Chapter 13: Tangled lies

Bronte’s POV

I have not been myself for the past few days, it felt like walking on broken glass.

Mom was watching me more closely now. She’d ask little questions like “You’ve been quiet lately,” or “Is everything okay with Jake?”

And every time I lied, I felt the necklace burn against my skin like a brand.

Rufus noticed the shift in the house too. Instead of pushing harder, he became strangely patient. Or can I say sweet.

He’d bring me coffee in the morning, kiss my forehead in front of Mom like a perfect stepfather, then later corner me in the laundry room and make me come on his fingers while whispering filthy things in my ear.

The whole thing was driving me insane.

On Wednesday afternoon, I was alone in the house when Chloe showed up unannounced. She had snacks and a serious face.

“We need to talk,” she said, dropping onto my bed.

I closed the door quickly.

She didn’t even wait for me to sit down.

“Jake is losing it, Bronte. He showed up at my place again last night. He’s talking about hiring a private investigator or something crazy like that. He’s convinced Rufus is abusing you.”

My heart dropped.

“I told him that’s not what’s happening,” I whispered.

Chloe gave me a long, hard look.

“Then what is happening? Because from the outside, it looks really fucking bad.”

I hesitated but then the words spilled out.

“I’m in love with him, Chlo. it’s not just sex. I think about him all the time. Even when I’m scared… I still want him.”

Chloe’s eyes widened. She looked really scared for me.

“Bronte… he’s your stepfather, this isn’t love. This is obsession and it’s going to blow up in your face.

Your mom is not stupid. She’s already asking me weird questions when she calls.”

My whole air left my lungs.

“Mom called you?”

Chloe nodded. “She thinks you’re hiding something. She’s worried.”

I sat down on the bed worried also.

That night, when Rufus came to my room, I was quiet and he noticed immediately.

He didn’t touch me at first, he just pulled me into his lap and made me look at him.

“Talk,” he said.

“Chloe and Jake, they’re getting too close. Mom’s starting to suspect something.”

Rufus was silent for a long moment, his fingers tracing the necklace on my neck.

“Then maybe it’s time we stop hiding in the shadows,” he said softly.

I looked up at him a bit confused.

He smiled “Next weekend, your mother has that big conference out of town. I want you to invite Chloe over for a sleepover and I’ll invite a couple of my friends.”

My stomach flipped.

“You want me to…'

“I want you to stop being ashamed of what you are,” he whispered, kissing my neck.

“I want you to embrace it.”

As his hand slipped between my legs, something scary came to me.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to run away anymore, I was starting to want to fall deeper.

The words were in the air long after Rufus left my room.

what was Rufus planning to do asking me Invite Chloe over and he will invite a couple of his friends.

I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, my body still rolling from his touch, but my mind was a complete mess.

The thought of Chloe being here while Rufus brought other men it made my stomach twist with fear and a shameful curiosity I didn’t want to name.

The next morning, Mom was humming in the kitchen, making pancakes like everything was normal.

She smiled at me when I walked in, but I felt something careful in her eyes now.

“Morning, sweetheart. You slept okay?”

“Yeah,” I lied, forcing a smile as I grabbed a plate.

“Just school stuff on my mind.”

Rufus came down a few minutes later, looking perfectly put together in a crisp button down.

He kissed Mom on the cheek, then brushed his hand along my shoulder as he passed.

Looking innocent to anyone watching.

Everything felt fake, the happy family breakfast, the laughter.

The way Rufus asked Mom about her upcoming conference like he wasn’t planning something filthy behind her back.

After Mom left for work, Rufus found me in the living room. He didn’t waste time.

“Did you think about what I said?” he asked, sitting beside me on the couch.

I nodded slowly, twisting my fingers in my lap.

“Rufus… Chloe’s my best friend. I don’t know if I can drag her into this.”

He tilted my chin up gently, forcing me to meet his eyes. There was no anger there in his eyes, it was just that calm patience of his.

“You’re not dragging her into anything,” he said softly.

“You’re finally being honest about who you are and I think deep down, you want her to see it.”

His thumb brushed my bottom lip. “Don’t you?”

I hated how my body reacted to him. How my thighs pressed together even as shame burned through me.

“I… I don’t know,” I whispered.

Rufus smiled, small and said “That’s okay, you will.”

He kissed me slow and deep, it made my head spin and my heart ache at the same time.

When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against mine.

“Text her today, tell her you miss her and want a girls’ night while your mom is away. I’ll handle the rest.”

I nodded, in a numb way.

Later that afternoon, I sat on my bed and typed the message to Chloe with shaking fingers.

Hey babes, Mom’s going out of town next weekend. Want to do a sleepover? Just like old times? I really need my best friend right now.

Her reply came fast.

Of course babe! I’ve been worried about you. I’ll bring wine and we can talk all night.

I stared at the screen, guilt eating me alive. I was lying to my best friend.

Setting her up to walk into something she had no idea about.

That night, as I lay in bed, my phone buzzed again.

It was Jake texting again. I’m not giving up, I’ve started digging into Rufus’s company finances.

There are things that don’t add up. Please, Bronte. Let me help you before it’s too late.

I deleted the message, but the fear stayed.

Because the truth was becoming clearer every day,

I wasn’t just falling.

I was already lost.

And the worst part?. A secret part of me was starting to enjoy being lost.