Stephanie woke up earlier than everyone else the next morning.
It had become a habit.
The earlier she woke up, the less time she had to spend around people in the house.
She quietly made her way to the kitchen and started preparing breakfast for her younger brothers. The small boys were the only people in the house who treated her normally.
They laughed with her. They talked to her.
They didn't look at her the way their mother did.
Or the way their father had started to.
Stephanie heard footsteps behind her and froze for a moment before slowly turning around.
Her stepfather stood by the kitchen entrance, watching her.
He had returned from one of his work trips only a few weeks ago, and since then he had been home almost every day.
Too often.
"Good morning," he said casually.
Stephanie forced a polite smile.
"Morning."
She quickly turned back to the stove, pretending to focus on the food.
She could feel his eyes on her.
It made her skin crawl.
Ever since he started working from home, she had begun to notice small things — the way he watched her too closely, the way he tried to start conversations when no one else was around.
It made her uncomfortable.
Very uncomfortable.
"Your mum isn't awake yet?" he asked.
Stephanie shook her head slightly.
"No."
There was a short silence.
Then he stepped a little closer.
"You've grown a lot," he said, his voice strangely thoughtful.
Stephanie's hands tightened around the spoon she was holding.
"I have to wake the boys," she said quickly.
Before he could say anything else, she turned off the stove and walked out of the kitchen.
Her heart was beating faster than usual.
Stephanie knew one thing for sure.
She didn't like being alone with him.
Not at all.
Upstairs, she knocked softly on her brothers' bedroom door.
"Wake up, sleepyheads," she said gently.
The boys groaned and laughed as they slowly got out of bed.
Their innocent smiles made Stephanie feel a little lighter.
At least someone in the house still treated her like family.
But downstairs, someone else was still watching.
And Stephanie had the uncomfortable feeling that things in the house were slowly beginning to change.
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Hey lovelies 🖤✨
Hope you enjoyed this chapter 👀
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