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Chapter 40 – Vivian’s Motives Revealed
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2025-09-01 03:34:14LENA
When I opened the door and saw her standing there, I almost forgot how to breathe. My mother. Perfectly composed as always, her tailored dress hugging her figure, her makeup flawless, her hair falling in soft waves that somehow looked effortless. She didn’t look like someone blindsided or heartbroken. She looked like someone who knew more than she was letting on.
“Mom,” I whispered, clutching the edge of the door as if it could hold me up. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“I can tell,” Vivian replied smoothly, her eyes flicking over me in a way that made my skin crawl. “You look… flushed. Is everything alright?”
“Yes.” My voice came out too quick, too defensive. I cleared my throat. “Just… tired.”
Her lips curved into a polite smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “May I come in?”
I hesitated. My instincts screamed no, but she was
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Stepdaughter by Day, Wife by Night Chapter 211
LENAI sat at the small dining table that doubled as my workspace, my laptop open, half a dozen tabs staring back at me like accusations. Old drafts. Unfinished manuscripts. Business plans I had once been proud of, now frozen in time like fossils from a life that felt unreal.I rubbed my temples and leaned back in the chair.I couldn’t keep living like this.Running away had been necessary. Taking the children somewhere safe had been necessary. But surviving wasn’t the same as living, and I couldn’t pretend that my savings would magically stretch forever. Three children didn’t care about emotional wounds. They needed food. Stability. A future.And that future couldn’t rely on anyone else.Not Ava. Not Roman. Not even Billy.I straightened up and cracked my fingers, forcing myself into focus.Writing had always been my anchor. Before Roman. Before the chaos. Before everything collapsed into a mess of contracts, betrayals, and blood ties that shouldn’t have existed. I had built somethin
Stepdaughter by Day, Wife by Night Chapter 210
LENAThe sun was already high when I led Isabella out to the pool.The twins were finally asleep after refusing their morning nap for almost an hour. I had watched their chests rise and fall, waited until their breathing turned deep and steady, and only then allowed myself to move away from them. Isabella, on the other hand, had been wide awake since dawn, pacing around the villa in her swimsuit like a restless fish trapped on land.“I don’t want to sleep,” she said for the third time, tugging at my hand. “I want to swim.”So here we were.The pool behind the house shimmered under the sunlight, its surface calm and inviting. It was quiet here, too quiet sometimes, but I welcomed it. Silence was easier than questions. Easier than explaining things I barely understood myself.I helped Isabella put on her floaties, tightening the straps carefully. She stood patiently, watching me with those eyes that were far too observant for a child her age.“You look sad,” she said suddenly.I paused,
Stepdaughter by Day, Wife by Night Chapter 209
ROMANI never thought I would be standing in front of Ava’s house like this.No guards. No driver. No authority backing me up except my own desperation.The porch light was on, casting a harsh yellow glow that made everything feel exposed. I raised my hand and knocked, harder than I meant to. My chest felt tight, like if I didn’t get answers soon, something inside me would collapse for good.The door opened.Ava stood there with her arms crossed, her expression already telling me I wasn’t welcome.“Where is she?” I asked immediately. I didn’t bother with greetings. I didn’t have the strength for small talk.Ava looked at me for a long second, her eyes cold. “I don’t know.”I laughed softly, bitterly. “Don’t lie to me.”Her jaw tightened. “I’m not lying.”“You are,” I said. “You’ve always been bad at it.”She stepped aside but didn’t invite me in. “Even if I did know, why would I tell you?”I swallowed. “Because Lena is my wife. And those are my children.”Ava’s lips curved into a humo
Stepdaughter by Day, Wife by Night Chapter 208
LENAThe house slowly grew quiet after the movie ended.One by one, the children drifted off to sleep right there in the living room. Benjamin was sprawled half on a cushion, half on the rug, his mouth slightly open. Nataniel had curled against his brother’s side like it was the most natural place in the world. Isabella lay on the couch, hugging her teddy bear to her chest, her lashes resting softly against her cheeks.I stood there for a long moment, just watching them.Safe. Calm. Unaware of how fragile everything felt to me.I reached for a blanket and carefully covered them, moving slowly so I wouldn’t wake them. When I straightened, I noticed the empty pizza boxes, the scattered napkins, the half-finished cups of juice.Life, in its messiest and most honest form.“I’ll help,” Billy said quietly behind me.I turned to see him already picking up the boxes, stacking them neatly. We worked side by side without talking, cleaning up the remains of dinner. It felt oddly domestic, like s
Stepdaughter by Day, Wife by Night Chapter 207
LENABy evening, my phone felt heavier than usual.I hadn’t turned it off. I didn’t have the courage to do that yet. Instead, I left it face down on the kitchen counter while I washed vegetables, pretending the vibration against the marble didn’t mean anything. But I knew better.Missed calls. Too many to count.And messages.From Roman.I didn’t open them. Not because I didn’t care, but because I cared too much. Reading them would pull me back into a storm I was barely surviving. Right now, I needed quiet. I needed to focus on the small, simple things—like cutting carrots evenly, like making sure the twins didn’t wander too close to the pool, like listening to Isabella hum softly while drawing at the dining table.I was just about to turn off the stove when a knock echoed through the villa.I froze for half a second.Before I could even dry my hands, Isabella was already on her feet. “I’ll get it, Mommy!”I turned around quickly. “Sweetheart, wait—”But she was already running toward
Stepdaughter by Day, Wife by Night Chapter 206
LENABy the third morning in the villa, reality finally settled in.There was no knock on the door. No familiar footsteps in the hallway. No one else to take over when the kids woke up crying, hungry, or fighting over something small and ridiculous. It was just me.Me and three little lives that depended on me entirely.I woke before the sun, my body trained by years of routine, even though everything else in my life had fallen apart. Benjamin was the first to stir, his soft whimper cutting through the quiet. I reached for him automatically, pulling him close, murmuring reassurances until his breathing slowed again. Nataniel rolled over in his sleep, one arm flung over his brother’s back. Isabella was still asleep in the next room, clutching her teddy bear tightly against her chest.I watched them for a long time.This was my responsibility now. Not shared. Not divided. Not supported by anyone else.And strangely… it didn’t scare me as much as I thought it would.The fear had already
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