All Chapters of Stepdaughter by Day, Wife by Night: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

LENAThe laughter from the garden drifted through the air, threaded with the clinking of glasses and the low hum of polite conversation. My mother had gone all out for tonight’s family gathering—caterers bustling, string lights twinkling, and guests scattered across the lawn like it was some fairytale evening. But to me, it felt like a performance, another stage where Roman and I had to play our separate roles.I stood near the buffet table, my plate forgotten, my eyes trailing across the yard until they inevitably found him. Roman, tall and controlled, with a glass of whiskey in his hand. He was surrounded by a small group of my mother’s friends, nodding politely, but every few seconds, his gaze flicked to me. It was a thread between us, taut and undeniable, no matter how hard we tried to hide it.My stomach twisted with heat, a reckless ache curling low. It had been days since we’d had more than a few stolen moments. Nights of longing glances and lingering touches that never went far

LENAI should have known it wouldn’t stay hidden forever. Secrets like mine and Roman’s don’t dissolve into the dark. They rot, they fester, they grow until someone drags them into the light.That someone was my mother.The first time I realized she knew, it was in her smile. Not the soft, maternal one I grew up with, but a sharp curve that sliced right through me like glass. She didn’t need to speak; her eyes told me everything. They pinned me in place across the dinner table, flicking between me and Roman with a cruel sort of amusement.I felt the blood drain from my face, but I forced myself to eat, to pretend, to play along like nothing was wrong.But the charade didn’t last long.After that night, she was everywhere. Standing in the hallway when I came out of Roman’s room, as if she’d been waiting. Sitting on the patio when I crossed the garden, her gaze trailing me until my skin prickled. Lingering outside the guesthouse, claiming she was “just checking the roses.”She wasn’t ch

LENAI hadn’t meant for it to happen. God, it was the last thing I wanted anyone—especially her—to see.The morning had started quietly, a rare pocket of peace. Roman was in the kitchen of the guesthouse, sleeves rolled up, trying to make pancakes. I leaned against the counter, fighting laughter as he swore under his breath at the misshapen circles sizzling in the pan.“You’re supposed to flip them, not destroy them,” I teased, holding back a grin.He shot me a glare over his shoulder, but the corner of his mouth twitched upward. “You’re free to take over, if you think you can do better.”I shook my head, hugging my belly like it was a shield. “The baby and I vote you stick to boardrooms, not kitchens.”That earned me a laugh. A deep, rumbling one that sent a rush of warmth through me. It felt too normal, too domestic, like we were something we weren’t supposed to be. Husband and wife. A family already.He came closer, spatula still in hand, mock-threatening to dab batter on my nose.

LENAThe moment I stepped into his study, I knew I’d made a mistake.The room was dim, lit only by the low glow of a lamp on his desk. Roman stood there, tall and broad, his shoulders tense like he’d been pacing for hours. He turned as I closed the door behind me, and the look in his eyes made my breath catch.Dark. Wild. Possessive.“Lena,” he said, my name rough in his mouth, like he’d been biting it down all day.I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to mask the tremble in my hands. “I shouldn’t be here.”“You shouldn’t,” he agreed, stepping closer. “But you are.”My back hit the wall before I realized I’d even moved. My pulse was a drumbeat in my throat, echoing louder with every step he took toward me.“I told you,” I said, voice thin, “we can’t do this. Not after she—”“She saw,” he cut in sharply. “And you lied. You stood there and denied me like I was nothing.” His jaw flexed, his voice droppi

LENAIt was supposed to be simple.I told myself I wouldn’t go. That I would stay in my room, bury myself under blankets, and wait until my mother’s fury burned itself out. I told myself I wouldn’t risk it again. Not after she’d seen the messages. Not after the way she’d looked at me, like I was the lowest creature alive.But Roman had a way of breaking down every wall I tried to build.By evening, when my phone buzzed with his name on the screen, my resolve cracked like glass.Come to me.Three words. That was all it took.I should’ve ignored it. I should’ve thrown my phone in the drawer and locked it away. But my body moved before my brain could stop it, carrying me across the main house and down the long corridor to his suite.I slipped inside, shutting the door quietly behind me, my pulse pounding in my ears.He was waiting, leaning against the desk with his shirt half unbuttoned, his eyes dark as they swept over me.“You came,” he said, like he’d never doubted for a second that I