Substitute Wife for the Mafia King R18-Chapter 377: One From the Other

Thinking about the past and realizing how much had changed between us made me chuckle softly at the thought.

"What’s so funny?" Bradon asked in a low whisper before placing a tender kiss on my cheek.

"Nothing. I was just thinking a little about the past," I replied before flashing him a smile.

Bradon didn’t say anything, but there was a slight tension between us. He must have realized that we could no longer avoid the conversation forever. We had spent more than enough time tiptoeing around the subject without approaching it directly.

"My sister came to visit. She mentioned that she managed to get your permission," I told Bradon the moment we took our seats at the dining table.

"Really? I guess that’s a good thing," Bradon replied passively as he began eating.

I ate as well, although food was the last thing on my mind at that moment. While we both ate in silence, I couldn’t help but steal glances in Bradon’s direction as I wondered what he was thinking. I had expected that he would ask me more about my meeting with Diana and the outcome of it, but he didn’t ask me anything.

There were so many things that I needed to ask him that I didn’t know where to start. Surprisingly, talking to Bradon no longer seemed like climbing a high and dangerous mountain. Unlike before, I found it easier to talk to Bradon to the point where I thought that we got along. Perhaps thinking that some of the time I spent with Anthony in the past I actually spent with Bradon made me believe that we could get along with each other.

"Diana came to clear up the misunderstanding about that day at the hospital. I would like to apologize for the mess that my sister caused and also for misunderstanding you," I said as I tried to push the words forward while ignoring the way that my heart was beating so fast in my chest.

"It’s good that you understand everything now, and don’t worry, I’m not mad at your sister," Bradon replied smoothly.

He did not hint that he was the one who pushed Diana into explaining the situation to me, but I felt thankful for his intervention regardless. If anything, that conversation allowed me to mend the bond between Diana and me as well as allowed me to learn about many things. Bradon probably had no idea just how impressed my sister was with his request for her to explain the truth to me. It might be too far of a stretch to say that Diana now saw Bradon in a good light, but her impression of him had definitely improved by a lot compared to before. For some reason, that made me feel relieved.

"Actually, I have a few questions to ask you..." I began before trailing off to gauge his reaction.

"Shall we head somewhere more private where we can talk?" Bradon suggested before standing up from his seat. Apparently, dinner was over as far as he was concerned. I wasn’t sure if I was mentally prepared for the conversation that we were about to have, but it seemed like Bradon agreed with me that there was no point in delaying it any further.

I followed him wordlessly into his private study before taking a seat on the sofa right next to him where he had indicated. Sitting side by side so close to him, with our thighs practically touching, made me even more conscious of him than before. My heart was beating so fast in my chest that I wondered if he could hear my heartbeat the way that I could hear it ringing in my ears.

"What did you want to ask about?" Bradon demanded to know without beating around the bush.

"You told me before that you took Anthony’s place in the past, just like how I’ve taken my sister’s place before. I was just wondering... how often you did that. I mean, when exactly were you playing Anthony’s role?" I asked as I felt my heart beating faster in my chest in anticipation of his answer.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting or what I was hoping for. Perhaps it was enough for me to finally find out the truth. However, I couldn’t help but realize that there was a small part of me that wished his answer could give me some way to sort out my feelings. I wanted to know whether it was Bradon or just Anthony himself that I shared my fond memories with. I wasn’t sure how often Bradon took his brother’s place, but I surely took Diana’s place quite often in the past. Bradon stared at me in complete silence as if my question surprised him. It did occur to me that I might have asked him something quite strange and, since many years had passed since then, he might not remember as much as I did.

"I’m not sure where to start exactly," Bradon admitted after a pause.

"I’m sorry. I guess my question was pretty random," I replied.

"It’s not your fault, I just don’t know where to start. I took Anthony’s place many times before, so I’m not sure where to start," Bradon replied with a thoughtful look on his face.

When he mentioned that he took Anthony’s place many times before in the past, I felt a stirring sensation in the pit of my stomach that made me realize that I wanted to know even more about him. I realized that there was a high possibility that our paths had crossed many times before without me realizing it.

"What about we start right from the beginning? I guess that would be the most logical way to approach this," I suggested before trailing off. When our eyes met, Bradon slowly nodded his head in agreement. I was slightly surprised at how smoothly our conversation was going and how cooperative Bradon was acting. Unlike other times before, it seemed like he was willing to answer my questions honestly without holding anything back.

–To be continued...