Todos os capítulos de Bound by Sin: My Stepbrother’s Obsession: Capítulo 41 - Capítulo 50

AndreI walked down the hallway toward my mother’s room, the familiar hum of the hospital lights overhead doing nothing to calm the storm in my chest. I should have been happy. Rosa had called me herself, told me Sage was back home after months away. She was back in the city, and I could finally, finally see her. I should have been relieved. I should have been excited.But my stomach twisted as I rounded the corner. The closer I got, the tighter my chest felt. My fingers curled around the strap of my bag, like I could grasp something solid and anchor myself before I faced her.Room 412.Even the number felt loaded. I had memorized it the day she disappeared, had envisioned every scenario in my mind. My heart had raced then, too. I had imagined anger, rejection, maybe even tears. But nothing could have prepared me for the weight of seeing her again alive, here, inches away and not knowing how she would react.I reached the door and paused, my hand hovering over the handle. Part of me

Sage. "I think mom's tests are going to take a while I came here straight from the airport, I will go home refresh and come back later." I say after I finish my call with Maya"Okay, I need to pick up some stuff for her too, so let me drive you home." "No, I will just Uber, you don't have to" I try to get myself out of riding in the same car as him but he does not let me. The ride home is quiet in a way that feels deliberate.Not comfortable quiet. Not peaceful quiet.The kind that presses against your ears and makes every breath feel too loud.Andre keeps his eyes on the road, hands steady on the steering wheel, posture rigid like he’s holding himself together by force alone. The dashboard lights cast a soft glow across his face, highlighting the tension in his jaw, the slight furrow between his brows.I sit with my hands folded in my lap, staring out the window, watching the city blur past. Streetlights streak into lines of gold and white, buildings dissolving into shadows. Ever

MayaI leave Sage exactly where she is, curled up into the armchair, Theo nestled against her chest, that familiar soft look on her face that only appears when she’s feeding him.She doesn’t notice me slip out, and I’m grateful for it, I need some air.The Wolfe house feels heavy. Beautiful, yes. Massive, polished, expensive in a way that whispers old money and quiet power. But it presses in on you, full of history that isn’t yours, secrets embedded into the walls like they were part of the foundation.I pad down the hallway and out through the back doors, letting the evening breeze wash over me like a reset button.The backyard opens up wide, manicured hedges lining the perimeter, lights tucked discreetly into the landscaping. The pool sits at the center like a mirror, impossibly blue, catching the last streaks of the setting sun. Gold melts into orange, then into deeper shades that ripple across the water. It’s stunning.I wander without a real plan, tracing the stone path barefoo

AndreThe water drips off me in steady rivulets as I cross the patio and step into the house, my bare feet leaving dark prints on the polished floor. I don’t bother drying off first. I barely feel the cold anymore. My mind is still caught on that sound, that unmistakable cry threaded through with the image of Maya’s smile and Sage’s face when she thinks no one is watching her.A baby.It makes no sense. No one here has a baby. No one is supposed to.That’s what I tell myself as I walk through the sliding doors and into the kitchen, my shoulders tense, my pulse still elevated from the swim. I’m prepared to start opening doors if I have to. Guest rooms. Bathrooms. Anywhere a secret could hide.Instead, I run straight into her.Sage stands by the fridge, the light inside casting a soft glow over her face as she reaches for a can of soda. She is changed since earlier, comfortable clothes now, hair pulled back loosely, her posture relaxed in a way that feels intimate, unguarded. Like this

SageThe front door closes with a sound that feels louder than it should. Not a slam, not aggressive, just final.I stand at the top of the stairs, my hand resting on the banister, listening as Andre’s voice fades down the hall, as Maya laughs bright, careless, unburdened. I hear the patio door slide open. Then footsteps. Then nothing.Silence settles into the house like dust.The kind of silence that presses against your ears until your own thoughts start to scream.I don’t realize I’m holding my breath until I let it out in one long, shaky exhale. My chest aches in that dull, familiar way like something bruised from the inside. I turn slowly and walk back into my room, closing the door behind me as softly as I can, as if noise itself might betray me.Theo chooses that exact moment to start crying. It starts small, a soft whimper, the kind that curls around my heart and tugs hard. I rush to the bassinet beside my bed, scooping him up before the sound can grow. His little face is sc