Semua Bab Stepdaughter by Day, Wife by Night: Bab 201 - Bab 210

LENAI closed the guest room door as quietly as I could.Benjamin and Nataniel were finally asleep, sprawled across the bed Ava had prepared for them, their small chests rising and falling in that steady rhythm that always calmed me. Isabella had insisted on sleeping beside them, one arm protectively draped over her brothers like she was their shield against the world. I stood there for a moment longer than necessary, watching them, memorizing the sight as if I was afraid it might disappear.They were my anchor.If it weren’t for them, I wasn’t sure I’d still be standing.When I turned around, Ava was there in the hallway, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. She didn’t ask anything. She didn’t rush me. She just opened her arms.The moment I stepped into them, everything I’d been holding back shattered.I cried into her shoulder, hard and ugly, my body shaking so badly my knees almost gave out. Ava tightened her grip on me, steady and warm, like she was physically holding m

LENAI didn’t even realize my foot was pressing harder on the gas.All I knew was that my heart was pounding too loudly in my chest, my thoughts racing faster than the road unfolding in front of me. I kept replaying that message in my head. He knows you left. Be careful. I didn’t know who sent it, didn’t know what they meant exactly, but my body reacted before my mind could catch up.Run.That was the only word echoing inside me.I wasn’t running toward anything. I was running away. Away from Roman. Away from Vivian. Away from the house that no longer felt like home and the marriage that felt like it was built on secrets layered over lies.I glanced at the rearview mirror.Isabella was leaning her head against the window, eyes half-closed, her small body swaying gently with the movement of the car. Benjamin and Nataniel were asleep, their chests rising and falling in sync. That sight grounded me for a second.Whatever happened between me and Roman, whatever twisted mess Vivian had cre

LENABy the third morning in the villa, reality finally settled in.There was no knock on the door. No familiar footsteps in the hallway. No one else to take over when the kids woke up crying, hungry, or fighting over something small and ridiculous. It was just me.Me and three little lives that depended on me entirely.I woke before the sun, my body trained by years of routine, even though everything else in my life had fallen apart. Benjamin was the first to stir, his soft whimper cutting through the quiet. I reached for him automatically, pulling him close, murmuring reassurances until his breathing slowed again. Nataniel rolled over in his sleep, one arm flung over his brother’s back. Isabella was still asleep in the next room, clutching her teddy bear tightly against her chest.I watched them for a long time.This was my responsibility now. Not shared. Not divided. Not supported by anyone else.And strangely… it didn’t scare me as much as I thought it would.The fear had already

LENAThe house slowly grew quiet after the movie ended.One by one, the children drifted off to sleep right there in the living room. Benjamin was sprawled half on a cushion, half on the rug, his mouth slightly open. Nataniel had curled against his brother’s side like it was the most natural place in the world. Isabella lay on the couch, hugging her teddy bear to her chest, her lashes resting softly against her cheeks.I stood there for a long moment, just watching them.Safe. Calm. Unaware of how fragile everything felt to me.I reached for a blanket and carefully covered them, moving slowly so I wouldn’t wake them. When I straightened, I noticed the empty pizza boxes, the scattered napkins, the half-finished cups of juice.Life, in its messiest and most honest form.“I’ll help,” Billy said quietly behind me.I turned to see him already picking up the boxes, stacking them neatly. We worked side by side without talking, cleaning up the remains of dinner. It felt oddly domestic, like s

LENAThe sun was already high when I led Isabella out to the pool.The twins were finally asleep after refusing their morning nap for almost an hour. I had watched their chests rise and fall, waited until their breathing turned deep and steady, and only then allowed myself to move away from them. Isabella, on the other hand, had been wide awake since dawn, pacing around the villa in her swimsuit like a restless fish trapped on land.“I don’t want to sleep,” she said for the third time, tugging at my hand. “I want to swim.”So here we were.The pool behind the house shimmered under the sunlight, its surface calm and inviting. It was quiet here, too quiet sometimes, but I welcomed it. Silence was easier than questions. Easier than explaining things I barely understood myself.I helped Isabella put on her floaties, tightening the straps carefully. She stood patiently, watching me with those eyes that were far too observant for a child her age.“You look sad,” she said suddenly.I paused,