Substitute Wife for the Mafia King R18-Chapter 422: Internal Struggles

Even so, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do about us, and now there was also that complicated and sensitive issue of how I should deal with Anthony.

"I’m sorry, but I just don’t know how I should be feeling right now. I just feel so bad for Anthony and what he had to go through..." I replied quite honestly.

"You don’t have to feel bad for him or for anybody. Just do what you think is best for yourself, or just leave it to me. Anthony will be fine, trust me," Bradon told me with clear certainty in his voice, as if he could foresee the future.

"I want to help him, but I don’t know how I can do that. I think it would make me feel less guilty," I confessed softly.

"I’m sorry if I played a part in making you feel guilty. There’s honestly no need for you to feel that way, and I did not mention your involvement in Anthony’s accident to make you feel that you are to blame," Bradon explained.

"But still..." I mumbled as I felt tears sting the back of my eyes.

Not so long ago, hearing Anthony confess his love for me would have meant the world to me. There was not a moment that my past self would have guessed that hearing Anthony’s confession of love would bring me so much pain.

"You should just tell him the truth about how you feel. He’s stronger than you think. I’m sure that he can take it and that he will understand," Bradon advised.

Regardless of his words, I still found myself hesitating. I was worried about Anthony, but that wasn’t the only reason why I was hesitating. The conversation was going to be hard for me too, and it made me feel so emotionally drained. The situation also made me feel extra bad for Anthony. He had suffered from a car accident and spent quite some time in a coma, just to wake up to find out that there was no one here to love him.

Diana had positioned herself as nothing more than his friend, and he was not even in love with her. On the other hand, the person that he claimed to be in love with only fell in love with him based on various misunderstandings. I had already figured out during the time when Anthony was lost in his coma that I am actually in love with his elder brother.

"Or should I tell him for you?" Bradon suggested after seeing that I had not responded to him for a short while.

"Please don’t! I’ll talk to him..." I quickly turned down his offer.

Bradon stared deeply into my eyes, and for a second, it felt like he was about to say something before he changed his mind and decided to leave me alone to my own thoughts and inner struggles.

...

Time flew by faster than I expected as I split my time between spending time with Anthony at the hospital and staying with Bradon at his mansion. I told myself that I was using the time to tie up loose ends before I made my decision. Bradon acted casual and normal around me, as if Anthony’s confession had not happened.

"Shall we visit Anthony together tomorrow?" Bradon asked me casually one morning.

"That would be great. I’m glad that you finally found time," I replied cheerfully.

"Sorry, work has been busy. Hopefully, Anthony will be back in action soon so I can transfer his work and his life back to him," Bradon replied, followed by a small laugh.

"Juggling his work on top of your own work must be real tough. Hopefully, Anthony will recover enough to go out and go to work again," I said empathetically.

"Don’t worry about me. Have you gotten around to telling Anthony about us?" Bradon asked without beating around the bush.

It had been a little more than a week since Anthony’s love confession. From that day, I had spent almost every day with him at the hospital to keep him company. However, I wasn’t able to bring myself to tell him that I had to turn down his love confession. It felt awkward, and I didn’t know how to strike up that conversation with him.

"I’m sorry, but... not yet..." I replied in a small voice.

"Don’t worry about it. Just do your best to support his recovery for now," Bradon told me before he reached out and patted my head.

It surprised me to some extent that Bradon wasn’t pressing me to have that difficult conversation with Anthony. Spending time with Anthony only made it harder for me because he seemed so happy whenever I turned up. The smooth and casual conversations that we shared as he told me of the various things that happened to him ever since I left the country were enjoyable for me. It felt like I was talking to a long-lost good friend that had been returned to me. I was scared that our bond would break if I were to tell him that there was no way that I could return his feelings because I am in love with his brother.

"I think he’s recovering very fast. The doctors always praise him for it. They think that he can be discharged from the hospital soon," I reported to Bradon.

"That’s good to hear," he replied before showing me a warm smile.

Suddenly, I found myself looking forward to visiting Anthony with him tomorrow. I was certain that Anthony would be thrilled to see his brother. Although he seemed to enjoy his time with me, I was certain that Bradon would further brighten up his day. Instead of the casual small talks that he exchanged with me, perhaps he had something more important to discuss with his brother.

"Has Anthony been making a move on you when I’m not around?" Bradon asked.

"Oh... no..." I replied.

His abrupt question truly caught me off guard, and I wondered if the response that I gave him sounded suspicious or not. However, the way he smiled at me, told me that he was only teasing me.