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MIGUEL

Okay, this was easier than I imagined. I mean, the thought of bathing a child made me think that it wasn’t going to be a very hard task, but you know how thoughts can be very deceiving.

The warm water splashed softly as I bathed Isabella, the bathroom echoing with her tiny giggles and my quiet laughter. I expected wails and screams of terror but she wasn’t interested in that.

She sat in the tub like she’d always belonged there, her chubby hands slapping at bubbles, sending a spray across my shirt and making her laugh harder.

I couldn’t stop smiling. That kind of pure, joyful noise lit up something inside me. My heart swelled until it ached, and before I could stop it, tears stung my eyes. Not from sadness though, but from too much love, and too much awe that she was here and okay.

I looked up and found Salvatore standing in the doorway. His arms were folded and he was leaning casually against the frame, but his eyes gave him away. He looked cautious, almost a little unsure.

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  • My Stepfather's Deadly Obsession   The circle completes...

    MIGUELIt was exactly a month later, a month of everything happening at once. First, my speech to the reporters had caused an uproar, because when they did as I said—making their findings—the cat was soon out of the bag. She was charged with kidnapping me, domestic violence when I was a child, giving wrong information to the law, and then extorting me and my family. She instantly went into hiding, because her passport was confiscated and her accounts frozen.The account she deposited the money Salvatore paid into was also frozen, and the money was soon investigated and refunded to Salvatore. Now, Emily was stuck somewhere in Italy, unable to run or walk freely, or even use her own money. What a joke!In between all these, we were busy planning a wedding. The week leading up to the wedding had been a blur. Every day, the house was alive with planning, laughter, and arguments over details that didn’t really matter in the end. Luca and the cousins had voted unanimously for a mafia weddi

  • My Stepfather's Deadly Obsession   A New chapter

    MIGUELThe sun had barely cleared the hills when I found myself rushing down the stairs, tight from excitement and nerves. As I turned the corner into the kitchen, the smell of eggs, butter, and something sweet hit me first, followed by the sight of Bach already at the stove with his sleeves rolled up, moving like he had lived here forever.He turned just as I stepped in, passing me a wide grin. “Morning, boss,” he teased as he slid a pan off the heat. “I thought I’d beat you to it today. Figured I should do what I know best before Luca and I head out.”I couldn’t help but smile. “You didn’t have to, Bach. But I’m glad you did.”He shrugged while ladling scrambled eggs onto a platter. “Consider it a send-off. Besides, you’ve got bigger things to think about today.”He was right. By tonight, things could finally be different—in a good way, because I wasn’t going to take it any other way. Before long, the scent of Bach’s cooking had drifted through the house. One by one, everyone appe

  • My Stepfather's Deadly Obsession   Finally free?

    SALVATOREThe night felt heavy. It was the kind of night that pressed on my chest and made the silence inside the car almost unbearable. The dim streetlights painted Luca’s face in sharp lines as we drove through the quieter parts of Palermo. We couldn’t go to the bank; it was too late. And even if we could, I didn’t want anything that would help what was already floating around the news. I had no idea if anyone was monitoring my bank accounts.But there was a black-market depot that we could get fast cash from. In bulk, too.We reached the depot without a word. It was hidden behind an old warehouse that had cracked walls and was covered with faded paint. A man was already waiting for us, leaning against the doorway, his cigarette glowing in the dark. He didn’t ask questions. With a nod, he led us inside, down a corridor that smelled of rust and damp.Stacks of bills were laid out on a table, bound so tightly that it looked like the money itself was suffocating. Luca helped me load

  • My Stepfather's Deadly Obsession   We need a closure

    MIGUELI hadn’t wanted to watch, but when John added that Emily was on the news, we had no choice.There she was. Fucking Emily.Her blonde hair was brushed too carefully for it to be real, and her dress was chosen to give her the perfect mask of a grieving wife. Crocodile tears shimmered in her eyes as she spoke to the reporter, trembling just enough to convince those who didn’t know her.“My... son,” she started and pressed her hand to her chest, “he destroyed my marriage. He seduced my husband, his stepfather. And now, when I traced Salvatore to Italy, I find he has paraded that boy in front of his family as a spouse. And what’s worse… they have adopted children. It is vile. Disgusting.”Every word hit me like fire. I could hear the faint scratching of the officer’s pen behind me, recording it all. I wanted to rip the television out of the wall and hurl it across the room. Salvatore stood frozen on a spot, his hands curling into fists at his sides.I shifted carefully on the couc

  • My Stepfather's Deadly Obsession   Ghost lingering from the past

    SALVATOREI paced the sitting room like a man with fire in his veins. The lamps were on, and dusk was already painting the windows with shades of orange and purple, but all I could see was Miguel’s still face resting against the couch cushion. He looked fragile there, too pale. Every breath of his felt like a blessing I was terrified to lose.The low murmur of voices surrounded me. Two officers were stationed at the dining table with some files spread open, scratching their pens across the paper. Bach sat with his hands folded neatly, his calm expression betraying none of the nerves I knew had to be running beneath the surface. Luca was less composed. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and tracked me every time I crossed the room like he expected me to break.“Sit, Sal,” Luca muttered. “You’re making them nervous.”I stopped in my tracks and turned on him with a glare. “Good. Maybe being nervous will make them faster.”The officers glanced up at me before returning to th

  • My Stepfather's Deadly Obsession   Past enemies...

    MIGUEL(Six months later) “Leo! Stop splashing in there and hurry up, or Daddy will leave you behind!” My voice had the frustration of having called him three times already. The sound of water and childish giggles echoed back and was followed by the quick thud of feet scurrying across the bathroom floor. Oh, Leo… Downstairs, Isabella was already dressed neatly in her little uniform, swinging her feet as she sat on Salvatore’s lap. He was holding her spoon and feeding her mouthfuls of cereal.“See, Isa is ready,” I muttered, half to myself, before grabbing Leo’s backpack from the couch. “Why can’t he just—”“I’m ready!” Leo boomed from the stairs as he thundered down with his shoes half-tied, and his hair sticking up like he had fought with the comb. I shot him a look but Salvatore was already chuckling.Minutes later, we were all out the door. The drive was lively. Isabella sang some half-invented tune that only she could understand, while Leo tried to interrupt every second with h

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