All Chapters of MY STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION : His touch, my sin: Chapter 11 - Chapter 18

Yubi“Who is this little angle?” Michael asks again, his eyes fixed on the baby carrier I’m gripping way too tightly. His voice isn’t angry. Just stunned. Confused. Trying to understand.I swallow. My throat is dry. Chanel whimpers softly as if she feels the tension seeping out of my pores.“This is Chanel,” I say, clearing my throat. “She is my daughter”Michael’s brows lift, his face is still expressionless, shocked even, he doesn’t ask questions, Instead he takes two slow steps toward me as if he’s scared any sudden movement might scare me away.“Your daughter?” he repeats in a low breath trying to take a peak at chanelI nod once. He studies my face like he is trying to compare me to the girl who left a year ago, then shifts his eyes to the tiny moving bundle in the carrier.“Come on,” he says quietly. “Let’s get you both inside.”He gestures toward the door, and I follow him on autopilot. My legs feel numb. My heartbeat is too loud. The police officers are still scattered outside

YubiI decide to ignore him, I know all trey wants to do is get under my skin but I will not let him, so I just ignore him. "Did you tell her?" he asks Michael, before he sits down. But the way Michael looks at him I can tell whatever he is asking about he had not told me yet. "Told me what?" I ask confused. "Nothing." Trey jumps in quickly. But I know him too well, he is fidgeting. "What's going on, what are you not telling me?" The silence after my question stretches too long, so long it becomes its own answer.I feel the panic rise slowly, like cold water filling my lungs. I look between Trey and Michael, hoping one of them will speak up, hoping someone will tell me what's really going on.They don’t, instead, they exchange a knowing almost fearful look.A look that confirms everything inside me is right, something is definitely wrong, something bad, something they don’t want me to know, they know more about my mom's disappearance.“Guys,” I whisper again, my voice cracking. “W

YubiI could feel my pulse hammering in my ears the moment his words well, his presence hit me. Trey. Standing there his hands in his pockets, his arms crossed, he is leaning in my old doorway, just like he used to, staring at my daughter like she was some impossible puzzle piece he was trying to figure out. Something snapped inside me, some fragile cord that had been tied too tightly for a year.“Stop standing there,” I said under my breath, barely loud enough for him to hear, and immediately regretted the sharpness. But I didn’t care. Not anymore.He blinked, just once, and his eyes flicked toward me. That slow, unreadable stare that always made my skin crawl and my stomach do flips. I swallowed, my hands tightening around Chanel’s little blanket on the bed.Then, before I could talk myself out of it, I acted, I immediately got up and walked to him, I grabbed his arm firmly, tugging him towards me, careful not to wake up the baby. I slowly closed the bedroom door behind us, making

YubiChanel is asleep finally, her tiny chest rising and falling in a soft, steady rhythm that I must have watched for ten full minutes before convincing myself she was really down for the night.The police officers had left not long ago. Now the house feels thick, airless, like it’s a swallowing sound.I go down the stairs barefoot, rubbing my hands together for warmth. Maybe it’s exhaustion, maybe it’s the house, or maybe it’s the tension all over this house, but I haven't really eaten anything all day, I needed to eat something. I make it into the kitchen, the house is quiet which is good meaning everyone is asleep. I pull out a plate to serve myself some food. I’m scraping lasagna onto my plate when I hear footsteps approaching light, quick ones. Then Kiari appears from around the corner.I don’t know what I expected. Maybe anger. Maybe cold shoulders. But I definitely did not expect her face to break into the warmest, brightest smile I have ever seen her wear in my presence.“