All Chapters of SEVEN NIGHTS WITH MY STEPFATHER: Chapter 231 - Chapter 240

NOAHSteam still clung to the bathroom mirror as I stepped out of the shower, a towel wrapped low around my waist. Water dripped from my hair onto my shoulders, but I barely noticed.My mind was somewhere else — across the lake, in that quiet house where Ivy was waiting. I had just dried off when my phone buzzed on the counter. The screen lit up with an unknown number. I grabbed it fast, water still sliding down my back.I answered on the second ring.“Hello?”“Glad you picked up,” the voice on the other end said smoothly. “Have you arrived? Did you meet Ivy yet?”I walked into the small bedroom, the cool air raising goosebumps on my damp skin. I sat on the edge of the bed, phone pressed tight to my ear. “Yeah, I’m here. I saw her. She’s… she doesn’t remember much. It’s complicated. But she’s safe. For now.”Everett let out a low chuckle. “Good. That’s good. Listen, Noah, I’m going to make sure you get her back. I’ll help you two be together again. But I know you want the same thing

IVY The cool morning air on the dock suddenly felt colder. I sat there with my feet still dipped in the lake, staring at Cassian as his words settled over me like heavy stones. He had just told me a story that didn’t feel right at all. According to him, Noah had shown up in Hawaii while we were happy together — taking pictures on the beach, laughing, enjoying our time. Noah had provoked me, said terrible things about Cassian, and somehow I had believed him. Cassian claimed he didn’t even know who Noah was back then. The whole story sounded forced, like pieces that didn’t quite fit together. I pulled my feet out of the water and turned to face him fully. My heart was beating faster now, a mix of confusion and frustration rising in my chest. “I don’t believe that,” I said quietly. “Noah doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would do something like that. From what I remember in my flashes… he felt kind. Safe. Not someone who would try to hurt us on purpose.” Cassian’s face tighte

IVYThe sound of a car engine pulling away woke me up. I opened my eyes slowly, my body stiff and sore. I was still on the floor behind my bedroom door, curled up like I had fallen asleep crying. The room was dark, and the house felt too quiet.I rubbed my eyes and stood up, my legs shaky from sitting there so long. My head felt heavy, but the pain from earlier had faded into a dull ache.I unlocked the door and stepped out. The hallway was empty. I walked downstairs, calling softly, “Cassian?” No answer. I checked the kitchen, the living room, even the small balcony. Nothing. His jacket wasn’t on the hook by the door. I opened the front door and looked outside.His car was gone. The empty spot in the driveway looked cold under the moonlight. He had left late at night, without saying anything. My chest tightened. I didn’t know if he was angry, hurt, or just giving me space. Either way, the house felt bigger and lonelier without him.I went back upstairs to my room. My phone was still

IVYThe walk back from the lake felt longer than it should have. My legs were tired, my mind even more so. The cool night air brushed against my skin, but it did nothing to calm the storm inside my chest.Every step closer to the house brought back the memory of Cassian’s desperate voice through the door, his broken apologies, and that painful flash of my mother’s warning. I didn’t know how to face him. I didn’t even know how to face myself.When I pushed open the front door, the house was lit up but quiet. Too quiet. Then I heard footsteps rushing down the stairs. Cassian appeared in the hallway, his face pale and panicked. His hair was messy, like he had been running his hands through it for hours. The moment he saw me, relief washed over his face, but it was mixed with something sharper — fear.“Ivy!” He crossed the distance in seconds and pulled me into a tight hug. His arms wrapped around me so hard I could barely breathe. “Where have you been? Why didn’t you tell me? I thought I

CASSIANIt was 3:00 a.m., and sleep was nowhere in sight. I paced back and forth in my room like a caged animal, the wooden floor creaking under my feet with every step. The house was completely quiet except for the distant sound of the lake water outside. But inside my head, everything was loud. Ivy’s sudden coldness, the way she had looked at me earlier with tears in her eyes, the way she had locked herself away — none of it felt right. Something had changed in her. I could feel it in my bones. She had been warming up to me, trusting me, letting me hold her. And now, overnight, it was like a wall had gone up between us.I stopped by the window and stared out at the dark lake. My hands clenched into fists. Then I remembered it — that small moment in the evening when she had smiled at her phone. Just a quick, secret little smile before she noticed me watching. At the time I let it go, but now it burned in my mind. Who was she talking to? Why did she hide the phone so fast?I couldn’t