er
ter poured over me, drenching my dress and sending a sh
nt," my stepmother whined, her v
wasn't. Everyone
n, the tech giant that made everything from mobile phones to cutting-edge gadgets the
Miles looked like, or they would never
Han?" Dia, my stepsister, shrieked, her voice sharp enough to pierce through
of her or make her his heiress. He's only using her to keep his stake in the company. She'll
er grated ag
y chair, irritated by my wet clothes. But just a
mother's hand clamped onto
a clown," she hissed, her teeth clenched. "Miles will toss you out like
e past eleven years. My family had conditioned me to believe I was destined fo
iting for her to
epbrother's voice cut
His resentment was quieter, simmering in silence.
Taking my chance, I darted out of the room, igno
to the bed, my body trembling-not f
almost unnerving. I had never felt that way with any man. Most of the time, th
her wasn't
her, a vile man whose presence turned my childhood into a waking nightmare. For
ool one day. That was when I told her everything. He was arrested, but my stepmother
elief of him being gone out
ing back tears. The feeling of unwanted hands on your body was something w
Mile
scrub my skin raw. I didn't feel the need to shrink into mysel
ant to overthink it, but I
od feeling
odd to be interning at my father-in-law's company. Wasn't it awkward enough that I was marrying his son-someone t
o have me around, and perhaps I'd even enjoy the perks of being part of the "
was I
cheme ruin it for me. I tucked my old iPad into my bag, swung it over my shoulder, and braced myself for the fa
keeping my head down as I h
snapped, freezing me mid-step. I wince
here my so-called family was enjoying bre
you going?"
my voice steady, though my heart ham
to the fabric of my everyday life. My stepfamily thrived on intim
e'll be scrubbing floors," my dad scof
e I was really interning-he'd have found a w
the disdain etched on her mother's face. Only my stepbrot
inally dismissed me, her t
was often my favorite command from her Without
I apologized to the cab d
led deeply, the tension
ffocating, but it still felt better
first-floor air-conditioning
ful strides and focused faces makin
y attention immediately. They were pol
h white sneakers, suddenly felt glaringly out of pl
tern," I said to
yping something for a few moments
fice is down the hall to y
sed to politeness. Not like this. Though I wouldn't actu
My outfit wasn't drawing as much attention as I feared;
easant, though it ended on a sour note. Interns were requir
I going t