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Chapter 129

Author: Billie Patsy
last update publish date: 2026-02-17 16:04:47

NOAH

The bar was quieter than usual for a Thursday night. Most of the after-work crowd had already filtered out, leaving just a few regulars nursing their last beers and a couple in the corner booth laughing too loud at their own jokes.

I wiped down the same section of counter I’d already cleaned twice, more out of habit than necessity. Leo leaned on the other side, elbows planted, watching me with that look he got when he knew I was thinking too hard.

“You gonna tell me what’s eating you?” he
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  • SEVEN NIGHTS WITH MY STEPFATHER   Chapter 239

    CASSIANIt was 3:00 a.m., and sleep was nowhere in sight. I paced back and forth in my room like a caged animal, the wooden floor creaking under my feet with every step. The house was completely quiet except for the distant sound of the lake water outside. But inside my head, everything was loud. Ivy’s sudden coldness, the way she had looked at me earlier with tears in her eyes, the way she had locked herself away — none of it felt right. Something had changed in her. I could feel it in my bones. She had been warming up to me, trusting me, letting me hold her. And now, overnight, it was like a wall had gone up between us.I stopped by the window and stared out at the dark lake. My hands clenched into fists. Then I remembered it — that small moment in the evening when she had smiled at her phone. Just a quick, secret little smile before she noticed me watching. At the time I let it go, but now it burned in my mind. Who was she talking to? Why did she hide the phone so fast?I couldn’t

  • SEVEN NIGHTS WITH MY STEPFATHER   Chapter 238

    IVYI stood there in the middle of the living room, my legs feeling weak, like the floor might disappear beneath me. Everything was crashing down at once. The memories I had tried so hard to push away were flooding back now, clear and sharp, like broken glass cutting into my chest. Cassian’s face, his voice, his touch — they all felt different now. . The lies he had told me since the day I woke up in the hospital made my stomach turn. He had painted us as some beautiful love story, but all I could see were the cracks, the control, the obsession hiding behind every gentle word.I remembered what Noah had said on the dock. "Wait until tomorrow morning. Trust me." Those words were the only thing keeping me standing right now. I couldn’t run yet. I had to play along, even if every part of me wanted to scream.Cassian stepped closer, his eyes full of worry and something deeper — fear. He reached for my hand, but I kept mine at my sides.“Ivy,” he said softly, his voice almost breaking.

  • SEVEN NIGHTS WITH MY STEPFATHER   Chapter 237

    IVYThe walk back from the lake felt longer than it should have. My legs were tired, my mind even more so. The cool night air brushed against my skin, but it did nothing to calm the storm inside my chest.Every step closer to the house brought back the memory of Cassian’s desperate voice through the door, his broken apologies, and that painful flash of my mother’s warning. I didn’t know how to face him. I didn’t even know how to face myself.When I pushed open the front door, the house was lit up but quiet. Too quiet. Then I heard footsteps rushing down the stairs. Cassian appeared in the hallway, his face pale and panicked. His hair was messy, like he had been running his hands through it for hours. The moment he saw me, relief washed over his face, but it was mixed with something sharper — fear.“Ivy!” He crossed the distance in seconds and pulled me into a tight hug. His arms wrapped around me so hard I could barely breathe. “Where have you been? Why didn’t you tell me? I thought I

  • SEVEN NIGHTS WITH MY STEPFATHER   Chapter 236

    NOAHThe moment our lips met, something changed in the air between us. Ivy’s kiss was soft at first, then deeper, like she had been waiting for this as long as I had. I held her face gently, my thumbs brushing her cheeks, pouring every bit of love I had carried through all those empty months into that one kiss.The lake water lapped quietly against the dock, the cool night air brushing our skin, but all I could feel was her. My heart raced so hard I thought it might burst.Then she pulled back suddenly. Her eyes were wide, filled with tears that spilled down her cheeks in the moonlight. I froze, my hands still cupping her face.“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked, my voice full of worry. “I’m sorry if I—”“Noah…” she whispered. She reached up and cupped my face with both hands, looking at me like she was seeing me for the first time. Confusion crossed her face for a second, then something shifted. Her eyes filled with recognition. She pulled me into a tight hug, burying her face in my chest.

  • SEVEN NIGHTS WITH MY STEPFATHER   Chapter 235

    IVYThe sound of a car engine pulling away woke me up. I opened my eyes slowly, my body stiff and sore. I was still on the floor behind my bedroom door, curled up like I had fallen asleep crying. The room was dark, and the house felt too quiet.I rubbed my eyes and stood up, my legs shaky from sitting there so long. My head felt heavy, but the pain from earlier had faded into a dull ache.I unlocked the door and stepped out. The hallway was empty. I walked downstairs, calling softly, “Cassian?” No answer. I checked the kitchen, the living room, even the small balcony. Nothing. His jacket wasn’t on the hook by the door. I opened the front door and looked outside.His car was gone. The empty spot in the driveway looked cold under the moonlight. He had left late at night, without saying anything. My chest tightened. I didn’t know if he was angry, hurt, or just giving me space. Either way, the house felt bigger and lonelier without him.I went back upstairs to my room. My phone was still

  • SEVEN NIGHTS WITH MY STEPFATHER   Chapter 234

    IVYI stayed curled up on the floor behind the locked door, my back pressed against the wood like it could keep the whole world out. Hours had passed since I ran inside.The sunlight outside had slowly faded into soft evening shadows, and still I hadn’t moved. My phone kept lighting up on the bed with calls from Noah, but I couldn’t bring myself to answer. Every ring felt like another weight on my chest. I didn’t know what to say to him.I didn’t even know what to say to myself. Everything inside me felt uncertain, like I was standing on ground that kept shifting beneath my feet.Cassian had been outside the door for a long time. At first his voice was gentle, then it cracked, and now it sounded like he was crying. I could hear him breathing heavily, like every word hurt to say.“Ivy… please,” he said, his voice thick with tears. “I admit my mistake. Maybe I was just afraid of losing you. I was afraid because no one really cared about me before. Your mother was right about one thing.

  • SEVEN NIGHTS WITH MY STEPFATHER   Chapter 41

    A week later, I found myself in the back of Cassian’s car, heading to an exhibition he’d invited me to with a single text: Come with me tonight. Trust me.I should have said no.I said yes.The gallery was in a converted warehouse in the arts district, all exposed brick and industrial lighting. The

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-21
  • SEVEN NIGHTS WITH MY STEPFATHER   Chapter 40

    I shouldn’t have waited for him that night.After refusing his dinner invitation, I told myself it was over. No reply meant he’d finally gotten the message. I’d go to work, finish my shift, go home, and start rebuilding the walls he kept tearing down.But deep down, I knew I was lying to myself.I

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-21
  • SEVEN NIGHTS WITH MY STEPFATHER   Chapter 44

    We arrived at the airport way too early, my stomach already doing flips. I’d never flown first class before, and definitely never with a man who had spent the last month turning my life into an erotic fever dream. Cassian handled everything—check-in, security, the lounge—like it was second nature.

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-21
  • SEVEN NIGHTS WITH MY STEPFATHER   Chapter 36

    I told myself I wouldn’t go.I repeated it like a mantra all morning while I cleaned the apartment, while I folded laundry, while I stared at my closet trying to decide what to wear if I absolutely, definitely, one-hundred-percent was not going.But at 1:47 p.m., I found myself pushing through the

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-20
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