Stepdaughter by Day, Wife by Night のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 241 - チャプター 250

LENAWatching the car disappear past the gate felt harder than I expected.I stood there longer than necessary, my arms wrapped around myself, as if I could still feel Isabella’s last hug, Benjamin’s sleepy wave, Nataniel’s excited shout about the beach. Ava had promised to call as soon as they arrived, promised she’d take care of everything, promised I should rest. I nodded, smiled, waved like a mother who had it all together.The moment the gate slid shut, something inside me collapsed.The house felt wrong immediately. Too quiet. Too still. No footsteps running across the floor. No cartoons playing in the background. No small voices asking for snacks or attention or hugs.I walked inside slowly, closing the door behind me, and for the first time in years, there was no one waiting for me.I stood in the living room, looking at the sofa where the kids usually piled up together, at the rug where toys were always scattered no matter how often I cleaned, at the window where Isabella lik

LENAI didn’t even know why I said it.The words had slipped out of me like a confession I hadn’t rehearsed, like my heart had finally grown tired of carrying everything alone and decided to drop its weight onto the nearest pair of hands. When I whispered, “Help me forget him,” I wasn’t trying to be dramatic. I wasn’t trying to trap Billy into anything.I was just… exhausted.Exhausted from loving someone who kept breaking me without intending to. Exhausted from waking up every day with memories that refused to fade, no matter how hard I tried to bury them under routines, smiles, and the responsibility of being a mother. Exhausted from pretending that I was strong all the time.Billy stayed very still after I said it.His forehead was still pressed against mine, our breaths tangled, but I felt something shift in his body. Not rejection—something deeper. Caution. Thoughtfulness. Restraint.I opened my eyes slowly and met his gaze. His eyes weren’t cold. They were warm, gentle… but seri

Roman's POVThe city lights blurred past the window, streaks of gold and white melting into one another, but my eyes weren’t really seeing any of it.I was staring at my phone.More precisely, at the wallpaper on my phone.Lena was in the center of the photo, her smile soft and unguarded, the kind she only ever wore when she forgot the world existed. Isabella stood beside her, missing two teeth and grinning proudly. The twins were in front, one laughing, the other mid-complaint about something I couldn’t remember anymore.I remembered the day that photo was taken.I had complained about the lighting. Lena had rolled her eyes and told me to stop acting like a perfectionist. She said memories didn’t need to be perfect, they just needed to be real.Now the photo felt like a punishment.My chest tightened as I locked the phone, then unlocked it again a second later, as if maybe if I stared long enough, they would step out of the screen and come back to me.I missed them so much it physica

LENAAfter lunch, the house felt lighter.The kind of light that comes after full bellies and soft laughter, when crumbs are wiped away and the children start begging for something fun to do. Isabella was the first to suggest swimming, already halfway to the stairs before I could even answer. The twins followed her like loyal shadows, chanting the word “pool” over and over until it echoed in the hallway.Billy laughed, shaking his head. “Looks like we don’t have a choice.”I smiled, but my chest felt tight in a way I couldn’t explain.We changed quickly. The kids were already outside by the time I stepped out, the sun warm against my skin, the sky clear and blue like it was mocking the storm inside my heart. The pool water shimmered, inviting and calm, hiding its depth beneath reflections of light.Billy rolled up his pants and glanced at me. “You coming in?”I shook my head. “I’ll sit here. Someone has to watch you all.”He raised an eyebrow playfully but didn’t push. That was one of

ROMANI placed my glass of whiskey on the table harder than I intended.The sound echoed in the quiet room, sharp and final, like punctuation at the end of a sentence I didn’t want to finish reading. The amber liquid inside trembled, then settled. I stared at it for a long moment, watching my reflection distort on the surface.It should have been over.Vivian was in prison. Amelia had vanished like smoke, leaving behind nothing but unanswered questions and loose ends I no longer had the strength to chase. My name was slowly being cleaned up in the media. Contracts were returning. Investors were calling again. Everything I had lost was inching its way back to me.Everything except Lena.Everything except my children.My jaw tightened as the image returned to me without mercy—Lena stepping out of Billy’s car, the way she didn’t pull away when he kissed her, the way her arms wrapped around him as if that was where they belonged now.I drained the whiskey in one swallow, the burn doing no