with. Besides your ex-husband, I can't think of anyone else.”

I felt a pang of embarrassment and bit my lip. I hadn't expected my brother to deduce it like that.

“It was him. We just divorced, and today he found out I have a new boyfriend. He was angry. He tricked me into meeting him in a private room this afternoon and tried to force me to break up with him. When I refused, he... got a little aggressive.”

Leonard raised an eyebrow. “Horace?”

He figured that out too?!

My eyes widened. Leonard let out a small, humorless laugh. “The only thing that can make an ex lose his composure is a new partner. You were suddenly worried about Horace's show, probably because you were afraid your ex-husband would go after him. So, your new boyfriend must be Horace.”

I bit my lip and silently gave him a thumbs-up.

Okay, that's enough analysis. We're not that close yet.

Leonard's smile grew colder as he returned to the topic. “Your ex-husband hurt you, even made you bleed. And you plan to just let this go?”

I shook my head. His voice remained even. “Then why are you hiding it from us? Don't you trust us?”

My heart clenched. I looked up at him and my voice rose.

“No, that's not it. The cut on my head, I did that to myself. It wasn't really his fault. And I've always handled things like this on my own. Everyone is so busy, and I don't like to bother people. That's why I didn't say anything. I can handle it myself.”

I had been doing this my whole life, in both lifetimes. Every choice, every action, I had done it all myself. I was used to making my own decisions. And now that I finally had a family, I didn't want them to think I was a burden.

Leonard's sharp brows knitted together, a complex expression in his eyes.

“You've been through a lot, and it's made you overly independent. You can handle things on your own, but I want you to understand that we are not like your worthless father. You are never a burden.”

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