My Stepbrother, My Baby's Stepfather

Chapter 5

Bella `

Diego seemed serious, and I didn’t know if that pissed me off even more or just made me worried.

I knew Diego, and I knew he was a persistent, stubborn pain in the ass if he put his mind to something. And if he decided that he wasn’t going to divorce me, he sure as hell meant it.

Diego took a threatening step forward, as if to reinforce his point. But just as I was about to defend myself, Miro stepped in front of me.

Miro didn’t raise his voice.

He didn’t puff his chest like Diego did, didn’t shove, and didn’t meet anger with chaos the way Diego always did.

He simply stood in front of me with a calm, unmovable, steadiness, and somehow that made Diego falter more than any threat ever could.

“Step away from her,” Diego snapped, every word sharp with insecurity disguised as fury.

Miro didn’t move. “You’re upsetting her. And you’re upsetting your daughter.”

“It’s none of your business,” Diego hissed, trying to shove past him, but Miro only shifted slightly, blocking his reach with effortless control.

“It became my business,” Miro said, tone quiet enough to force Diego to lean in, “the moment you decided intimidation was acceptable.”

Heat curled under my skin. I wasn’t used to anyone defending me. Not like this. Not with conviction that didn’t need to be loud to be real.

Diego scoffed. “You think you know what’s going on here?”

“I know enough,” Miro replied. His gaze didn’t waver. “And I’m telling you now. She gets what she needs from here on out. Whatever help she needs to get the hell away from you, she’ll get it from me. Whatever it takes.”

“Miro—” My voice broke as I stepped forward, startled by how fiercely he spoke. “Please, you don’t have to.”

“I will,” he said without looking at me. “Because you deserve more than this.”

Diego’s eyes flashed at that. “You think you can swoop in and play hero? You don’t even know her!”

For a breath, something unspoken flickered between Miro and me… something gentle, recognizing and strange.

“I know enough,” he repeated softly.

Lucia peeked over from the playground at the raised voices, and I felt my stomach twist. I moved toward her immediately, desperate to shield her from yet another argument.

“Daddy?” she mumbled in confusion.

As if he had some bone of decency in him, he glanced at his daughter and seemingly decided to back down. Still, he said nothing to her. All he did was look between Miro and I and stormed, muttering curses and promises of this not being over as he made his way toward the exit, leaving a wake of tension behind him.

Miro watched him until he disappeared in the distance. Only then did he turn to me.

“I’m sorry you had to endure that. The day was going so well,” he said quietly.

“I’m sorry you had to step in at all.” My voice trembled, and I hated that it did. “I don’t want to drag you into this. It’s messy and …. complicated.”

His expression softened just enough.

“You’ve carried too much of this on your own,” he murmured. “Let someone help you, Bella. Let me help.”

Those words…

They slipped through me like warmth finally reaching a place that had been cold for too long.

“I don’t want your life upended because of mine,” I whispered.

“It won’t be. And even if it were, I wouldn’t care.”

My breath caught at that.

It wasn’t the words, not really. It was the gentleness behind them. The certainty. Something that conflicted me. I didn’t want to believe another man’s promises so easily, yet his seemed so sure. So… right.

“Live the life you want,” he added in a low voice. “You don’t need him to decide anything for you.”

I didn’t know how to answer that, so instead I simply nodded, and we both turned back to Lucia. She ran straight into Miro’s arms the moment he lifted her.

I watched him hold her, steady and sure, and a quiet ache settled in my chest like a mix of longing and confusion and something I wasn’t ready to name.

“Are you ready?” he asked her quietly, and she nodded with a small smile.

I did the same, though I wasn’t ready to face what waited for me at home

***

I barely slept all night.

Even after Lucia drifted into her dreams, clutching her bunny close, my mind wouldn’t still.

Miro’s words replayed in soft loops like a gentle, firm reassurance, breaking down the chaos that was now my life. It unsettled me how deeply his protectiveness lingered and how safe and seen he made me feel. I didn’t know what to do with a feeling like that.

When dawn finally came, I felt heavier and lighter all at once, like a strange, fragile balance that made me both exhausted and determined.

I was dozing off by midmorning when a knock jolted me awake. It was loud and insistent. No matter how much I tried to ignore it, the pounds just kept coming.

It was the kind that always meant trouble.

Reluctantly, I dragged myself out of bed, down the stairs and opened the door, and there stood Ana, dressed as if she were attending a luncheon instead of ambushing me.

“Bella,” Ana said curtly, stepping inside without waiting for permission, eyeing me with evident disdain. Two people filed in behind her, but I barely had time to register before Ana spoke again. “You do know that a virtuous woman rises early, don't you?”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

“Ana I—”

“We need to talk,” she said, cutting me off.

Of course we did.

But the moment I saw who Ana had dragged into my house, I stopped so suddenly as my heart came to a halt.

Sofia.

Perfect, polished, smiling Sofia, standing in my living room like she owned the place.

For a heartbeat, all I could do was stare. Confusion rolled through me first, then something sharp and tight, something dangerously close to disbelief.

“Good morning,” Sofia chimed, leaning forward to kiss the air beside my cheek. Her voice had a softness that felt rehearsed. “I hope we’re not interrupting.”

I didn’t respond, as I was still trying to piece together what I was seeing.

But eventually the words made it out.

“What… exactly is going on?” I asked carefully, looking between the three of them. “Why did you bring her here, Ana?” my eyes darted to the other person who had come.

The man beside her offered a small, polite nod, as if this bizarre visit was perfectly normal.

“This is Shaw,” Sofia said. “He and Diego went to high school together. Best friends, practically. Well.”

Shaw grinned. “We all grew up together. Diego, Sofia, me.”

Of course they did. This, however, was news to me.

Diego never let me into his social circle, so how would I have known?

Sofia smoothed her hair, completely at ease in my home.

“I just got back from Paris. I’ve been studying abroad the past few years.”

My chest tightened. She just returned for her love, it seemed, and now is acting like we were best buds.

Ana cleared her throat pointedly.

“Since Diego is planning to move forward with the divorce there’s no reason he shouldn’t reconnect with familiar faces,” Ana said, as if I weren’t even present. “Especially with someone like Sofia. It would be wise for him to build a proper relationship now that everything is out in the open.”

Everything.

Including the part where his mother was now parading the woman he’d been cheating with right into our living room.

Before I could respond, Diego’s voice cut sharply from the hallway.

He stormed into the living room like he wasn’t the reason for all of this.

“Mother? Sofia? What’s the meaning of this?” Diego demanded, standing pointedly beside me.

“Diego—” Sofia started, holding onto his hand. But Diego, seeming evidently upset, flashed her off.

“Why are you here?” he hissed. “I told you not to bring them here.”

Ah. So he did know about it.

Ana gave him a disapproving look. “Well, if you’re certain about the divorce, then there’s nothing to tiptoe around anymore. Sofia deserves clarity. So do you. There’s no need to hold back anymore, Diego. Might as well build a good relationship with Sofia quickly.”

I scoffed, shaking my head as I took a step back, leaving them in a mess of arguments. Diego and his mother going back and forth, Sofia occasionally bumping in with a plea and Shaw just fanning the fire.

I found my way to the stairs, realizing what I have now grasped. I wasn’t apart of Diego’s world anymore. That much was clear.

And honestly? I didn’t give a crap.