LOGINForbidden Pleasures Stepfather’s Secret Obsession 16The World Falls ApartAnna’s povThe silence in the room felt like it was made of heavy stone. It pressed down on my chest, making it impossible to breathe. Mom stood in the doorway, her hands trembling as she held her purse. She looked at the pregnancy test on the floor, then at me, then at Mark . Her face was pale, and her eyes were wide with a fear I had never seen before.“Who is pregnant?” she asked again. This time, her voice cracked, sounding small and broken.I couldn't move. I felt like I was made of glass and one wrong word would shatter me into a million pieces. Mark stood beside me, his body stiff. He didn't say a word. He didn't step in front of me to protect me. He just stared at the wall, his jaw locked tight.Mom’s eyes moved back to me. She saw the tears on my face. She saw how I was holding my stomach. And then, the truth finally hit her. I watched it happenI watched the color drain from her face, replaced by a l
Forbidden PleasuresStepfather’s Secret Obsession 14 The TruthAnna’s POVThe bathroom felt smaller than usual, the air thick and cold. I stared down at the counter, my vision blurring. Two little pink lines. They were so small, yet they felt like a death sentence.My hands were shaking so hard I had to grip the edge of the sink to keep from falling. I didn't want to believe it. I ripped open another box, then another. Three tests now lay on the marble, and they all said the same thing. Positive.I was pregnant. And the father was the man who slept in the room across the hall from me. My stepfather.The truth hit me like a physical blow to the stomach. I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the cold tile floor, pulling my knees to my chest. I stayed there for a long time, crying without making a sound. My mind was a storm of fear, but deep down, in a tiny corner of my heart, there was a spark of something else. I thought about the way he had held me under the stars. I thought ab
Forbidden Pleasures Stepfather’s Secret Obsession 14Anna’s pov The fire had burned down to low, orange embers. The bright flames were gone, leaving behind a soft, warm glow that painted the trees and our skin in shades of red and gold. The lake was as still as a mirror, reflecting the millions of stars above us. It felt like we were the only two people left in the entire world.We had spent hours talking. I told him everything about my dream of becoming a diplomat about wanting to travel the world and fix things that were broken. He told me about his regrets and the heavy guilt he felt for the way things started. For the first time, it didn’t feel like we were hiding. It didn't feel like a secret we had to keep in a dark room. It felt like the truth.Mark turned his head to look at me. The soft light of the embers danced in his dark eyes. He reached out his hand, his fingers grazing my cheek before he cupped my face. His thumb brushed over my bottom lip so gently that it made my h
Forbidden Pleasures Stepfather’s Secret Obsession 13The Great EscapeAnna’s povThe morning light felt like a physical weight, pressing through the curtains and demanding that the world return to its polished, lie-filled state. I lay in the quiet of Mark’s arms for a few minutes, listening to the steady thrum of his heart, before the reality of the house settled back in. We were a house of glass, and the cracks were spider-webbing further every single day.When we finally descended the stairs, the domestic mask was firmly back in place. Mom was already in the kitchen, her back to us as she poured coffee. The smell of hazelnut roast and burnt toast filled the airthe scent of a normal family morning.Mark didn't hesitate. He walked into the room with a calm, practiced authority that never failed to amaze me. He pulled out a chair, caught Mom’s eye, and dropped the bombshell.he started, his voice steady and neutral. “I’ve been thinking about what you said yesterday at the picnic. Abou
Forbidden Pleasures Stepfather’s Secret Obsession 12 Role PlayAnna’s POVThe picnic had been a slow-motion car crash of emotions. Every polite smile from Jake had been like a match struck in a room full of gasoline, and Mark had been the one holding his breath, waiting to explode. The drive home had been suffocatingly quiet, the kind of silence that rings in your ears until you want to scream.Mom, blissfully unaware of the war being waged beneath the surface, had gone to bed the moment we stepped through the front door. The sun had drained her, and she retreated to the master bedroom with a tired smile, leaving the house to fall into a heavy, expectant stillness.I fled to my room, the walls of the hallway feeling like they were shrinking. My heart was a frantic drum in my chest. I needed to wash the scent of the outdoors—and the lingering, hollow feeling of Jake’s polite touches—off my skin. I was halfway through changing, my sundress pooled at my feet and a thin, silk nightdress
Forbidden PleasuresStepfather’s Secret Obsession 11Family PicnicAnna’s pov The weekend following the disaster with Jake was supposed to be a time for things to cool down. Instead, Mom was in one of her dangerously cheerful moods.She was humming a pop song in the kitchen, her hands busy squeezing fresh lemons while she mapped out what she called "perfect family bonding time." I was standing beside her, methodically dicing strawberries, trying to keep my head down. Then, she clapped her hands together with a sudden spark of excitement.“I have the most wonderful idea!” she announced. “The weather is going to be beautiful this Saturday. Let’s have a family picnic! Just the four of us, Marcus, you, and Jake. It’ll be so much better to get to know him in a relaxed setting, away from the dinner table.”The knife slipped, narrowly missing my finger. “Jake?” I repeated, my throat feeling like it was closing up.“Yes!” Mom beamed, oblivious to my panic. “He seemed like such a polite young







