Lahat ng Kabanata ng Stepdaughter by Day, Wife by Night: Kabanata 131 - Kabanata 140

LENA When Roman said we needed to “get away for a while,” I didn’t realize he meant literally vanish off the grid. Within forty-eight hours, he’d cleared his schedule, packed up our family, and loaded us onto his private jet bound for the Maldives. No business calls. No bodyguards, except for one discreet presence in the background. Just us. Part of me wanted to argue—to demand he tell me what that mysterious phone call was really about—but the exhaustion from giving birth, nursing the twins, and managing Isabella’s nonstop curiosity had dulled the fight in me. I figured, if this was Roman’s way of protecting us, maybe I could let him play hero for just a little while. And, God, it felt good to breathe again. The island looked like something out of a dream—white sand, turquoise water that shimmered under the morning sun, palm trees swaying lazily in the breeze. The villa Roman had rented sat right above the lagoon, with glass floors where you could watch the fish glide beneath you

LENAThe hum of the jet engines was low and steady, but my heart was not. I couldn’t stop glancing at Roman beside me, his expression hardening every time he looked at his phone. I pretended to adjust the blanket over the twins, pretending I didn’t notice, pretending everything was still soft and peaceful like before. But I could feel it—something had shifted.Roman never got that look unless it was serious.When he finally slipped his phone back into his jacket pocket, I whispered, “Was that about work?”He looked at me quickly, too quickly. “Yeah. Just business.”He kissed the top of my head like he always did when he wanted to soothe me. But his hand—his hand was clenched. I felt the tension roll off him like static electricity.“Business doesn’t usually make your jaw tighten like that,” I said quietly.His lips twitched into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “You’ve been watching me too closely.”“Always,” I said softly, trying to tease him, to lighten the air between us.He ch

LENAThe message wouldn’t stop replaying in my head. That photo — Roman in the lobby of the Westbrook Hotel, timestamped just an hour before dawn — felt like a knife twisting slowly in my chest.He had told me he was handling things. That I should trust him. That everything he did was to protect me and the kids. But if that was true, why was he meeting her there?Why was he lying to me?By the time the sun came up, I had already made up my mind.I wasn’t the kind of woman who waited in silence anymore. Not after everything I’d been through. Not after all the times I had been told to sit still, to let someone else fix it.No. Not this time.I dressed quietly, choosing something simple — black jeans, a cream sweater, and my hair tied back. I slipped my phone into my bag, kissed Isabella on the forehead as she played in her room, and whispered to the nanny that I’d be out for a few hours.I told myself I wasn’t going there to start a fight. I just needed the truth.The drive to the Westb

LENA I didn’t sleep at all. Not even a minute. I kept staring at the ceiling, listening to the soft breaths of my three children across the baby monitor and the quiet, steady exhale of Roman sleeping beside me. Normally, the sound of his breathing calmed me. Tonight, it only made my stomach twist. Because after everything we had talked about—everything I confessed—I didn’t know where we stood. Or… where I stood. I kept hearing my own voice repeating the same words from yesterday. I’m scared. I’m overwhelmed. What if I’m not enough for all of this? For the twins, for Isabella, for him? And now maybe another baby? I didn’t know anymore if I had said too much or not enough. Roman had held me and reassured me, yes, but there was something unreadable in his eyes that I couldn’t shake. Like he wanted to say something but held himself back. And now here I was… wide awake, heart pounding, trying not to spiral. At some point, I must have moved because Roman’s voice broke through the

LENA The door creaked open under Roman’s hand, and for one terrifying heartbeat, I felt like my soul was hanging in the air.But the room was empty.Completely. Perfectly. Undisturbed.Except…Benjamin and Nataniel were crying so hard their little bodies shook. Their faces were red, their hands curled into tiny fists, both of them screaming like something frightened them moments before we arrived.Roman moved fast—too fast—crossing the room with long strides. He went straight to the crib, scooping both twins into his arms as if he could shield them with his entire body.I stood frozen at the doorway for a second. Not because I was afraid someone would jump out—there was no one here. No shadows in the corners. No curtains shifting. No movement.It was the feeling.The wrongness.The silent heaviness in the room that made my skin crawl.I forced myself forward, touching Benjamin’s back to soothe him. “Shh… sweetheart, Mommy’s here.”But their cries didn’t soften. If anything, they grew