SEVEN NIGHTS WITH MY STEPFATHER のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 211 - チャプター 220

IVYI stood at the edge of the lake, the water lapping gently at my shoes. The sun was low in the sky, painting everything in soft orange and gold. It should have been peaceful. The air was cool, the birds were calling from the trees, and the house behind me looked warm and inviting. But I felt anything but peaceful. My mind was a storm of half-remembered things that wouldn’t leave me alone. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to push the thoughts away, but they kept coming back.Then it hit me.A flash of memory, sharp and sudden, like a knife in my head. I gasped and pressed my hand to my temple. The world tilted. For a second, I wasn’t here anymore. I was somewhere else — the same lake house, but it was covered in snow. Everything was white and cold. I saw myself naked, standing in front of a big window, the snow falling outside. My body was bare, skin prickling from the chill in the air. Cassian’s voice came through the memory, low and commanding.“Turn a little to the left, I

IVYI closed the door to my room and leaned against it for a moment, the wood cool against my back. My heart was still racing from everything that had happened today. The flashes at the lake, the way my head had hurt, the confusion that wouldn’t leave me alone. I walked slowly to the window and stood there, looking out at the dark garden. The lake was a black mirror under the moonlight, reflecting the stars like it was keeping secrets of its own. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold in the storm of feelings that kept rising. I knew Cassian was hiding something. I could feel it in the way he avoided my questions, in the way his eyes got tense when I asked about my past. But I also knew I wouldn’t get any real explanation without him. He was the only person who could help me remember the forgotten parts of my life. He was my only bridge to the person I used to be.The thought made my chest feel tight. I wanted to trust him. I really did. He had been there every day, holding

IVYI lay on the bed pretending to rest, but sleep would not come. My mind was too loud, too full of questions that refused to settle. The big room felt smaller with every passing minute. Everett’s words from the stables kept circling in my head like smoke I couldn’t clear. “You better be careful with him.” The way he had said it, so quiet and serious, made my stomach twist. I tried to push the thought away, but it only grew stronger.Then I heard voices in the hallway — low, tense, and sharp. One was Cassian’s. The other was Everett’s. My heart jumped. Something in their tones told me this was not a normal talk. I sat up slowly, careful not to make the bed creak. I slipped my feet to the floor and moved toward the slightly open door, my bare feet silent on the cool wood. I didn’t plan to listen. But my body moved anyway, pulled by the need to know what they were hiding from me.I stopped just inside the doorway, hidden in the shadow, and held my breath.Everett spoke first, his voice

IVYThe silence after I told Cassian I needed space felt suffocating. He stood frozen in the middle of the room, his eyes wide with a raw fear that made my stomach twist. The man who had been my steady anchor — the one who held my hand through every dizzy spell and kissed my forehead like I was the only thing keeping him grounded — now looked like he was watching his entire world slip away. My own heart was cracking in two. One part still ached for the safety of his arms, for the way his touch made everything feel less scary. The other part was finally waking up, demanding answers I couldn’t keep ignoring.I had just confronted him about the conversation I overheard — the desperate talk about “the video,” the deal with Everett, the plan to take me far away so no one could find us. The words had poured out of me in a rush of hurt and confusion. Now Cassian’s face was pale, his hands trembling at his sides as he tried to find the right thing to say.“Ivy… please,” he whispered, his voi

IVYI lay in bed staring at the ceiling, the quiet of the room pressing down on me like a heavy blanket. The space I had asked for from Cassian felt too big now, too empty. My body missed him more than my mind wanted to admit. I kept thinking about the way his arms felt around me, the warmth of his chest against my back, the gentle way he would kiss my forehead before sleep. Yesterday I had pushed him away because I was confused and hurt, but tonight the loneliness felt heavier than the questions in my head. I missed his touch. I missed the way he made me feel wanted, the way my body responded so easily to him.I got out of bed and walked quietly down the hallway to the room where he was sleeping. The door was slightly open. I pushed it gently and stepped inside. Cassian was lying on his back, one arm behind his head, his chest rising and falling in slow, steady breaths. He looked peaceful, but I could see the worry still lingering on his face even in sleep. My heart softened. I had h