Semua Bab Bound by Sin: My Stepbrother’s Obsession: Bab 71 - Bab 80

SageThe car hums beneath us as Andre pulls out of the hospital parking lot, the city lights blurring past the windshield. The night is calm now, deceptively so, like nothing heavy has happened at all. Like my heart didn’t just spend the last hour cracking open and stitching itself back together in the same breath.Andre keeps both hands on the wheel, posture rigid but not tense. Just contained. The kind of stillness that comes after an emotional storm, when you are too tired to fight anymore.“You know,” he says after a while, breaking the silence, “you scared me shitless, Sage.”I turn my head slightly, surprised by the softness in his voice, not angry,not accusatory, Just honest.“I thought something bad had happened to you.”Guilt settles in my chest, warm and heavy.“I’m sorry,” I say quietly. “I know.”He exhales through his nose, like he is letting go of something. “How did you even know I wasn’t home yet?” I ask, trying to lighten the moment, even though my chest still aches

Sage. I don’t remember unlocking the door, I don't even remember walking back to the house, all I could think of were the words he had said to me. "I see her, I see Ella." Home should feel like relief, Tonight, it feels like a prison, all I wanted to do was crawl to my bed and cry myself to sleep. I open the door slowly, careful not wake anyone up, most certainly not Theo. Maya is on the couch texting someone who I assume is Alex, her new interest.She looks up the second she hears the door, her expression shifting immediately when she sees my face.“Oh,” she says softly. “Hey.”I manage a nod, but my throat is tight. I walk into the living room, and put my bag down. Maya watches me the whole time.I don’t sit right away. I pace once. Twice. My fingers twist together, then pull apart, then twist again. I can feel it all pressing up inside me, crowding my ribs, demanding space.“What’s wrong?” she asks quietly.Normally, I would brush it off. Say I’m tired. Say it was a long day.

Andre. The sterile scent of the clinic hits me the moment we step inside, mingling with that faint perfume Sage wear something soft, powdery, comforting, but it does nothing to settle the storm churning in my chest.Theo squirms in Sage’s arms, his tiny fingers brushing against her blouse as if testing the world outside her safe embrace.I follow her closely, watching every step, every careful movement. I want to memorize it, control it, even as my mind refuses to stay focused on anything but one question: how did Ella know?The doctor’s office is a small, glass paneled room. Clean. Efficient. Normal. Too normal, almost. Sage perches on the chair, Theo on her lap, chattering softly to him, trying to distract herself from the waiting room tension I can feel pressing in on us both.I clear my throat, and the doctor looks up. A polite smile. The kind meant to reassure parents, to make them think everything is routine. “Hello, Mr. Andre. Ms. Sage. What brings you in today?” the nurse say

MayaI am not nervous.That’s the first lie I tell myself as I smooth my hands over my dress for the third time and glance around the hotel lobby like I’m waiting for someone important.I am waiting for someone important, just not in the way Alex thinks.Alex sits across from me, relaxed, one arm slung over the back of his chair, the picture of a man on a casual date. He looks good tonight too good, honestly. Clean lines, easy smile, that familiar confidence that makes people trust him without trying.Andre’s best friend, the man who I had no idea I needed. We just met a few weeks ago yet it feels like I have known him my whole life. Which is exactly why my stomach feels like it’s tied in knots.“So,” Alex says, lifting his glass. “You still haven’t told me why you insisted on this place, you can't tell me it's because of the views.”I force a smile and take a sip of my drink. “I like the ambiance.”He snorts. “You mean the overpriced cocktails and the awkward jazz music and the sec

Maya. I know something is wrong the moment I step inside the house.Not because anything looks different, everything is exactly the same, too quiet, too still but because Sage looks at me like she can feel the weight sitting on my chest.She’s on the couch, her legs tucked beneath her, Theo asleep against her shoulder. The lamp beside her casts a soft glow over his tiny face, his lashes resting too peacefully against his cheeks. Sage looks exhausted, dark circles under her eyes, hair pulled into a loose knot like she hasn’t had the energy to care. She’s watching me. I stop just inside the doorway, my bag sliding off my shoulder as my heartbeat begins to thud louder in my ears. I feel like I’m standing on the edge of a cliff, knowing one wrong step will send everything crashing down.“What?” Sage says getting up to get the remote from the table.Her voice is calm, but there’s an edge to it. Suspicion.“You are staring at me,” she adds. “You are looking at me weird.”I blink, forci