All Chapters of My Stepbrother's Secret Obsession : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

✦ POV: JULIAN HART ✦The three-week clock was ticking, but being inside Xavier’s bedroom, time ceased to exist.It was past midnight on Monday. The rest of the house was already in pitch darkness, the silence of the estate acting as our shield. Outside, a gentle summer rain drummed against the glass, casting flickering shadows across the dark wood floor.I stood near the foot of his bed, watching Xavier lock the door. He turned around, unbuttoning his shirt,his dark eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made the air feel thin. No Richard. Just us."You're sure about this?" Xavier asked, his voice low, rough, and thick with restraint as he closed the distance between us. "Julian... once we cross this line, there’s no stepping back into the dark. No pretending."I reached out, my fingers wrapping around the lapel of his open collar, pulling him down until our lips were inches apart. "I don't want to pretend anymore."A quiet, shuddering breath escaped his chest before he captured

✦ POV: JULIAN HART ✦The shift in the house didn't happen immediately,It was the way Richard’s eyes lingered on the entryway table when I came home from campus. It was the slight delay before he answered a question at dinner. It was the slow way he gathered information—like a hunter laying out traps before the prey even knew it was being tracked.On Tuesday afternoon, two days before my final fellowship interview panel, I came downstairs to fetch a glass of water.As I walked past the formal living room, I stopped dead in my tracks.Richard was standing by the mahogany side table near the window. He held a small, dark object in his hand, turning it over in the dim sunlight.My silver cufflink. The one that had gone missing from my shirt dress pocket two weeks ago—the same night Xavier and I had been in the secondary study."Julian," Richard said, his voice smooth, even, and entirely unhurried. He didn't turn around right away."Richard," I said, keeping my posture relaxed, my hands tu

✦ POV: JULIAN HART ✦The fellowship panel went really well.By two o'clock on Thursday afternoon, I walked down the university steps holding the official acceptance letter in my hand. I had done it. My spot was secure, and my future was finally in my own hands.The first thing I wanted to do was call Xavier.But when I pulled out my phone, I saw a text from him that he had sent twenty minutes ago.Xavier: Come home right now. Go to the east lounge.The message was so short and formal that my smile faded instantly. The happy feeling in my chest disappeared, replaced by a bad feeling in my gut. I hurried to my car and drove straight back to the house.When I opened the front door, the entire house was dead silent.I walked down the hallway toward the east lounge. The heavy wooden doors were wide open.Inside, Richard was sitting in the main armchair, looking like a judge waiting to deliver a sentence. Xavier was standing by the fireplace, his hands in his pockets.Xavier’s face was comp

✦ POV: JULIAN HART ✦By Friday morning, the rain had stopped, leaving the city washed in a gray, heavy fog.I woke up on Leo’s couch with a dull headache and a heavy weight sitting on my chest. For a few seconds, I forgot where I was. Then the memory of yesterday came crashing back, bringing the familiar dull ache right back to my ribs.I sat up, wrapping the blanket around my shoulders. My phone was sitting on the coffee table next to the silver chain I had taken off last night. There were three missed calls and two text messages from my mom.Mom: Julian, sweetie, Richard said you decided to move out into a student apartment closer to campus for your fellowship?Mom: Why didn't you tell me first? Are you okay? Call me when you get this.I swallowed hard, holding the phone in my shaking hands. Richard had already set the story in motion to cover his own tracks, making it sound like a sudden, independent decision on my end so my mom wouldn't ask questions.I took a deep breath, forced

✦ POV: JULIAN HART ✦Saturday night arrived quicker than I wanted it to.The fellowship welcome mixer was held on the top floor of the campus student center. The room was packed with graduate students, professors, and department heads mingling over weak punch and platters of tiny sandwiches. Warm yellow string lights hung from the ceiling, and soft jazz music played in the background."See? This isn't so bad," Leo said, nudging my shoulder with his glass of sparkling cider. "Much better than wallowing in your room.""It's loud," I said, though a small smile managed to touch my lips. "And Professor Vance has been eyeing me from across the room for ten minutes.""That's because you got the highest score on the fellowship entrance evaluation," Leo said proudly. "Own it, Julian. You belong here."For the first time in months, I actually felt like I did.People here didn't know about Richard Cole's corporate empire. They didn't know about the quiet, hidden touches in the dark corners of a