Lahat ng Kabanata ng IN LOVE WITH DAVE: MY HOT STEPBROTHER: Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

CARMENBefore I could comprehend the heaviness of what this person had just said to me and how to handle the situation, the person hung up, and a text which said the exact things that the man over the phone had said popped up on my screen.My eyes skimmed over the text I had just received from an unknown number, wondering if my brain was starting to make things up.I looked behind me to see my mother and Dave – the only people who knew about the incident. They couldn’t have possibly sent the text; I was with them.A floating bar showed on the bottom of the screen; a sure sign that the person behind the unknown number was typing. Then, another text came in.‘I’m quite curious, though; why did you do it? Why did you kill him?’I gasped, my hand going up to cover my mouth.Someone else knew, and it was either because my mother had told them about it, or they had found out about it coincidentally.‘Who are you?’ I texted frantically, sending it and biting my nails nervously.“This is bad.

CARMEN“You’re the blackmailer?” I stood in place, not sure whether to walk forward or turn around and leave. “But… You saw the video.”I shook my head in disbelief as I was starting to piece it all together.“When you said you didn’t find the video on my mom’s phone, you lied about that?” I asked him, waiting for his confirmation even though I already knew what the answer would be.“Hold on, Carmen.” He walked towards the boarded-up windows of the house, peeking through a small opening. “You brought your mom?”“Of course, I brought my mom, Dave! I was genuinely scared for my life, and I had to tell her about it. Couldn’t you have approached me and just told me that you wanted to see me in a place like this?”“That was supposed to be a part of the plan. I had to get a voice-changing app to call you. I wanted you to tell your mom about it, but I wasn’t expecting her to come with you. Come with me.” He took my hand, leading me into the kitchen area of the abandoned house. There was a si

CARMENWe all stood, frozen, staring at the doctor as he looked at us for a head nod at the idea of a toxicology test while we all tried to process what he had just told us about Steve.“What do you mean by that?” Mom was the first to speak. “We all eat the same thing; there’s no way Steve would be poisoned. The staff make sure to restock the kitchen each and every two weeks, throwing out everything that needs to be thrown out.”“Mrs Wilmer, you need to understand that we are not sure about your husband being poisoned,” the doctor explained and corrected her. “The toxicology test will help us figure out if we’re right to think he’s been poisoned. An investigation could follow if we find odd chemicals in his bloodstream.”“Just do it. We have to figure this out one way or another, right?” Mom said, crossing her arms.“He’ll need to stay at the hospital for a few more days,” the doctor informed us. “He needs to be monitored closely without fail in such a critical condition.”“We underst

CARMENThere was no way that Jasper knew about his father and I. There was no way that Jasper would trap me in a room with his father.I kept chanting those things in my head as I walked back, stepping away from Frank.“Don’t do this. You really shouldn’t try this right now. You’re going to ruin the friendship you have with Steve,” I reminded him, letting him know that if he tried anything stupid, I would not hesitate to tell Steve about it.“What are you talking about, Carmen?” He laughed, returning to his seat and looking at me as if I was crazy.The door soon opened, and Jasper walked in, looking from me to his father with raised brows.“I heard banging on the door, so I had to come and see what was going on,” he explained.Without a word, I pushed Jasper out of my way and walked out of the house, taking deep breaths as my breath clogged up in my throat. I reached into my purse to grab my inhaler, using it for the first time in a while as Jasper joined me outside.“Carmen, what’s w

CARMENThe people in the restaurant were clapping and cheering, a few of them pulling out their phones to record the moment that they believed to be beautiful.I thought it was a nightmare, all of their attention on us and the possibility of this getting out.I stared at Jasper and the ring he held in his hands. My jaw was dropped, and there was not a thing I could tell him that would convey just how horrified I was by the situation he had put me in.“What are you doing, Jasper?” I whispered, glancing around once more before putting all my attention on the man in front of me.“Taking control of my life and not letting someone take over my life for me. I figured that if I proposed, it would feel less like the duty I’m supposed to perform; think about it.”Through my panic, I tried to see the sense in what he was saying, and it seemed like a stretch. He was only proposing because the marriage was inevitable. His form of taking control was only trying to take the wheels but still lead us