All Chapters of Stepdaughter by Day, Wife by Night: Chapter 181 - Chapter 190

Lena Billy was already waiting outside when I stepped out of the restaurant.The night air felt colder than before, or maybe it was just me. My chest still felt tight, like I hadn’t fully learned how to breathe again after what Vivian did. Billy got out of the car immediately when he saw me, his expression shifting the moment he noticed my red eyes.“Hey,” he said gently. “You okay?”I nodded, even though it was a lie. “Thank you for coming.”He didn’t question it. Just opened the door for me and waited until I was seated before closing it softly. The car smelled faintly of coffee and something woody, comforting in a quiet way.He didn’t drive far. Just a few minutes later, he pulled up in front of a small bar tucked between two buildings. The sign was simple, the lights warm, nothing flashy. From the outside, it didn’t look like the kind of place where people went to get drunk and forget everything. It looked like a place people went to sit with their thoughts.“I come here sometime

I knew something was wrong the moment Vivian walked into the room with that look on her face.She didn’t say anything at first. She never did when she wanted to savor the impact. She just placed her phone on the table between us and slid it forward, her manicured finger tapping the screen once.“Look,” she said calmly.I frowned and picked it up.The photo loaded slowly, like it wanted to hurt me on purpose.Lena.Standing outside a restaurant.Her hair loose, her shoulders slumped like she was exhausted. And beside her—too close—was a man I had never seen before. His hand was hovering near her back, not touching, but close enough to imply familiarity. The angle was intimate. Deliberately so.My chest tightened.“That’s fake,” I said immediately, my voice sharp. “It has to be.”Vivian leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs. “I saw her myself, Roman. I just had dinner with her.”I snapped my eyes up. “You what?”“She was emotional,” Vivian continued casually. “Fragile, even. I was

I didn’t remember sitting down, but suddenly I was there—on the edge of Roman’s office couch, my hands clenched in my lap, my chest aching so badly it felt like I was breathing through glass.I didn’t want to leave.Not like this.Roman stood near his desk, his back half-turned to me, shoulders tense like he was bracing himself for impact. The distance between us felt wider than the room itself.“Roman,” I said, my voice breaking before I could stop it. “Please.”He didn’t answer.That silence shattered whatever control I still had.I stood up and walked toward him, my steps unsteady. “You can’t just tell me to go home and expect me to be okay with that. You left. You disappeared. You let everything fall apart, and I’m supposed to wait quietly like none of it matters?”He closed his eyes for a brief second, as if my words physically hurt him.“I didn’t leave you,” he said quietly. “I was trying to—”“To what?” I interrupted, tears spilling freely now. “Protect me? Because that’s what

When I returned to the apartment that night, I already knew I wouldn’t be alone.The lights were on.Vivian never bothered hiding when she wanted to be seen. She liked announcing her presence without saying a word, liked making it clear that this space, even now, wasn’t entirely mine.She was sitting on the sofa, legs crossed, posture elegant and composed, as if she owned the place. A glass of wine rested in her hand. She didn’t look surprised when I stepped inside.“You’re late,” she said calmly.I closed the door behind me harder than necessary. “You shouldn’t be here.”Vivian smiled, slow and knowing. “You came back anyway.”I loosened my tie, my head already pounding. “Say what you came to say. Then leave.”She tilted her head, studying me the way she always did when she thought she had the upper hand. “You look exhausted, Roman. This arrangement is taking a toll on you.”“That was never your concern,” I replied coldly.She laughed softly. “Everything about you is my concern. Espe

LENA“It only happened once.”Roman’s voice was quiet, but it felt loud in my chest, like the echo of a gunshot in an empty room.“I was drunk,” he continued, stepping closer to me. “I didn’t love her. I swear to you, Lena. Whatever Vivian and I had—it ended the moment I met you.”I stood there, unmoving, my arms wrapped around myself as if that could keep my heart from falling apart. The warmth from our earlier kiss was gone, replaced by a cold ache that settled deep in my bones.I wanted to believe him.God, I wanted to.Roman had always been convincing. Not because he manipulated me, but because when he spoke about love, about us, it always felt real. Like he meant every word with his entire soul.“I need you to understand something,” he said, his eyes red-rimmed. “I never went back to her because I wanted to. I never chose her over you.”“But you went to her,” I replied quietly.The room went silent.Roman exhaled slowly, nodding once. “Yes.”That single word shattered whatever fr