All Chapters of HIS CHUBBY STEPDAUGHTER: Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

MICHELA;The dinner had stretched further into the night than anyone seemed to plan.Miles looked almost surprised by how loud and easy the room had become. Laughter carried between tables, colleagues whispering and laughing heartily. Glasses clinked in the air continuously. Waiters kept moving around, clearing plates and refilling what still needed filling. By the time they started taking the cloths and crumbs away, most people looked full and light. Miles seemed to be enjoying this like every other one present.But not me.I sat too straight in my chair, like something inside me might spill if I loosened my shoulders. My smile had been borrowed all evening, appearing and vanishing almost immediately. My hands spent too much time in my lap. Every time a chair scraped or a voice rose near the side doors, my body braced before my mind caught up.I watched Celeste the whole time. The way she moved through the staff sharing soft hugs and air kisses. A little laugh at the right moment.

MICHELA;We stood there gawking at each other. One of us wore an ugly little smile, her head tilted to the side; the other already regretted how much she had cared. And of course, I wasn't the one with the ugly smile.Celeste didn't look like she was letting me off the hook easily. But one thing was sure: if I had not confronted her, I would not have known what she held against me. That truth sat bitter and useful at the same time.“It’s really not what you think,” I said finally, even though my voice still broke on the edges. I searched for cover and found only pieces that wouldn't fit. “I… the school…”Celeste’s eyes nudged me forward; contempt sat deep in them, like she'd waited her whole life for me to be cornered. She looked ready to hear every weak piece of it.“Hey, ladies.” Miles’s voice cut through the awkward silence between us, and his shadow towered before he drew closer. “I see you two are enjoying the evening.”His hand settled at my waist as he came closer, spreading wa

MICHELA; You know what they say about mornings…. They come with joy, radiant and beautiful. Well. Do they? Because, seated here on this bed, with my back against the headboard, I would never tag this one as joyful. Maybe it felt like that at first when I opened my eyes and figured my dress was somehow gone from my body and replaced by a silky robe… miraculously. For half a second, I replayed how the night had ended between Miles and me. The truck had turned into the driveway with the house lights looking familiar and appealing through the dark. I didn’t wait for Miles to park properly. The moment the tires settled, I threw the door open and got out. Skye was already at the window, barking and bouncing like she had been counting the hours. Her voice should have been enough. It wasn’t. I wanted Miles’. I wanted him to call me back. To tell me to wait. To order me, even, in that low fierce way that meant he was still in it with me. How stupid of me to want all that after

MICHELA;The store attendant lit up the second we walked in.“Welcome, Miss Jemy. You’re right on time.”“Thanks, Lucy. This is Michela, my best friend.” Jemy tipped her head toward me, as she drawled the last part like it was information worth passing.“Welcome to the store, ma’am.” Lucy greeted. I nodded and forced a small smile even though my ribs felt like they were going to break from how tight they were under me. I looked around, taking it all in. It was big and shiny… soft lights, quiet music, clothes arranged too neatly as if they had never been touched. Lucy was already talking to Jemy about the dress. I trailed after them, phone heavy in my bag, Miles’s silence sitting on me like a heavy coat.We walked through the aisle to where the dress was hung in a cloth bag. My jaw dropped when my eyes landed on it.It was a sea-green mermaid dress that flowed luxuriously at the tail, with crystals catching the light along the top and spilling down in careful little patterns. It loo

AUTHOR; Jemy sat at the long dining table in a soft flowy dress, one leg tucked under her, picking at the fruit Elena had brought her…. melon, berries, a couple of slices of pear. She wasn’t really hungry. She was watching the living room, watching them play the card game while still keeping to Doctor Anne’s instructions. Michela and Bryson sat at the low table by the couch with a deck of cards between them. Bryson kept grinning like he couldn’t help it. Michela played quietly and focused, the way she did when she wanted her head somewhere other than her problems. When she put forth a card, ordering Bryson to pick an extra card, his smile faltered at once. “This is getting serious,” he mumbled, his hand reaching for the pile of cards on the table. “It is serious already,” Michela shot back. Soon they heard footsteps on the staircase. Their eyes went there for a while and Nathan was walking down the staircase one step at a time, both hands in the pockets of his jogger pa