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CHAPTER 153
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2025-11-30 11:16:47Lena
The doorknob turned, and every muscle in my body locked. My breath stopped somewhere in my chest, and Isabella clung to my shirt so tightly her nails dug in.
The door opened.
I braced myself.
And then—
“Why are the lights off?”
Roman’s voice.
My knees nearly buckled.
He stepped inside, pushing the double stroller with Benjamin and Nataniel slumped in their little seats, fast asleep with their cheeks flushed pink from fresh air. Roman’s hair was damp, his shirt rumpled, and the moment he saw me, he froze.
“Lena?” His eyebrows drew together. “Why are you—”
I didn’t let him finish.
I ran straight into him. My arms wrapped around his shoulders so tightly I felt my fingers trembling against the back of his neck. I tried not to cry but the moment my face pressed against his chest, everything came out. A silent, shaking collapse.
Latest chapter
Stepdaughter by Day, Wife by Night Chapter 178 – Lena POV
That afternoon felt quieter than it should have.Not peaceful. Just… muted. Like the house was holding its breath along with me.Ava came by just after lunch, as she had been doing more often lately. She brought fruit, some pastries Isabella liked, and that familiar look on her face—the one that said she was worried but trying not to show it.She sat across from me at the kitchen table, watching me pour tea with movements that were a little too careful.“So,” she said casually, stirring her drink. “Tell me about Billy.”My hand paused for half a second before I set the kettle down.“What about him?” I asked, keeping my voice neutral.Ava raised an eyebrow. “You told me he came here. You don’t usually let random men into your house, Lena.”“He’s not random,” I said, then quickly added, “I mean… he was just someone I met by accident. Literally. He just stopped by. Gave Isabella a gift. That’s it.”“A gift?” Ava repeated. “On the first visit?”I sighed and leaned back in my chair. “It wa
Stepdaughter by Day, Wife by Night Chapter 177 – Roman POV
The office was quiet in a way that felt unnatural.The kind of quiet that pressed against your ears until your own thoughts became too loud.I sat behind my desk, staring at the photo frame I hadn’t moved since the day Lena placed it there herself. Me. Her. Isabella standing proudly between us. Benjamin and Nataniel in my arms, their tiny faces scrunched like the world was already too much.A perfect lie, frozen in glass.My thumb traced the edge of the frame without realizing it. I should have been reviewing contracts, checking numbers, dealing with the fire Amelia had lit under my company. Instead, I was stuck here, staring at the proof of everything I was about to lose.I had promised Lena the world.I had promised her safety, honesty, loyalty. I had promised that no matter how ugly my past was, it would never touch her future.And yet here I was.Failing her in every way that mattered.I exhaled slowly and leaned back in my chair, rubbing my face with both hands. The company could
Stepdaughter by Day, Wife by Night Chapter 176
LENA Billy arrived a few minutes later. I knew it was him before I even reached the door. My heart had been counting the seconds since that knock, beating too fast for something I kept insisting was harmless. I smoothed my hair with my palm, took a breath, and opened the door. He stood there holding a small paper bag, looking slightly unsure of himself, like someone who had rehearsed a dozen polite versions of this moment and still didn’t know which one to use. “Hi,” he said, smiling softly. “Hi,” I replied, stepping aside. “Come in.” Before I could say anything else, small footsteps padded across the floor behind me. Isabella appeared at my side, peeking around my leg with wide, curious eyes. Usually she clung to me when strangers were around, her fingers tight in my clothes, her body half-hidden. But this time, she didn’t retreat. She looked up at Billy instead. Billy noticed her instantly. His expression changed, brightening in a way that felt natural, not forced. “Hello
Stepdaughter by Day, Wife by Night Chapter 175
LENAI stared at the screen longer than I should have.Billy.Just his name. No picture. No history. No weight compared to everything else in my life. And yet my thumb hovered over it like it was something dangerous. Like pressing it would tilt the ground beneath my feet.I shouldn’t have been thinking about him.I knew that.I had a husband—whether he was here or not, whether he was mine or not anymore, I didn’t even know. I had children asleep in their rooms. I had Ava, who had held me together more times than I could count. I didn’t need anyone else.And yet.Billy’s last words echoed in my head from that morning. The way he’d said my name gently. The way he hadn’t pushed. The way he’d stepped back without making me feel small for it.If you ever need anything, just call.I told myself I was just lonely.That this wasn’t about him. It was about the silence Roman left behind. The way my house felt too big at night. The way my chest felt heavy even when I was sitting still.I told my
Stepdaughter by Day, Wife by Night Chapter 174 – Roman POV
I heard the click of heels before I saw her.Vivian stood by the window, phone still pressed to her ear, posture perfect as always, like she was posing for a magazine instead of standing in a house that felt more like a cage with every passing hour. The moment she ended the call, her lips curved upward slowly.That smile.I knew it too well.“Who were you talking to?” I asked, my voice rough from a night without sleep.She turned, eyes glinting with something sharp and satisfied. “Does it matter?”“Yes,” I said flatly. “It does.”Vivian walked toward me instead of answering. Her movements were deliberate, calculated. She lifted her hand and brushed it against my chest like it belonged there, like she had the right.Then she leaned in and kissed me.I stepped back instantly.“Don’t,” I snapped. “Stay within your limits.”Her lips curved higher, amused rather than offended. “Limits?” she echoed. “Roman, if you’re going to stay in my house, you should remember who you’re dealing with.”“
Stepdaughter by Day, Wife by Night Chapter 173
LENAFor almost a week, I learned how to pretend.I smiled when Isabella talked about her dream. I laughed when Benjamin and Nataniel made a mess during breakfast. I tucked them in at night like nothing in the world was broken. Like their father hadn’t walked out and stayed gone. Like my heart wasn’t slowly tearing itself apart every single hour.I became good at pretending.Too good.But there was one person I couldn’t lie to. One person who saw straight through the fake smiles and forced laughter.Ava.The moment she stepped into the house each morning, she knew. She didn’t even need to ask. She could tell by the way I moved slower, by how I stared at nothing a little too long, by how my hands shook when I poured coffee.“You don’t have to be strong with me,” she told me one afternoon as we sat at the kitchen table while the kids played in the living room.I stared into my cup, watching the steam rise. “If I stop being strong, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stand up again.”Ava rea
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