My stepbrother and his friends want me 의 모든 챕터: 챕터 41 - 챕터 50

EMMAWaking up to the solid warmth of Oliver’s chest against my back and the sound of his breathing was something I could get used to. For a few seconds I stayed completely still, letting the unfamiliar safety of it settle. There was no penthouse. No ghosts reaching for me in the dark. Just a quiet bedroom, soft sheets, and a man who had not asked me for anything I wasn’t ready to give. His arm was draped loosely over my waist. When I shifted he made a low sound and pressed a sleepy kiss to the back of my shoulder.“Morning,” he murmured.“Morning.”He didn’t try to pull me closer or turn the moment into something heavier. He simply asked if I wanted coffee and told me to take my time. The domestic ease of it almost undid me. I showered, borrowed another of his shirts, and found him in the kitchen already pouring two mugs. We moved around each other without awkwardness passing the milk, arguing lightly over whether the toast was too dark, talking about nothing important. It felt lik

EMMA/ELENAI had been back at the office for three days, and the feeling of being watched still refused to leave.It sat under my skin like a low hum. Every time I walked from the parking lot to the building I felt eyes on me. Every time I left I checked the mirrors more than once. I tried to ignore it. I tried to live like a normal person who hadn’t had her house destroyed and hadn’t run from four men who still lived in her head. It wasn’t working. The lack of sleep was starting to show, and the constant edge of fear made everything harder.I was at my desk answering emails when one of the women from marketing stopped by. Her name was Rachel. She was kind in the way people are when they don’t really know you.“Elena,” she said, resting a hand on the edge of my desk. “You okay? You look really tired lately. Different. I just… wanted to check.”The question was harmless. People asked it all the time. But something about the way she said different landed wrong. It slipped under the caref

EMMAI’m nervous, staring at myself in the mirror, and I’m not even sure I want to do this anymore.I'm in a black dress, with a modest neckline and a slit that runs higher than I usually wear. I keep smoothing the fabric over my hips like that will somehow make me feel less exposed. Meeting Oliver’s family feels bigger than it should. Bigger than dinners with strangers. Bigger than anything I’ve ever done.The door opens behind me. Oliver steps in, already dressed in a dark shirt and trousers, and stops when he sees my face.“Hey.” He comes closer. “You look like you’re about to bolt.”“I might.”He turns me gently to face him, hands warm on my arms. “It’s going to be fine. There’s nothing to be scared of. My parents are going to love you.”“You don’t know that.”“I do.” His voice is steady. “My mom has a rule that every Sunday, we show up. No excuses. I wasn’t going to leave you here alone, and I wasn’t going to hide you. So you’re coming. And they’re going to like you. I promise.”

RHYSThe door to my office flew open hard enough to hit the wall.Victoria stormed in without knocking, heels sharp against the floor. Her face was flushed, eyes bright with the kind of anger she usually kept carefully hidden behind polite smiles and perfect posture.“Two months,” she snapped. “It’s been two fucking months of listening to your bullshit excuses, Rhys. I should be married by now. I should be your wife. Instead, you’ve got me out here looking like a complete fool. People are talking. My mother’s friends are asking questions. Do you want to see me angry?”I set the pen down slowly, closed the laptop, and leaned back in my chair. My voice came out flat.“Good afternoon, Victoria. It’s quite rude to barge into my office like this.”She let out a sharp, disbelieving laugh. “Rude? Wow, you're lecturing me about manners while you’ve skipped every single planning meeting? You didn’t even show up for your own suit fitting last week. Do you have any idea how that looked? The tail

EMMA Gosh, this has to be the most boring class I’ve ever been to. I’m bored out of my mind and have to control myself not to let out a yawn. I’m sitting near the back of the lecture hall, notebook open, pen moving more out of habit than interest. The professor’s voice droned on about case studies and quarterly projections while my mind kept drifting. Outside the tall windows, the sky was a flat grey. Students around me typed quietly or scrolled under the table. I forced myself to copy down another bullet point I would never look at again.When the class finally ended, I packed my things slowly. A girl from my group project dropped into the seat beside me with a tired smile.“You looked like you were about to fall asleep,” she said.“I was considering it.”She laughed under her breath. “Same. Want to grab coffee before we leave? There’s a place across the street that’s still open.”I almost said yes. The idea of sitting in a normal café talking about nothing important felt tempting.