Alex’s P. O. V.
On the way to campus, Stella and I remain silent, and I grip the steering wheel tighter than necessary, my knuckles turning white. I keep my eyes fixed on the road, trying to push all thoughts of her and her damn boyfriend out of my head.
But it’s impossible. Why the fuck she has a boyfriend?
Stella shifts beside me, her fingers tapping lightly on her knee. “Why match practice all of a sudden?” She asks, trying to break the silence. Her voice is low, but I can hear the slight disappointment behind it.
Yesterday only, I decided to make things normal between us, but her boyfriend is again forcing me to go back to how things were earlier. How can I act normal when every time I see her, I’m reminded she’s with someone else?
“I don’t know.” I shake my head, keeping my eyes forward. “It’s just the coach is riding me hard about the upcoming game.”
“Okay…” she trails off, sounding unconvinced.
I can feel her looking at me, probably wondering why I’m acting like this all of a sudden. I can’t tell her the truth that every time I think of her with someone else, it makes me want to burn the entire world. That I hate even the thought of her boyfriend touching her, kissing her-having what I can’t.
We pull into the parking lot of the campus, and I park the car before turning off the engine but not moving to get out. I need a moment to compose myself, to get my head straight.
But Stella, oblivious to the storm inside me, turns to me with a soft smile. “I had fun today. Thanks for taking me out, Alex. I didn’t expect you to be so… nice.”
Nice. Yeah, right. But I’m sorry I can’t be that anymore.
I force a smile, not trusting myself to say anything.
She starts to gather her things, and just as she reaches for the door handle, I blurt out, “Do you love him?”
She freezes, her hand still on the door.
Fuck, Alex! What are you doing?
Slowly, she turns back to face me, her brows furrowed in confusion. “What?”
“Your boyfriend. Do you love him?”
Please say no. Please fucking say no.
She stares at me, her eyes widen slightly. For a moment, she doesn’t answer, just looks at me like she’s trying to figure out what the hell is going on in my head.
“I… I mean, we’ve only been together for a little while,” she says cautiously, “but… yeah. Why are you asking?”
I nod, my jaw clenching as I look away. Her answer is like a slap in my face, but I shouldn’t be surprised. Of course, she’s going to say she loves him. It’s the right answer. But it still makes me sick.
I hate myself because I feel like murdering her boyfriend.
“Just curious,” I say, my voice cold now, the mask of indifference slipping back into place.
She doesn’t say anything for a moment, and I can feel her eyes on me, searching for something-maybe trying to understand why I care so much.
“Alex… is something wrong?”
Yes. Everything is wrong.
But I just shake my head. “No, nothing’s wrong. I’ll see you around.”
Without another word, I open my door and step out, slamming it shut behind me. I don’t wait for her to follow. I need to get to the basketball court, to hit something-anything-before I do something I’ll regret.
As I walk away, I hear her door close behind me, her footsteps growing distant as she heads in the opposite direction. The knot in my chest tightens. I’ve pushed her away, and I don’t even know why. I don’t have the right to want her, but that doesn’t stop the ache of knowing I can’t have her.
And no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to stop myself from wanting what’s forbidden.
***
As I play basketball on the court, I still can’t stop myself from wondering about Stella-her beautiful smile, the way she looked at me when I asked about her boyfriend.
Why did I even ask? What was I expecting her to say? That she didn’t love him? That she was just waiting for me to make a move?
“Stop messing up with my mind, Stella. Just stop it.” I groan, hurling the basketball at the hoop with more force than necessary. It bounces off the rim and rolls away.
I collapse onto the bench, wiping the sweat from my forehead. My mind won’t stop wondering about that particular woman with golden eyes and a dimple on her face.
I know I should leave her alone. She’s with someone else, and more importantly, she’s my stepsister. There are boundaries here, lines I can’t cross. But every time I see her, those lines blur. Every time I’m near her, I lose control of what I should or shouldn’t feel.
***
Olivia’s P. O. V.
My life is nothing but a life full of pain. My first husband was an alcoholic. He used to beat me and my daughter, Stella, when I didn’t give him money for drinking.
I felt so helpless when in front of me, he used to treat my daughter like shit because he thought that I was wasting my money on her education and not giving the money to him.
But for my daughter, I fought with him, divorced him and sent him to jail.
And now my second marriage with Jackson Blackwood is even worse. I’m just a sex slave for him. I never wanted to marry him, but he blackmailed me that if I didn’t marry him, he would ruin Stella’s life. He holds power, influence, and money-things I never had.
But I’m relieved that at least my daughter is safe. She has already gone through a lot in her childhood and now, no matter what, I won’t let anybody hurt her. I’ll protect my daughter with all my Will.
“Mr. Blackwood, not today. I’m not feeling good.” I plead with Jackson when he starts taking off my clothes as soon as he returns from his work.
“You’re my wife.” He grabs my hair, yanking me toward him. “How dare you say no to your husband?”
Tears well up in my eyes, but I fight them back. “Please, Mr. Blackwood, leave my hair. It’s hurting me,” I beg, my scalp burning from the force of his grip.
“Your only responsibility is to please me,” he growls, his face inches from mine. “Understand?”
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry,” I apologise, the words falling from my lips like a prayer, hoping he’ll show some mercy.
But I know he won’t show it. He’s a monster.
“Remove your clothes,” he orders.
I slowly move to obey him with my shaking hands. I undress, my heart pounding in my chest, praying that this will be over soon.
“First, I’ll punish you.” His voice is laced with cruel satisfaction.
My body goes cold with fear and my heartbeat accelerates at his words. It’s not that he’s never punished me before, but every time he does, it hurts.
I try to brace myself for what’s coming. I know what he’s going to do with me, and I wish I could be anywhere else.
I shouldn’t have denied him for sex.
“Remove my belt,” he commands, and I do it, my fingers trembling as I pull the leather strap free.
“Give it to me and bend over the study table.”
I comply with orders, my body stiff with terror. I know the pain that’s coming, the humiliation, and I want to scream, to fight back-but I can’t.
Bending over the table, I remind myself of the reason I endure this-the image of Stella smiling, free from the nightmares of our past. I close my eyes and picture her at the beach, her golden hair blowing in the wind. It’s enough, just enough, to keep me endure this.
Just as he’s about to strike me, there’s a knock at the door. I’ve never been so grateful for an interruption in my life.
“Wear your clothes and open the door.” He snaps, frustrated.
I scramble to put my clothes back on and my hands fumble as I rush to cover myself. I take a deep breath before opening the door, trying to steady my trembling hands.
Stella is standing there, a bright smile on her face, completely unaware of what she just saved me from. “Mom, can I go on a trip with my old friends? They’re coming to New York tomorrow?” She asks, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
I give her a wide smile. I’ll never let her know what I’m going through. “Of course, baby.”
“Thank you, Mom! Could you help me pack?”
Before I can answer, Mr. Blackwood steps forward. “Take this.” He hands her a gold credit card. “Enjoy.”
Stella looks at the card, hesitating. “No, thank you.”
“Don’t be shy, Stella,” Mr. Blackwood insists. “Everything I have is yours, just like Alex.”
He is such a great actor. Being such a nice human being in front of the world. I wish I was so strong to kill him.
I blink, giving Stella a silent message to just take the card.
Reluctantly, she takes it. “Thanks,” she mumbles, and after giving me a smile, she turns and walks away.
As soon as the door closes, my heart sinks. I’ve kept her safe from him for now, but how long can I keep him away from my daughter? How long until he turns his twisted desires onto her, just as he’s done with me?
However, for now, I’ll keep pretending. I’ll endure his cruelty if it means Stella stays safe. But I know this is a fight I can’t win forever.