Chapter 5 – My New Brothers

Aria’s POV

I yanked myself out of Mason’s grip, my pulse hammering so loudly I could barely hear myself breathe. It felt like every nerve in my body was screaming at me to run.

“I’ll go with Jim instead,” I whispered, my throat tight. My eyes refused to meet Mason’s.

His hand caught my wrist before I could move, warm and firm, like he could anchor me in place if he wanted. “What? Are you serious right now?” His brows drew together, a sharp crease between them. Those piercing blue eyes, always so damn intense, flickered with something unreadable. Anger. Confusion. Maybe even hurt. “You don’t even know him that well. You’re acting… weird. Aria, what’s going on?”

I tugged at my wrist, desperate to be free. “Nothing! I said I’m leaving!” My voice cracked, betraying me, but I didn’t care.

His fingers loosened just enough for me to wrench myself away. I stormed off toward Jim, refusing to glance back, though I could feel Mason’s stare drilling into my back like a burn.

Jim didn’t say a word. He simply opened the car door with one hand, leaning against the frame like he’d been expecting me all along.

I slid into the passenger seat and pressed my forehead against the cold glass window. The chill seeped into my skin, grounding me. Silence wrapped itself around me, thick and suffocating.

“You okay?” Jim’s voice was softer than I expected. Careful.

“I’m fine,” I muttered, eyes fixed on the blur of the outside world. “Just drive.”

But I wasn’t fine. Not even close. My chest felt split open, raw, like someone had dug their hands inside and crushed my heart with no mercy. Mason didn’t want me. He couldn’t. I’d known that. But the way he looked at me, the way he touched me, the way he kissed me, God, I had let myself believe. Hope was cruel. The cruelest thing of all.

The tears came before I could stop them. Hot, stinging, blurring the lights outside into streaks of white and red. My throat closed up as if it wanted to strangle me from the inside. The pressure built and built until I couldn’t hold it anymore.

“Stop the car!” I gasped, clutching my chest. “Just stop!”

Jim braked hard, pulling off near the beach. The tires crunched against gravel, the engine humming low. I threw the door open and stumbled out, my knees buckling as I collapsed into the sand.

The scream tore out of me before I knew it was coming. Not words. Not even sound shaped into meaning. Just pain, ripped raw from the deepest part of me. The ocean carried it away, but the ache in my chest didn’t budge.

I doubled over, sobs shaking my body until I thought I’d break apart. My hands dug into the sand, nails scraping, the grains sticking to my wet cheeks. It was too much. Too damn much.

Jim stood a few feet away, arms crossed, his expression caught between amusement and pity. He tilted his head, raising a brow. “Wow… this is way more serious than I thought.” He sucked in his teeth, letting the sound hang in the air. “Hmmm.”

I snapped my head toward him, tears spilling freely down my face. My eyes must have looked wild, feral even, because his eyes widened and he actually flinched back.

“Ahh! Don’t look at me like that,” he yelped dramatically. “You look like a witch.”

A broken sob tore out of me. A witch. Maybe he was right. Maybe that’s why Mason didn’t want me. Maybe I was cursed. Ugly. Unlovable.

The sobs came harder, shaking me until my whole body trembled. I pressed my hands over my face, trying to hide, but nothing could hide this humiliation.

Then I felt it. A hand. Warm and steady against my back.

“Hey.” Jim crouched down beside me, his voice softer this time. No jokes. No teasing. Just a whisper, like he was trying not to spook me. “I didn’t mean that. I was joking, okay? You’re not a witch. You’re actually… pretty.”

My breath caught.

“Yeah,” he said with a crooked little smile, the kind that felt too casual to be fake. “Really pretty. So wipe that pretty-ass face, get up, and get back in the car. We don’t have all day.”

I blinked at him, still sniffling, my lashes wet. His voice cut through the storm just enough to soften something inside me.

I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand, sucking in a shaky breath, and nodded. Then I stood and followed him back into the car.

The silence returned, but it felt different now. Lighter, like a fragile thread holding me together. Still, curiosity tugged at me.

“Do you… know what’s going on?” I asked finally, stealing a glance at him. There was something about him, like he saw straight through the mess of me.

“Of course I do,” he said simply, eyes on the road. “The only clueless one here is Mason.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

He glanced at me once, quick, then smirked. “You like him. It’s written all over your face. And you’re hurting because he said something dumb.”

The air rushed out of me. My cheeks burned. My secret, if it ever was one, wasn’t a secret at all.

Jim chuckled low. “Relax. It’s not the end of the world. You’re a pretty girl, Aria. Guys will like you. Lots of them.”

It was the first time anyone had said that to me. Pretty. Not weird. Not annoying. Not broken. Pretty. My chest tightened, but this time, it wasn’t pain. It was… something else. Something fragile and new.

I found myself smiling, just barely.

The rest of the drive felt easier, lighter. I leaned my head against the glass again, watching waves crash against the shore, the palm trees swaying in rhythm. But every so often, I caught Jim sneaking glances at me, quick and quiet, like he didn’t want me to notice.

By the time we pulled up to the airport, my heart had steadied.

“You’re here now,” Jim said, leaning back in his seat.

I hesitated, opening the door slowly. I grabbed my bag and looked back at him, like maybe I could stall, maybe I could ask for his number. But he just gave me a lazy little wave and drove off before I could speak.

And just like that, he was gone.

The flight back was a blur, but my thoughts were relentless. The mansion waited. The new “family” waited. And Mason… God, Mason.

I slipped into the house like a thief, praying no one would notice.

“You’re finally back.”

I froze. My blood ran cold.

I turned my head slowly, and my breath caught.

He leaned against the doorway, casual, like he’d been waiting. Messy brown hair falling into sharp blue eyes, lips curved into a smirk that could ruin anyone’s sanity.

“I’ve been waiting to introduce myself,” he said smoothly. “I’m Jakes.”

“I’m… Aria,” I whispered.

“Nice meeting you again, step-sister.” His grin widened, playful. He raked a hand through his hair, and time seemed to stall.

“It’s hot in here,” he muttered, and before I could blink, he pulled his shirt over his head.

My face burned. I spun around so fast my neck almost snapped.

“Why are you closing your eyes?” he laughed. “Open them!”

I peeked, and he was right there, so close I could feel his breath. My pulse skipped wildly.

No. No, no, no. Not him. Not another crush. Not my stepbrother.

“Welcome back!” Arya’s voice cut through the tension. She grabbed my arm and yanked me toward her room.

“What were you doing?” she hissed once we were inside, her eyes sharp. “I like that one. Stay away from him.”

I just stared at her. Was she serious?

She glared harder, stubborn as always. Mom had warned her about her attitude, but Arya never listened.

I didn’t bother replying. I just left, eager to bury myself in my room.

But then I saw him.

Jim.

Sitting on the couch like he belonged there. Like he hadn’t just dropped me off at the airport hours ago.

My stomach dropped. My legs froze.

What the actual hell?

I ducked behind the wall, peeking like some undercover spy. My heart thundered. Did he follow me? How did he even know where I lived?

Before I could retreat, a hand snatched my wrist.

“Aria, you’re coming with me,” Mom said sharply.

“Mom, wait!”

But she didn’t care. She never cared. She yanked me by the ear like I was a child, dragging me downstairs.

“Mom, ow!”

“Enough, Aria!”

She shoved me into the living room, my hair falling like a curtain to hide my face.

“Lift your head,” she ordered. “Let them see you properly!”

“Mom…”

Too late. She pushed me forward, and I stumbled, crashing into someone’s chest. Strong arms caught me before I could hit the floor.

I looked up.

Mason.

Those same blue eyes, wide with shock. Our faces so close, I could feel his breath.

My lungs locked.

What was he doing here? How?

Before I could speak, Mom’s voice rang out proudly.

“Aria, meet your brothers… Jakes, Mason, and Jim.”

My jaw dropped.

The room tilted. My vision blurred.

And all I could think was..

What the actual hell is going on?