The stepbrother I ran from is my new professor. のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 41 - チャプター 50

Chapter Forty-Two— pregnancy ★Maliya's POV★I hung up and stumbled back toward the dance floor.Another drink. I needed another drink to make the spinning stop. Or make it spin faster. Either way worked.A guy materialized next to me. Tall. Dark hair. Nice shoulders. I pressed against him without thinking, letting the music move through both of us."You okay?" he shouted over the bass."I'm perfect," I lied, my hands sliding up his chest. "You're pretty. Did I tell you that already?""Yeah, like three times.""Well, it's still true."He laughed and spun me around, pulling my back against his chest. His hands settled on my hips and I let them, closing my eyes against the flashing lights.This was better. Bodies and music and not thinking. Not feeling.Not remembering.But my mind wouldn't cooperate.My hand drifted to my stomach, pressing against the fabric of my dress. Against the scar hidden beneath.The scar no one knew about.The scar that marked the biggest mistake I'd ever made.

Chapter Forty-Three— little liar ☆Micaiah's POV☆ Rain started falling the moment I left the club. Fat drops that turned into a downpour within seconds, drenching everything. The kind of sudden Arizona storm that came out of nowhere and flooded the streets. Perfect. Absolutely fucking perfect. I stood in the alley behind Neon, water streaming down my face, and dialed Mali's number again. It rang. And rang. And rang. Voicemail. "Mali, answer your goddamn phone. I'm not playing games. I know you're upset but you're drunk and alone and—" I stopped myself before I said something I'd regret. "Just call me back. Please." I hung up and immediately tried again. Straight to voicemail this time. She'd turned off her phone. Or blocked me. Either way, she was out here somewhere in the rain, wasted and vulnerable and probably hating me. And she thought I was the loser. She'd called Daemon. Asked him for help instead of me. The jealousy burned hotter than it should have.

Chapter Forty-Five— bookstore ★Maliya's POV★ I woke up to seventeen missed calls and a headache that felt like someone was splitting my skull open with an axe. The sunlight streaming through my window was too bright. Everything was too bright. Too loud. Too much. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand, squinting at the screen. Twelve calls from Micaiah. Three from Stephanie. Two from a number I didn't recognize. And a text from Mom. Mom: How are you, sweetheart? Haven't heard from you in a few days. I stared at the message for a long moment before typing a response. Me: I'm fine. The lie was automatic. Easy. I'd been telling it so long it felt more real than the truth. Mom: Are you eating properly? Getting enough sleep? Me: Yes, Mom. Mom: And things with Micaiah? You two are getting along? My stomach turned. The nausea from last night's drinking mixed with something darker. Heavier. Me: Everything's fine. Mom: You'd tell me if something was wrong, would

Chapter Forty-Seven— losing Mali ☆Micaiah's POV☆ I didn't go to campus. For the second time in a week, I canceled my classes and sent an email to the department head citing personal matters. Professor Chen would cover my lectures. The students would survive. Right now, I had bigger problems. Mali wasn't speaking to me. Actively avoiding me. Looking through me like I was glass. And Daemon was circling closer every day, tightening the noose while I scrambled to keep everything from falling apart. So instead of teaching ethics to students who didn't care, I drove to Hayes Development Group headquarters in Scottsdale. The building was glass and steel, Richard's monument to success. Twenty stories of legitimate business built on the foundation of what my family used to be before it all burned down. I took the private elevator to the top floor where the executive offices were. My office—the one Richard had given me when I'd joined the company two years ago—was at the end o

Chapter Forty-Nine— movie ★Maliya's POV★ The next two days passed faster than I expected. Work at Desert Bloom became my refuge. The quietness of the bookstore, the smell of paper and coffee, helping customers find their next obsession—it all felt right in a way nothing else had in weeks. Edward was a good boss. Gave me space but was always available when I had questions. Didn't hover or micromanage. And the books. God, the books. I'd already used my employee discount twice. Once on a new romantasy release that had been all over BookTok. Once on a dark mafia romance that promised morally gray antiheroes and enemies-to-lovers tension. The irony wasn't lost on me. Tuesday night, I actually slept through the night for the first time in weeks. No nightmares. No waking up at three a.m. with anxiety clawing at my chest. Progress. Small, fragile progress, but progress nonetheless. Wednesday morning, I woke up almost... not happy, but lighter. Like the weight in my chest