บททั้งหมดของ The stepbrother I ran away from is my new professor.: บทที่ 61 - บทที่ 70

Chapter Fifty-Seven— alone again. ★Maliya's POV★I woke up alone again.The sheets next to me were cold. Micaiah had been gone for a while.I checked my phone. Seven a.m. A text from him waited.Micaiah: Had to go into the office early. There's coffee downstairs. I'll pick you up from work tonight.Short. Efficient. But at least he'd texted this time.Progress, I supposed.I dragged myself out of bed and into the shower, trying not to overthink the fact that we'd spent an entire day and night together and now he was gone again.He'd promised two weeks. Promised answers. I had to trust that.Even if trust felt like standing on the edge of a cliff hoping someone would catch me.My phone rang while I was getting dressed. Mom's name flashed across the screen.Perfect timing."Hi, Mom.""Maliya! Finally. I've been trying to reach you for days." Her voice was bright, cheerful. The sound of someone having a wonderful time. "How are things? How's school?""Fine. Everything's fine.""And Mic

Chapter Fifty-Nine— alone in the dark★Maliya's POV★I didn't sleep well.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Micaiah's face when I'd told him I might regret choosing him. The way something had cracked in his expression before the mask slammed back into place.I'd meant it to hurt. To make him understand that I was serious about needing honesty.But lying here alone in the dark, I just felt hollow.By the time my alarm went off at seven, I'd maybe gotten three hours of actual sleep. I dragged myself into the shower and stood under the hot water until it started running cold.My phone had two texts when I got out.Micaiah: I'm sorry about last night. Can we talk before class?Stephanie: Coffee before Ethics? I need to vent about something.I responded to Stephanie first: Yes. Desperately need caffeine.Then stared at Micaiah's message for a long moment before typing: I have coffee with Stephanie. We can talk later.His response came immediately: Lunch. Please. I'll pick you up at noon.

Chapter Sixty— security ☆Micaiah's POV☆"Security?"Mali crossed her arms, already defensive. I couldn't blame her.But she needed to understand. Even if I couldn't tell her why."Basic stuff. Marcus doesn't go into our rooms. He doesn't touch our things. And—" I hesitated, knowing this was going to go over badly. "I want you to keep your valuables locked up. Jewelry. Credit cards. Anything important.""You want me to lock up my things. In my own house.""In our house. And yes.""Because you think Marcus is going to steal from me.""Because I think Marcus has a history of making bad decisions when he's desperate. And job hunting in a new city with a criminal record is a desperate situation."She stared at me, her jaw tight. "This is exactly what I'm talking about. The paranoia. The control. You can't just—""Mali, please. I know it sounds extreme. But just do this for me. For two weeks. Then if I'm wrong, you can tell me I was being ridiculous and I'll apologize.""And if you're righ

Chapter Sixty-Two— be gone★Maliya's POV★I threw clothes into a bag with shaking hands.Jeans. Sweaters. Underwear. I wasn't thinking clearly, just grabbing whatever I could reach.Micaiah stood at the door, his body tense, his eyes constantly flicking between me and the hallway.Like he was expecting someone to burst through at any moment."What should I pack?" My voice sounded small. Scared. "How long are we going to be gone?""I don't know. A few days. Maybe longer." He glanced at me. "Bring your laptop. Your charger. Anything you can't replace."Anything I can't replace.The words made my stomach drop."Micaiah, you're really scaring me.""I know. I'm sorry. But we need to move fast."I grabbed my laptop, my charger, the few pieces of jewelry that actually mattered to me. The necklace from my grandmother. The bracelet Mom had given me for my eighteenth birthday.Wait."My necklace." I went to my jewelry box, frantically searching. "The star pendant. It's not here.""Mali, we don'

Chapter Sixty-Seven— your sister⚔Daemon's POV⚔"Your real name. Daemon can't be your real name."A smile tugged at my lips despite the situation. "It's Daemon. My parents had a dark sense of humor.""What about your sister? Elena was her real name?""Yes.""Tell me about her."I told her about Elena. About how she'd been the good one. The one who believed in second chances and saw the best in people.About how she'd died because I'd trusted the wrong person.And when I was done, Maliya's eyes were wet with tears again."I'm so sorry," she said. "No one should lose their sister like that.""No. They shouldn't." I reached across the table again. This time, she didn't pull away when I took her hand. "Let me help you, Maliya. Let me give you the space to figure out what you want without Hayes or anyone else influencing you.""And what do you want in return?""Nothing. Just—" I hesitated. "Just don't go back to him. Not yet. Not until you've had time to process everything without his mani