Todos os capítulos de Ruin Me Stepbrother : Capítulo 11 - Capítulo 19

I woke up after a restless night. The dream about the erased name on my birth certificate would not leave me alone. Blake’s quiet words kept coming back. “Every day.” For the first time I wondered if he was trapped by these secrets instead of willingly protecting them. Breakfast felt calmer. Victor had already left for an early meeting. Mom was busy preparing for another charity event. Blake did not come downstairs at all. I sat with Mom and tried my best to act like everything was normal. “Which dress do you like more?” Mom asked, holding up two elegant options. “The blue one,” I said. “It looks beautiful on you.” She turned so I could help zip it up. My fingers worked the zipper slowly. I almost asked her about my father right then. The question was burning inside me. But I swallowed it. Mom noticed I was distracted. “Is something bothering you, honey? You seem far away today.” “No, everything is fine,” I lied with a small smile. “Just thinking about school stuff.” She

I could not stop thinking about the moment in the gazebo. Blake gently brushing the hair from my face. The way his thumb lingered on my cheek. The way my heart had pounded so hard I thought he could hear it. I spent the whole morning avoiding him. Every time I heard footsteps I took a different hallway. Every time I saw his shadow I turned around. But the mansion was big and somehow we kept crossing paths anyway. Near the stairs. By the big windows. In the corridor leading to the kitchen. Each time our eyes met for a split second and we both looked away fast. Mrs. Carter noticed the strange tension. She found me rearranging books in the sitting room and asked quietly, “Miss Cindy, is everything alright between you and Mr. Blake? The air feels different lately. Heavier.” I forced a smile. “Everything is fine. Thank you for caring.” She nodded but I could tell she did not believe me. Later that afternoon both Victor and Mom left for separate engagements. Victor had an important m

Cindy's POV I woke up feeling anxious, the kind of anxious that sits low in the stomach and refuses to lift. The memory of Victor looking up at me on the staircase last night would not leave my mind. Had he seen something in my expression. Something I had not meant to show. Did he suspect what was happening between Blake and me.I kept hearing Blake's words too."You will not be able to hate the right person." What did he mean by that. The sentence circled in my head like a warning I could not quite understand, over and over, until it stopped sounding like words and started sounding like a threat wrapped in something gentler.I went downstairs hoping Blake had already left for the day. But Victor was sitting on the terrace having breakfast alone, a newspaper folded beside his plate, the morning light catching the silver at his temples. He smiled warmly when he saw me. "Cindy, come join me. It is a beautiful morning out here."I sat down across from him, arranging my face into somethi

The charity dinner preparations were almost finished. Mom asked me to help her set the long dining table. We stood side by side placing silverware and folding napkins."You have been smiling a lot more lately," Mom said casually while arranging the plates. "Is there something or someone making you happy?"I almost dropped a fork. "No. I am just happy you are happy. That is all."She laughed softly. "All right. Keep your secrets then." We talked about growing up, about how she always wanted me to find someone who treated me well."You deserve someone steady," she said, smoothing a napkin flat. "Someone who notices you. Not someone who just tolerates you.""I know, Mom.""I mean it. After everything with your father, I promised myself I would not let you settle for less than that." She glanced at me sideways. "You would tell me, would you not? If there was someone."I changed the subject as fast as I could, asking her about the flowers for the centerpiece instead. She let it go, but I f