Mated To My Obsessive Stepbrother

Mated To My Obsessive Stepbrother

KASMINE.

Steam curled in the air as I stepped out of the shower, my damp skin prickling against the evening chill. I reached for a towel, rubbing it over my hair with slow, careful motions, but

even that felt like too much effort.

The dizziness I felt some days ago only got worse. But I could swear it was from the fact

that I had only eaten once in two days.

Usually, I could go two-sometimes three-days without food if I had to. But this time, it was different. My body wasn't just tired; it felt drained like life itself was slowly bleeding

out of me.

I swallowed hard, willing it away. Maybe it was just the exhaustion. Maybe I needed water.

Maybe I just needed to lie down.

Maybe...

I blinked hard, steadying myself against the sink. My reflection in the mirror looked paler than usual, dark smudges under my eyes boldly highlighting the exhaustion

I refused to

acknowledge.

I took a breath that didn't help, pressing my palm against my forehead as I exited the

bathroom.

No, I wasn't sick. I wasn't weak. I just needed to pull myself together.

My stomach twisted with an uneasy nausea that hadn't left me all day.

I tossed the towel aside and moved toward my bed, but the second I took a step, my vision dipped, and my balance wobbled.

What the hell was wrong with me?

Along with these strange feelings came the hurt. I had cried, but it felt like I hadn't cried enough. I hated myself for so many reasons... First, for letting myself let Kester fester his way into my heart. And secondly, for punishing myself by not wanting to see him for two days.

7:53 pm

He had come to my door more times than I could count. I had heard the knocks

and heard his voice. And I had ignored every single one.

Because maybe if I stayed away and pretended this wasn't happening, it would all just...

stop.

It was stupid.

I couldn't love Kester.

I can't.

I shouldn't.

And I won't.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, a shuddering breath slipping past my lips. I clenched my jaw, forcing back the sting of tears. I had cried enough. It wouldn't change anything.

Because for the first time in a long time, I realized something I hadn't wanted to admit.

I had fallen for Kester.

And now, there was nothing I could do but watch as he slipped away.

This was wrong. I knew it.

So why did it still hurt?

I sank onto the edge of the bed, pressing my fingers against my temples as if I could knead the ache away. It was useless. Just like trying to push away the thoughts that had

been eating at me for days.

Five more days. That was all that was left before Kester became someone else's.

Five days from now, he would put a ring on her finger, and whatever this thing between us was-whatever it could have been-would be buried beneath duty and expectation.

My stomach clenched. Whether from the nausea or the ugly, clawing emotion gripping my chest, I wasn't sure. All I knew was that every time I thought about it- about her, about him-it felt like something inside me was caving in.

June's posts had become a torment to me. Pictures of wedding gowns, rings, florists, venues. Perfectly curated glimpses of a future that wasn't mine to touch. And I had told myself I didn't care. That I shouldn't care. But every new post she made, filled with giddy excitement, felt like a knife digging a little deeper.

A small voice in my head kept laughing at me and mocking me because I had been living in self-denial for so long.

But who would blame me?

As it stands now, Jake is the best option I have. He's the safest option for me. And

I love

him... I think I do.noveldrama

Yes. I love Jake.

My hand curled into the sheets. Maybe I should sleep, rest, or do anything other

than sitting here, torturing myself with things I had no control over.

But even as I told myself that, I knew sleep wouldn't come. It never had, since I found out about the engagement.