DEVIL: A Stepbrother Romance by Aubrey Sage Read Free Book Online Page B

it was his life that had been ruined because of that drunk.
    When the defendant and his lawyer was gone, Mom and Dad hugged and let out loud sighs. “I… I can’t believe it,” Mom said.
    “Wow buddy,” Rico Johnson said towards Mitch. “That was one hell of a show that you put on today. You read them better than I did. Maybe someday you should be a lawyer.”
    Mitch didn’t respond to the man’s compliment.
    Dad shook Rico’s hand and smiled. “Thanks for everything. We’re going to go ahead and take Mitch back over to the hospital. I’m sure he’s exhausted and wants some time to rest and think about what he’s going to do with all that money.”
    “No.” Mitch’s voice was cold.
    “What do you mean, no?” Mom asked. “Do you want to stop somewhere on the way over?”
    “I’m not going back to the hospital. I ready to go home.”
    There was no doubt in Mitch’s words, no uncertainty or room for questioning. There was no gentleness or request for approval.
    It was at that moment that I realize that my brother was beginning to change.

Chapter 9
    I did physical therapy for a week before firing my physical therapist. She was a nice gal, but after day 5, I was already able to walk with a crutch. Every day, the lacerations on my body were starting to fade. By 1 month, I found the Dad’s hacksaw in the garage and cut the casts off of my leg and arm. Everyone was shocked when I limped into the kitchen without any type of support, but to be honest they were getting in the way more than they were helping.
    Turns out that I failed my senior year since I missed the exams while I was lying in the hospital. When I found out that I’d have to repeat all over again, I was pissed, but then I realized that it gave me a chance to play another year of football.
    “So I’m thinking that I’ll change my number to 41 this year,” I said while the family was having dinner.
    “You’ll change your number? What do you mean darling?” Mom asked.
    “My jersey number. I’m going to ask Coach to change it to number 41, same as my room number in the hospital. Sort of a symbol to getting out of it all that bullshit alive.”
    Mom frowned.
    “Mitch, you’ve got to be realistic,” Dad lectured. “Just a couple months ago, you were hanging on for your life. The doctor said you’d never play football again if you lived. Maybe one day you’ll be strong enough to play a contact sport again but not in time for next season.”
    I considered arguing, but it didn’t seem worth it. I was an adult already, and no one was going to tell me what to do. They’d never understand if I told them that I actually felt better than I had before the crash, that I constantly felt like I drank 20 energy drinks in one sitting. All the pain in my body had subsided, and while I still had a little bit of a gimpy leg, nothing was going to stop me from playing football. If I didn’t play, what would I do?
    The aggression inside me was on a totally different level than it had ever been before, and I needed to get it out.

Chapter 10
    W hen the money came , the first purchase Mitch made was a home gym. He didn’t tell anyone he had ordered it. It just showed up one day, and Mitch put it in the garage. He told our parents that it was so that he could rehabilitate his arm and leg, but he was doing far more than rehabilitation. Every day, he spent hours in the garage working out, and if he wasn’t exercising in the gym, he was jogging miles around the block.
    Dad scolded him and told him not to push unneeded pressure on his fractured bones, to rest, but he didn’t seem to care. He just kept going, and he only seemed to stop in order to eat.
    His limp went away, and his body quickly started to change. His arms grew thicker and his chest started hulking. Even his face seemed to have changed. He was clearly still the same old Mitch, but his jawline was getting more defined, and his face seemed set with more serious, manly features.
    I was a bit