All Chapters of Stepbrother Wants Me: Chapter 161 - Chapter 169

LILY:The house felt too quiet after I said the words I could never take back. For a moment, I stayed on the floor with my eyes closed, listening to the faint hum of the air conditioning and the soft creak of the hallway. My breathing slowed, but my heart kept racing as if it was trying to outrun the consequences of my decision.When I finally stood, my legs wobbled. Mason stayed kneeling on the floor, staring at the ground with his hands resting uselessly against his thighs. He looked like someone who had been struck so hard he had not figured out how to breathe again.I wanted to go to him. I wanted to kiss him, reassure him, promise him that this was not the end of us. But I could not. Because every promise I made now would be a lie.His father and Mildred were still outside, probably pretending they were giving us privacy while listening for any sign of progression. The whole house felt full of pressure. Full of unspoken demands. Full of fear.I walked toward the living room slowl

MASON:I left the room quietly, shutting the door behind me with a soft click. The sound echoed too loudly in my head, like a reminder that every second I spent away from Lily was a second she had to endure Nicole’s carefully calibrated presence.The hallway smelled faintly of polished wood and leather. I ran a hand down my face, trying to breathe past the anger that had lodged itself deep in my chest. Nicole had this way of being polite, calm, and composed that made everything worse. She was the type of person who could slice through steel with a smile.I heard voices coming from the patio. My father and Mildred were standing there, discussing timelines and press releases in hushed tones. I didn’t want to join them. I needed air, needed to remind myself that no matter what the world saw, Lily and I were not finished.I walked slowly to the balcony, the cold evening air brushing against my face. The city lights twinkled in the distance, beautiful but meaningless. I thought about Lily

MASON:The moment the press release hit the news, chaos erupted. Notifications pinged endlessly on my phone. Every headline screamed the same story: Mason Denver rekindles romance with Nicole Grant amidst leaked private video controversy.I felt my chest tighten. Every message, every comment, every share was a reminder of the lie we were being forced to live.My office was filled with the hum of phones, the quiet chatter of assistants, and the heavy presence of Dylan pacing back and forth. Mildred stood near the window, arms crossed, her expression sharp.Lily sat quietly at the edge of the room, her hands clenched in her lap. She was pale, but her eyes were steady, focused. She refused to look at the screens, refused to let the headlines dictate her mood. I could feel her fighting to maintain her composure, and it made my blood boil even more.Nicole, naturally, seemed untouched. She leaned against the table, pen in hand, glancing casually at the chaos as if she were watching a small

MASON: The moment Lily turned away from me, something inside my chest tore. Not a crack, not a fracture. It felt like a clean rip straight through the middle. I watched her walk back toward the house, each step slow and uneven, as if her legs barely held her weight. She did not look back. Not even once. I wanted to go after her. Every part of me screamed to go after her. But my father stepped forward, placing a firm hand against my shoulder. I felt the pressure of it like a command I refused to obey. “Move,” I said quietly. “No,” Dylan replied. “Let her breathe.” I stared at him, my jaw tight. “You do not get to talk to me about breathing when you are suffocating her.” “She is doing what is necessary,” he said. “She is protecting you.” I jerked out of his grip. “This is not protection. This is sacrifice. And she only feels like she has to sacrifice herself because of you.” His expression tightened, but he said nothing. Mildred remained near the patio table, watching calmly,

MASON: The moment Lily turned away from me, something inside my chest tore. Not a crack, not a fracture. It felt like a clean rip straight through the middle. I watched her walk back toward the house, each step slow and uneven, as if her legs barely held her weight. She did not look back. Not even once. I wanted to go after her. Every part of me screamed to go after her. But my father stepped forward, placing a firm hand against my shoulder. I felt the pressure of it like a command I refused to obey. “Move,” I said quietly. “No,” Dylan replied. “Let her breathe.” I stared at him, my jaw tight. “You do not get to talk to me about breathing when you are suffocating her.” “She is doing what is necessary,” he said. “She is protecting you.” I jerked out of his grip. “This is not protection. This is sacrifice. And she only feels like she has to sacrifice herself because of you.” His expression tightened, but he said nothing. Mildred remained near the patio table, watching calmly,