All Chapters of In Bed With My Step-uncle : Chapter 261 - Chapter 270

I don’t know what I expect when I walk into the club again. Maybe I think I’ll find clarity in the flashing lights and the pounding music, like everything else will fade into the background, and I’ll have an answer to the questions swirling in my head. But nothing feels clear. The air smells like sweat and perfume, and my heart is racing faster than it should be.I feel the weight of every step I take toward the back VIP section, knowing what I’m about to do, knowing what this moment is about. I didn’t want to come here, not after what happened with Claire. I never wanted to hurt her. But I couldn’t lie to her anymore. I couldn’t keep pretending that everything was fine when it wasn’t.And now, here I am, about to see Xander again. I don’t know what I expect from him, either. I know what I want, but I’m not sure if I can have it. Can I really walk away from everything I’ve known? My family, my future, my entire life… for him?I walk into the back room, and there he is, sitting at one

The days after Xander left were a blur. I spent most of the time in my apartment, pacing and trying to force my mind to focus on anything other than what was happening in my life. I still hadn’t spoken to my parents about what was going on, and I definitely hadn’t told them that the engagement with Claire was over. The thought of telling them terrified me.I knew I had to make a choice. But it wasn’t the choice between Claire and Xander anymore. It was the choice between living a life that wasn’t mine or finally stepping into the unknown.I stare at my phone, my finger hovering over the screen. It’s late, but I know I need to make the call. I dial Xander’s number. The phone rings a few times before he picks up. His voice, calm and steady, instantly makes the tightness in my chest loosen."Elias?" he says, sounding surprised, but not in a bad way. "Everything okay?""I need to talk," I say, my voice low. "Can we meet?"There’s a pause, then he replies, "Of course, I’ll be there in twen

The silence in my apartment is suffocating. I’ve barely been home since the conversation with my father. I don’t know what I was expecting, maybe for him to understand, maybe for him to finally see that I’m not just the son he raised to follow orders. But I didn’t get that, rather I got disappointment, I haven’t told Claire yet. I’m not sure how to tell her. The words are there, but I keep putting them off. I don’t want to hurt her, but I can’t keep pretending anymore. She deserves someone who can give her the life she’s always wanted, and I can’t be that person.I stand in front of the mirror in my bathroom, staring at my reflection. My face looks tired, worn out, like I’ve aged a year in the past few days. My hair’s messy, and my suit feels a little too tight around my shoulders. The weight ofeverything is pressing down on me, and I’m not sure how much longer I can hold it all together.I grab my phone from the counter, my thumb hovering over Xander’s name. I haven’t seen him since

The next few days are a blur. I barely leave my apartment, just existing in a haze of thoughts and emotions I can’t quite sort through. I told Claire the truth. I broke the engagement. I set myself free. And now… now everything is just so much quieter. So much emptier.I can’t say I’m relieved. I can’t say I feel good about what I did. Because I don’t. But I know it was the right choice. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself. It’s strange, though. I’ve spent so much of my life trying to please people, trying to fit into their mold of what I should be, that I forgot what it was like to listen to myself. To do what I wanted, not what I thought was expected of me. And now, after everything, it feels like I’m a stranger to myself. Like I’ve been living in someone else’s skin for so long, and I have no idea who I really am beneath all of it.I stare out the window at the city below, watching people rush by, all of them living their own lives while I stand still.I should feel free, I

It’s only been a few days since I made my decision, but it feels like a lifetime. The weight of my choices is starting to settle in. There are mornings when I wake up and for a split second, I forget what I’ve done. Then the reality hits me, Claire is gone, the wedding is off, and the life I’ve been living for years is slipping through my fingers like sand.I think about calling Xander, but I don’t. It’s not that I don’t want to talk to him. It’s just that I need to deal with this onmy own, at least for a little while.I’m sitting at my desk, trying to focus on the few things I still need to manage with the business, when the sound of my phone vibrating breaks my concentration. I glance at the screen and freeze, my dad.I haven’t spoken to him since I left the engagement party, and I can’t even remember the last time we had a real conversation. There’s no mistaking why he’s calling, it’s time to face him. I take a deep breath and answer."Elias," my father’s voice comes through the ph