Beauty With a Brat (The Suzuhara Family 1) ✅

Chapter Thirteen

"...So the waitress lied to you," Yuto said. His tone was dull but harsh. "So what? How does that change anything?"

Natsumi was sitting on her bed with her back against the headboard, holding a pillow to her chest. Yuto was standing at the foot of her bed, his arms folded over his chest frowning in disapproval. "Look Natsumi," he said tersely. "Whether or not that girl was Suzuhara's ex is irrelevant! She's responsible for everything else Suzuhara did to you! She's not the one who bullied and hazed you for SIX YEARS!"

"I KNOW THAT!" Natsumi shouted. She threw her pillow at Yuto, but he swatted it away. "Don't you think I know that, Brother?! I know what Suzuhara did to me! I lived it, not you! But—" She pressed both hands over her face. "But—you don't understand!"

"What I understand," Yuto snapped. "Is that Suzuhara started bullying you because you had a crush on him. What I understand is that he made your life a living hell—so bad that you transferred schools in middle school! And what I understand is that despite EVERYTHING that he has done to you, you still have feelings for him!"

Natsumi continued to hide her face in her hands. Her stomach was clenched painfully. "Wha...What is the matter with you?!" Yuto hollered. "Why?! WHY are you entertaining the idea of being with him?! Why would you WANT to be with that abusive prick?!"

"Shut up, Yuto!" Natsumi screamed. She scrambled off her bed and squared off with her twin. "You shut up right now!"

Yuto shook his head and glared at her. "I don't get you," he sneered through clenched teeth. "You're allowing six years of abuse to be erased just because Suzuhara spends one week acting like a nice guy?! Are you stupid, Natsumi?!"

"Shut up!" she yelled again, and lunged at him. Yuto grabbed her wrists to restrain her. "Look at you! You're attacking the one person who's defended you all this time! Remember how many times I got into trouble avenging you?! It wasn't fun for me, Natsumi! It wasn't fun hugging you and holding your hand while you cried! Cleaning you up when he shoved you into the dirt! I've gone through hell to defend you, and this is how you treat me?!"

"You DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Natsumi yelled in his face. "You don't understand because you've never been in love before!"

Natsumi's bedroom door slammed opened and Natsue stormed inside. "Why are you yell—Yuto!" she snapped. "Let your sister go this instant!"

Yuto pushed Natsumi away from him. "Then you can reason with her," he snapped, deliberately speaking rudely to his mother. "Natsumi's little crush on Suzuhara's come back, and she wants to act on it!"

"What?! Natsue exclaimed. Yuto stormed past her and out of the room. "Natsumi—what is he talking about?!"

Natsumi burst into tears. She covered her face in her hands and collapsed to the floor. She felt like no one could understand what she was going through. When Wataru was cruel to her it was easy to try and hate him. When he declared that he loved her and obsessively pursued her, she had been frightened because she thought he was still trying to hurt her.

But she had been also frightened because a part of her had been...happy to finally receive positive attention from Wataru. And when she read Wataru's letter where he poured his heart to her, the joy she felt had been scary but...but she had enjoyed it. She believed in him in the letter. Just as she had believed that his memories of bullying her had been locked away.

But...But I stopped myself from wanting anything more because I remembered that waitress, and her claims against him. But now I know...they were all lies.

"Natsumi."

Natsumi hiccuped as she struggled to get herself under control. She looked up and saw Natsue was sitting beside her on the floor. Her mother was beautiful as always but she looked cold and serious. "Natsumi," Natsue said again. "I won't tell you how to think or feel, but you should give careful consideration about what you want to do. Wataru Suzuhara terrorized you for years, and no amount of apologies on his end will ever change that. One thing you should know about men, Natsumi; it's very easy for them to wear a mask of the person that you think they are. They can wear that mask for as long as they need to, and then shed it when it's convenient for them. Men do not love the way women do; it's very easy for them to use feelings. Wataru Suzuhara may act like he's changed, but tigers don't change their spots. If you decide to set aside everything that he did to you and still be with him...he will show himself to be the monster that you know him to be."