All Chapters of DESPISED AND DEVOURED BY MY STEP FATHER : Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Chadwick's POV The mahogany desk felt like the only solid thing in the room. I leaned against it, my knuckles white, staring at Sarah. She looked smaller than usual, huddled in that oversized armchair, her perfect hair finally starting to fray at the edges. The silence between us wasn't just quiet it was heavy, like the air before a terminal storm. "An orphanage," I repeated. The word tasted like dust. "two months of marriage, Sarah. Almost a year of dating, and you never mentioned this to me?" Sarah flinched. She didn't look up. Her fingers were twisting a damp tissue into a shredded mess. "I had been married for ten years before I met you, Silas. Ten years of doctors, of tests, of being told my body was a failure. I was desperate. When my first husband and I saw him... he was two. He had those eyes. We wanted him." I let out a breath that was half laugh, half-growl. I crossed the room, my footsteps muffled by the thick Persian rug. I stood over her, casting a shadow that made h

Danny's POV The walk back to my dorm was a blur of cold wind and paranoia. Every black car that drove past made my heart jump into my throat. Every tall man in a suit made me want to duck into an alleyway. By the time I slammed my dorm door shut and locked all three deadbolts, I was gasping for air. I threw my bag on the floor and stared at the phone. If he was calling me this many times, something was wrong. Either he had more torture for me, or something had happened to my mum. My fingers trembled as I dialed my mother’s number. "Danny! Oh, thank goodness you called,"my mum's voice chirped through the speaker. I was just about to text you. You’re coming home for the weekend, right? The house feels so quiet without you, honey." "Is everything okay, Mom?" I asked, my voice tight. "Did... did Chadwick say anything?" "Chad? Oh, he’s been a bit distracted lately. Busy with the university boards, I suppose. He’s... well, he’s trying, Danny. He really is. He asked about you th

Danny's POV Who, Danny?" Noah’s voice was a low, dangerous rumble. He was leaning so close I could see the golden flecks in his eyes, those intense, light brown eyes."Who’s trying to buy you?"I felt a spike of pure, unadulterated panic. I forced a laugh, though it sounded like glass breaking in my throat. "Nobody, Noah. Just... a silly relative. My Great Aunt. She’s overreacting and thinks I am starving. It’s fine."I didn't wait for him to process the lie. I looked at Erica and Gabriel, who were watching us like we were a Netflix drama about to hit a season finale. "I will meet you guys at the party later, okay? I have some... things to do. Library stuff. Uhh.... don't start the party without me."I was vibrating with a mix of fury and something darker, something that felt like a magnet pulling me toward the one place I should have been running away from.The Administration building was quiet. Most of the professors had cleared out for the weekend, but I knew his car was still i

Danny's POV The bathroom air was thick, smelling of bleach and the salt of my own skin. Noah’s hands were still on me, his grip like iron, pulling me into a heat I didn't deserve. My head was spinning, half from the tequila, half from the way his mouth had just been tracing the line of my throat. "What's your deal, Connor?" Noah’s voice had dropped an octave, vibrating against my chest. He didn't let go of me, but his head snapped toward the door. "You cheated on me, remember? You threw us away for a summer in Milan with a guy who didn't even like you." Connor, the rich kid with the perfect hair and the venomous eyes didn't even flinch. He stepped further into the cramped hallway, his lip curling as he looked at my half undid shirt. "That was a mistake, Noah. A lapse. But this? This trash? You are really trading a Sinclair’s reputation for a total nobody? For Leo Adams little charity case?" The words felt like a physical slap. I felt the heat in my face drain away, replaced by a

Danny's POV The first thing I smelled wasn’t hospital bleach. It was flowers. Thick, cloying, over the top perfume that made my head throb in time with the steady beep-beep-beep of the monitor.I cracked one eye open. My vision was a jagged mess of white light and blur, but as it cleared, I realized I was in a forest. Not a real one, a botanical garden of pink lilies. They were everywhere. On the windowsill, the nightstand, stacked in vases on the floor. It looked like someone had robbed a florist and dumped the evidence in my room."Is this a funeral ground?" My voice sounded like I had swallowed a handful of gravel. It pained my throat just to vibrate. "Did I actually die just like that?"A chair scraped harshly against the floor. Chadwick was there in a second, hovering over the bed. He looked… wrecked. His expensive white shirt was wrinkled, his hair was a nest, and his eyes were bloodshot. The predator I had been terrified of in the study was gone. In his place was this twitch