All Chapters of Claimed By My Stepbrother : Chapter 231 - Chapter 238

238 Chapters

CHAPTER 231: I’m Good

I hesitated for half a second before sliding over, perching on the edge because I still wasn’t sure if this was real or just some temporary high before the crash. “Not cookies,” he said, shaking his head. “Just… talking. Those kids have it rough, some of them way rougher than I did back then. But they’re tough. Resilient. Reminds me that things doesn’t stay broken forever. One of the boys asked me about my old car projects, and before I knew it I was in the garage showing him how to change oil on that junker out back. Felt good.”I nodded slowly, picking at a loose thread on the couch cushion because looking at him too long made my eyes sting in a way I hated. “Hmm. Sounds… nice, I guess. Better than staring at the wall or crying in the driveway, anyway.” The words slipped out before I could filter them, and I winced a little, but Dad just chuckled like he expected it. I couldn’t help the small grin that broke through again. “Just don’t go all nostalgic and decide to adopt a bunch

CHAPTER 232: What The Fuck Is Going On?

After that day, Dad kept visiting the foster care like it had become some kind of secret lifeline he couldn’t quit, and each time he walked through the front door he returned a little brighter than the last, like the house itself was slowly waking up from the long, gray coma it had been in since Mom and Jake left. It was good seeing him like that—really fucking good—especially with the way my own life had turned into a nonstop blur of exam prep and half-finished notes and the constant, gnawing pull of everything I still refused to let go. Finals were breathing down my neck like a rabid dog, every morning starting with me hunched over my desk at 5 a.m. with coffee that tasted like shit and textbooks that might as well have been written in a foreign language for all the focus I could muster. The first few visits after that homemade pasta lunch were tentative, like he was testing the waters to see if the good mood would stick or if the empty house would drag him back under. He’d come

CHAPTER 233: No Fucking Way

The words hung there in the cold air. I blinked once, twice, my brain short-circuiting because no. No fucking way. “You what?” The question exploded out of me, echoing off the porch and making Miles flinch. I stepped forward, boots kicking up slush. “You adopted him? We’re barely holding this house together, Dad! Mom and Jake are gone, the divorce is still a fresh wound, I’m drowning in exams and still screaming at the cops about Camila every chance I get, and you decide now is the perfect time to bring home some random kid from your old group home? What the hell were you thinking?”Miles shifted again, looking like he wanted to bolt back to the truck, but Dad just stood there, hands raised like he could calm me down with that pathetic gesture. “Tess, listen. It wasn’t random. Miles… he’s been through hell. His situation at the home… it wasn’t working anymore. The director called me yesterday, said there was a spot opening up for permanent placement and he thought I’d be a good fit

CHAPTER 234: Do You Feel Better After That?

“Leave me alone!” I yelled back, the words cracking in the middle as another sob ripped out of me. I curled up on my bed, knees to my chest, staring at the ceiling where the fairy lights blurred through the tears. Dad’s voice came again right outside the door. “I know it’s a lot. I should’ve talked to you first. But Miles… he doesn’t have anywhere else, Tess. And after everything with your mom, with Jake leaving, with Camila… I thought maybe this could be good for us. For all of us.”“Don’t fucking dare make it seem like you did it for me!” I screamed back, the words ripping out of my throat. “You did it for you! You didn’t think of me for a fucking second before you signed that adoption letter. Nobody gives a fuck about how I truly feel so drop the bullcrap!”I rolled onto my side, hugging my knees tighter, the exhaustion from exams crashing into the fresh wave of anger and hurt until my whole body felt heavy. Even in that position I could still hear him shift on the other side of

CHAPTER 235: What The Fuck Just Happened

“You can hate me as much as you want,” he went on quietly, the words vibrating through his chest where mine was pressed against it, “but please, don’t cause Father any trouble.”I scoffed while still trying to yank my wrist free even though his grip held steady. “Father? You’re already calling him that?”“As much as you hate it,” he answered, not letting go, not stepping back, his face still inches from mine, “I’m adopted. He’s my father. What else am I supposed to call him?”The words landed like slap, harder than the one I’d given him, because hearing it out loud made it even more fucking real.“You don’t get to call him that,” I hissed. “You don’t get to walk in here with your bags and tell me not to cause trouble when you’re the one who showed up and complicated everything.”His grip on my wrist stayed firm.“I don’t need you to like me,” he said. “I really don’t. But can you at least be reasonable? He is already going through a lot. He’s trying, Tessa. He’s been trying every sing

CHAPTER 236: That Was A Stupid Move

The days after that hallway slap stretched out in a strange way I couldn’t quite name. It also became difficult to hate Miles as much as I wanted to, and that pissed me off more than anything. Though, I appreciated the fact that he kept to his word because after that night he never pushed, never hovered, never tried to insert himself into my space or my grief like some well-meaning parasite. He stayed out of my way completely, and the longer he did it, the harder it became to keep feeding the fire I’d been stoking since the second Dad brought his luggage through the door. Exams ended too. And as I walked out of that building, the first place I went was the police station, because the second the last bell rang, Camila’s face was the only thing left in my head. What happened after that… Well, I think you can guess. I yelled, demanded updates and threatened to go to the news if they kept treating her file like it was already boxed up in some dusty basement. They gave me the s

CHAPTER 237: That Was What… He Said Right?

“I said stop fucking following me! I see you every goddamn night. What the hell do you want?”He didn’t answer and the silence stretched between us until I finally glanced around and realized how completely empty the street was. This… doesn’t feel right.Suddenly feeling a bit scared and creeped out, I took a step backward. “Listen, I’ve had enough of this. I don’t know who you are or what you want, but if you don’t back the fuck off right now, I’m calling the cops and—”Before I could finish my sentence, a hand clamped over my mouth from behind and a sweet chemical smell immediately hit me.My brain barely had time to register what was happening before another arm wrapped around my chest, pinning my arms to my sides. I tried to scream, but the sound was muffled against the cloth. So I kicked backward, my boots slamming into someone’s shin, and heard a low grunt of pain. But it wasn't enough to free me.I thrashed hard, twisting and jerking.My keys slipped from my fingers and clat

CHAPTER 239: I… I Don’t Want To Die

A single tear slipped out my eye, trailing hot down my cheek and dripping onto the concrete floor. I bit my trembling lip hard, so hard I tasted blood, trying to keep any sound from escaping.But somehow, they heard me anyway.The rough-voiced one stopped mid-sentence. “Wait. Did you hear that?”My entire body locked up. I forced my breathing to stay slow and shallow, but it was too late. The second guy stood up and I could hear his boots scraping closer across the floor.“She’s awake,” he said flatly. A hand shot out, grabbed my chin roughly and yanked my head up, a small, broken escaping my throat. My eyes flew open on instinct, meeting the face of the man in front of me. He was older, maybe in his forties, with a scarred lip. The hoodie guy from the parking lot stood a few feet behind him, arms crossed, watching.“Well, well,” the scarred one muttered, tilting my face side to side like he was inspecting merchandise. “Looks like sleeping beauty decided to join us. You hear all th

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