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Part fifteen —The Call That Changed Everything
publish date:
2026-03-30 19:36:02
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STEP CLOSER, MY STEP BROTHER Part sixteen — The Sound in the Dark
Ariana’s POVMy body went stiff all of a sudden.What was she doing here? Or was it exactly what I was thinking?I knew it. That child looks exactly like Clara. I knew she looked familiar from somewhere, I just didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want my family—my son—to get tangled in Clara’s messed-up world.Clara was evil. Not just bad… evil in a way I can’t even fully describe. And the worst part? I remember everything. Like it just happened yesterday. The memories never faded… never left. What she did to me… what Clara and my so-called best friend did to me.For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. I glanced at Roman. The disbelief on his face mirrored mine. I could tell he had questions, a lot of them. I could almost hear his thoughts racing.“Anywhere you go, bad luck is bound to happen,” she spat.A scoff left my lips before I could stop it.Seriously? The audacity.Was she really standing here acting like I’m the villain? Like I’m the bad one in this story? Or has she conveniently f
STEP CLOSER, MY STEP BROTHER Part fifteen —The Call That Changed Everything
Ariana's POVThe night air was warm against my skin, soft and calming in a way that made it hard to think about anything serious. The sound of the waves hitting the shore played in the background like a lullaby, steady and endless. The resort lights reflected on the water, making everything glow just enough to feel unreal.I stretched out on the lounge chair, my fingers tracing lazy patterns on my thigh. My bikini still clung slightly to my skin from the last swim, and I didn’t even bother drying off properly. I liked the feeling. Free. Light and unbothered.Roman was watching me. I didn’t even have to look to know.“You’re staring again,” I said, my lips curving slightly.“And you love it,” he replied instantly.I turned my head, meeting his gaze. “You’re obsessed.”“Completely,” he said without hesitation.I laughed softly, sitting up and pulling my hair over one shoulder. “You should be ashamed.”“Never,” he said, walking towards me.There was something about the way he looked at m
STEP CLOSER, MY STEP BROTHER Part fourteen — Lost in the Woods
It felt like one of those harmless school activities. The kind teachers hype up like it’s life-changing, but really it’s just walking around pretending you’re Bear Grylls. Pair up, follow the trail, find the markers, come back before sunset. Easy.And of course, I was paired with Ethan surprisingly, Not that I was complaining. We stood at the edge of the forest with the others, waiting for instructions. The air smelled different here. Damp leaves, wood, something fresh and wild that didn’t exist back at school. It made everything feel more real somehow.“Stay within the marked paths,” one of the teachers said. “Each pair will follow a different route. There are colored ribbons tied to trees. Do not ignore them and please do not wander off.”I glanced at Ethan.He smirked slightly, like he already knew people were going to ignore that.“Got it?” he asked quietly.I nodded. “I’m not trying to get kidnapped by a tree, so yes.”He chuckled. “Fair.”Our path was marked with blue ribbons. A
STEP CLOSER, MY STEP BROTHER Part thirteen — Daylight Doesn’t Ask Questions
Someone is shaking my shoulder.“Ethan. Wake up.”I groan and bury my face deeper into my sleeping bag. For half a second I forget where I am again. Then I hear birds. A lot of them. And the soft murmur of kids already outside.Jules pokes me harder.“If I’m awake, you’re awake.”I sit up slowly, hair a mess, hoodie twisted around my neck. My body feels stiff from sleeping on the ground. I stretch and my back cracks.“This is illegal,” I mumble.Jules grins. “You survived your first night in the wild.”I glance at my phone. 7:02 a.m.I rub my face and step outside the tent.The camp is already moving. Teachers are setting up folding tables. A few kids are brushing their teeth near a portable sink station. Someone is complaining loudly about the cold water.I spot Isabella almost immediately.She’s standing near Roxie, holding a toothbrush, hair tied into a loose ponytail. She looks tired but in a soft way, like she didn’t sleep much but didn’t mind it.She looks up and our eyes meet a
STEP CLOSER, MY STEP BROTHER Part Twelve — After Everyone Sleeps
I wake up because the night feels different.Not louder. Not quieter. Just… awake.For a second, I don’t know where I am. The tent ceiling hovers inches above my face, dark and unfamiliar. The air smells like smoke and grass and something damp. Then it all comes back—the bus, the tents, the fire.Jules is asleep beside me, turned toward the tent wall, breathing slow and even. He talks in his sleep sometimes, but tonight he’s quiet.I stare up at the canvas, listening.The woods don’t sleep like the city does. There’s no full silence. Something is always moving. Leaves brushing. A branch snapping somewhere far off. Insects humming like tiny machines. It should be scary.It isn’t.I roll onto my side, careful not to wake Jules, and check my phone under the blanket. No signal, obviously. But the time glows back at me anyway.12:17 a.m.I don’t know why I do it, but I open my messages.Isabella’s name is there, sitting calmly like it belongs. Like it’s always belonged.I type slowly.Are
STEP CLOSER, MY STEP BROTHER Part Eleven — Two by Two
The teachers didn’t waste time.The moment everyone was off the bus and standing around with bags at their feet, trying to act like they weren’t overwhelmed by the trees and the quiet and the fact that there were no buildings anywhere, one of them clapped her hands loud enough to make a few birds scatter.“Okay, listen up,” she said. “We’re setting up camp. You’ll be working in pairs.”Groans. Cheers. Nervous laughter.She kept talking, explaining how everything would work. We were shown how to open the tents, how to slide the poles through without bending them, how to hammer the pegs into the ground at an angle so the wind wouldn’t knock everything over. She demonstrated slowly, like she expected us to mess it up anyway.I tried to pay attention. I really did. But my eyes kept drifting.Isabella stood a few feet away, her backpack on the ground, listening closely, her brow pulled together in that serious way she had when she was concentrating. Roxie was beside her tall, brown hair pu
STEP CLOSER, MY STEP BROTHER Chapter 89
Ariana's POVI didn’t even remember when I’d fallen asleep.One moment, I was curled up on the couch, Roman’s voice low in my ears… and the next, I was waking up to the faint hum of silence.Only, it wasn’t really silent.There was a sound—a soft, rhythmic sizzling. And an incredible smell.I blink
Last Updated : 2026-03-31STEP CLOSER, MY STEP BROTHER Chapter 87
Roman’s POVI should’ve left.Should’ve turned my back and walked out like I always do when things start to crack open inside me. But her voice God, her voice kept echoing in my head.“I just wanted you to love me enough to ask me why.”That line tore something inside me wide open. Because the trut
Last Updated : 2026-03-31STEP CLOSER, MY STEP BROTHER Chapter 94
Ariana's POV.The sun spilled lazily into the room through the half-drawn curtains, warm and golden against my skin. Roman was leaning against the balcony rail, his shirt hanging open as though he’d forgotten to finish dressing, his phone tucked into his palm. He had that quiet, unreadable look aga
Last Updated : 2026-04-01STEP CLOSER, MY STEP BROTHER Chapter 88
Roman’s POVHer fingers brushed my jaw tender, like she didn’t know whether to hold me or let me fall apart and I did. In her hands.Something inside me broke wide open. All the fury, the guilt, the betrayal it bled through the cracks. I wasn't just angry anymore.I was shattered, But she didn’t mo
Last Updated : 2026-03-31
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