DANGEROUSLY YOURS: INTO THE ARMS OF MY STEP_BROTHER

Isabella Leonardo : The devil doesn’t wear horns or rise from hellfire. She wore pearls, smiled sweetly, and tucked me in at night. She gave me life—and took everything else with it. For me, the devil isn’t a myth. She has a name. I call her Mother. “Ella, your stepfather is dead,” Mom said over the phone—flat, emotionless. Like she was commenting on the weather. I just stood there, stunned. How could she sound so empty? Thirteen years of marriage—gone, and she didn’t flinch. This was the man who gave us shelter when we had nothing. When the world turned its back on us, he opened the door. “What? How… what happened?” I asked, my fingers tightening around the phone as if it could somehow make this nightmare go away. “Why are you asking me? He’s dead, okay?! Get a grip. It’s not like I’m the damn Grim Reaper who took his life!” Her voice hissed, and in the background, I heard a faint chuckle from someone else. “You don’t feel sorry, do you?” I bit back the words, my jaw locking, m

Isabella Leonardo:Mom already made a mess of the house. Staying here would be insane—and I just can't.I stormed out right after the argument. No friends, no welcome, just tension thick enough to choke me. I had no choice but to book a hotel.A middle-class one, at that. The best I could afford with my café paychecks and the little savings I’d scraped together. The kind of place that smelled like old bleach and regret.I tossed my bag on the worn-out bed and collapsed beside it.Staring at the pictures of Steven and I—the ones I’d never had the courage to delete—I felt tears slip down, silent and slow.I wish I stayed longer. Maybe I wouldn’t feel this broken.I thought coming back would give me closure. But all I felt was… unwelcome.Maybe Mom was right. Maybe I shouldn’t have come back at all.My phone buzzed. An unknown number.I stared at it until it stopped ringing.Then it buzzed again.A text this time.“Be ready tomorrow. The funeral is at noon. Don’t be late.”No name. But I

Christopher Gravemoor“Good morning, Dada!” Amara said, clapping her hands as she ran into the living room.I crouched and caught her in my arms, lifting her up like I always did. She giggled as I pressed a long kiss to her cheek, and then hugged me tight around the neck, like she didn’t want to let go.“I saw the unicorn diary on my table,” she whispered near my ear, as if it were a secret. “Thank you.”I smiled. “You like it?”She pulled back, her eyes wide. “Like it? I love it! It has glitter, and the pages smell like strawberries!”“Smell like strawberries?” I raised a brow.She nodded seriously. “I checked. Twice.”I laughed and set her down gently. She grabbed her little backpack and turned toward the door where the nanny was waiting.“I’m going to show it to my friends! They’re gonna be sooo jealous.”I bent down and adjusted the straps on her backpack. “You’re going to be late.”“I know!” she said, then gave me one last quick hug. “Bye, Dada!”She ran off, waving as she disapp

Isabella Leonardo:Something hung between us. Something unspoken but painfully loud. The tension wasn’t new—it had always lingered, just beneath the surface. But now it felt heavier. More dangerous. Like if either of us said the wrong thing, everything we’d buried would come rushing back.And I wasn’t sure if I wanted to run from it or dive straight in.“Want to join or what?” Christopher asked, water glistening on his skin as he tilted his head toward the pool.I exhaled slowly, shook my head. “Nah. I’m good. I… I think I’ll take a walk around. Be back in maybe forty minutes.”He hummed in response. “Mm.”I lingered for a moment, glanced back at him once more. His gaze hadn’t left me.Then I turned and walked out of the villa.Leaving the house wasn’t as easy as stepping outside. I had to get through a gate. One of the guards asked where I was going, then gave me a once-over before waving me off. I didn’t blame him—it wasn’t the kind of place you could just stroll out of unnoticed.O

Isabella Leonardo: We sat on opposite ends of the couch, the silence between us louder than the ticking clock on the wall. The coffee in my hand had gone cold, but I still held onto it like it could anchor me.He broke the silence first."Did you miss me?" he asked, placing his cup on the table with a soft clink. His eyes didn’t waver.I looked away, pretending to focus on the curtain swaying from the open window. “Why are you bringing this up now?”He leaned closer, voice low, urgent. "Answer me, Isabella. Did you ever miss me—my touch, my voice?"His fingers reached for mine, but I pulled back, my skin burning where he grazed it.“Let’s not do this,” I whispered. “Let’s just pretend there was never anything between us. It’s safer that way… for Amara, my mother, for everyone.”“Safer?” he snapped, sitting up straight. His voice cracked, eyes wild. “Do you think I care about safe? Just tell me the damn truth!”I stood up, shaking, heart pounding in my chest. “What do you want from me