My Stepfather, My Ruin

8

Roxy

If I said I had a good night’s sleep, I would be lying to myself. I had spent years trying not to think about him, but one photograph brought everything back.

Evander. Dorian. The Sinclairs.

I needed to find a way out of this place before I felt trapped completely.

I got out of bed and went through my morning routine without really thinking about anything before heading downstairs.

“Good morning, Mom,” I said, forcing a bright smile.

“Oh, my sweet Roxy.” She walked over and took my hand, patting it the way she always did. “You look so full of energy today.”

I forced a small smile. “I guess I slept well.”

“Come, sit down.” She pulled out a chair for me.

I looked around the quiet dining room, searching for someone who wasn’t there.

“You’re looking for Dorian.” She laughed softly.

I nodded without saying anything.

“He left early for the office.”

“The office?”

For a moment, I was surprised. Then I remembered. Of course he had. I had known he was a powerful businessman long before my mother married him. It was strange that I had forgotten.

“He needed to clear his schedule before Evander arrives,” she explained as she poured my juice.

Him again.

I suddenly choked and started coughing.

“Darling!” Her voice became worried. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Mom.” I forced the words out between coughs. “Let’s just eat.”

I didn’t think I could survive another sentence with his name in it.

She gave me another worried look before sitting down. “Alright, sweetie. Let’s eat.”

We ate almost in silence, but my mind kept going back to the same problem. I still didn’t know what to do.

Once breakfast was over, I grabbed my bag for school.

“I’ll be out today too, darling,” my mother called after me as I reached the car. “I’m meeting some friends for a shopping trip.”

I didn’t know why she felt the need to tell me that.

“Don’t stay out too late, Mom,” I said as I got into the back seat.

“Roxy!”

Anna’s voice reached me the moment I stepped out of the car at the school gate.

“I’ve been waiting for you!”

“Anna? Why are you waiting here?”

“Because we got cut off yesterday.” She grabbed my arm and pulled me along. “Come on. Talk to me.”

She took me to a quiet corner of the courtyard behind the main building.

“So, about him.” Anna looked at me carefully. “Do you still love Evander?”

“I don’t,” I said too quickly.

“You do.” Her voice was gentle but certain. “I can tell.”

“I’m telling you the truth.” My voice came out weaker than I wanted. “He cheated on me. He lied about who he was for two years. Only a fool would still love someone like that.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yes.”

She suddenly pulled me into a tight hug before I could say anything else.

“What is this for?”

“I’m here,” she said against my shoulder. “Whenever you need me. You’re not alone in this. Remember that.”

“Thank you, Anna.”

I closed my eyes for a moment and let myself enjoy the hug.

We stayed like that for a while before going to our morning classes.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. I barely paid attention to my lectures. My mind kept going back to the same three things.

When the bell finally rang, Anna and I got into my car. We dropped her off at her apartment first, and David drove back to the estate.

“Young Miss, we’ve arrived,” David said as he came around to open my door.

“Thank you, David.”

I stepped out of the car and walked toward the house. I was halfway up the front steps when I heard my mother’s voice coming from the side patio.

Are they at it again?

I turned to walk away, but her next words made me stop.

It wasn’t the voice I knew.

It wasn’t even close to the voice I had heard through that c***k in the door.

“…You know I have to treat Roxy like a princess,” my mother was saying on the phone. “Dorian loves family. And from the background check I did before I married him, he spoils that son of his.”

My breath caught.

I stayed behind the stone pillar, telling myself to leave, but I kept listening.

“He never would have considered marrying me if I treated her badly,” she continued with a cold laugh. “I wouldn’t even have needed to marry Dorian if Roxy had managed to get one of those rich heirs at her school. She got a full scholarship to that university, and all she does is study, study, study. The girl is a complete loser.”

I covered my mouth to stop myself from making a sound.

Mother?

“You know who I really love,” she continued, her voice almost whining. “I love Liam. But I was scared of becoming broke again. I hate poverty, Mia. I really do.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

My mind went back to the years before Crestmont, when I thought my mother and I were close. I thought her love for me was real.

Was all of it fake?

Every bit of it.

“If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have been forced into any of this,” my mother complained. Her voice became softer, almost like she was begging. “Mia, Liam won’t take my calls anymore. I went to his apartment this afternoon, but he wouldn’t even open the door. What do I do? I can’t lose him.”

Everything my mother had shown Dorian was fake.

The loving wife act was just an act.

She was still in love with another man. Which meant that even when my father was alive...

“I’m back!”

I called out as I walked into the foyer, letting the front door slam behind me before I could change my mind.

I heard movement from the patio, followed by the sound of heels. My mother quickly came into the foyer, putting her phone into her handbag.

“You’re home, darling!” she said brightly.

“Yes, Mother.” I kept my voice flat. “Where’s Dad?”

“He’s held up at the company.” She smoothed her skirt and tried to look normal. “He should be home soon.”

“Okay. I’m going upstairs to wash up.”

She nodded, but as I turned toward the stairs, she called my name.

“Roxy?”

I stopped with one foot on the first step.

“How long were you standing out there?” she asked with a nervous smile.

I turned and looked straight at her.

“I just walked in the door. Why? Is something wrong?”

Her shoulders relaxed, and I could see the relief on her face.

“No, sweetie. I was just asking.”

“Alright, Mom. I’ll come keep you company in a bit.”

I looked down the empty hallway. There wasn’t a single maid around, which felt strange in a house like this.

I went upstairs and shut my bedroom door behind me before my legs gave out.

I slid down the door and sat on the floor, staring at nothing.

All this time, I had thought Dorian was the monster who had entered our lives, while my mother was the one who had sacrificed everything to give me a better life.

Now, I didn’t know which one of them I had gotten wrong.