Todos os capítulos de Stepdaughter by Day, Wife by Night: Capítulo 261 - Capítulo 265

LENAThe first morning at the beach house, I woke up before the kids.For a few seconds, I didn’t remember where I was.The ceiling was different. The air smelled faintly of salt and wood instead of the clean, polished scent of the villa. The sound that replaced distant traffic was softer, rhythmic.Waves.I lay still, listening.I had been so worried before coming here. Worried that I was being reckless. That I was dragging my children into uncertainty just because I couldn’t sort out my own heart. I kept imagining things going wrong—the house not being safe, the neighborhood being unfriendly, the kids feeling lonely or confused.But as I walked into their small shared bedroom and saw them tangled together in sleep, faces peaceful, I felt something loosen inside my chest.Maybe this wasn’t a mistake.When they woke up and realized we were actually at the beach, the house filled with laughter so quickly it almost felt unreal.“Mommy! I can hear it!” Isabella shouted, pressing her ear

I stepped out of Billy’s hospital room feeling like my heart had been carefully opened and rearranged. His words were still echoing in my mind. You don’t erase Roman to love me. And you don’t erase me to love him. You just decide where you belong. I wasn’t sure if that comforted me or terrified me more. I walked slowly down the hallway toward the cafeteria, where Ava had taken the kids. I could already imagine Isabella asking too many questions, Nathaniel pretending to be brave, Benjamin clinging to Ava’s hand. I turned the corner. And stopped. There he was. Roman. Standing a few feet away from me like he had been there all along. For a second, I forgot how to breathe. He looked different. Not physically—he was still perfectly put together, dark coat, steady posture—but there was something softer in his expression. Less guarded. Less certain. “What are you doing here?” I asked before I could stop myself. He didn’t answer right away. He just looked at me like he was confir

LENAI didn’t plan to stay the night.I told myself I would check on Billy, make sure he was stable, then go with the kids. That was the logical thing to do. The responsible thing.But logic hasn’t exactly been steering my life lately.Ava offered to take the children back to her place. She said it gently, like she knew I was being pulled in too many directions at once.“I can handle them,” she insisted. “They’ll be fine with me.”Before I could answer, Roman stepped in.“I’ll take them,” he said calmly.Ava looked at him, surprised. I looked at him too.“It’s late,” he added. “They’re exhausted. Let them sleep somewhere familiar.”Familiar.The word hung between us.The children were already leaning toward him without realizing it. Isabella had slipped her hand into his. Nathaniel was standing closer to him than to me. Benjamin was staring up at Roman with that quiet curiosity he always had.I saw it clearly in that moment.They missed him.Not in a dramatic way. Not in tears.Just i