Lila POV
Cassandra wrapped herself around Ryan like a snake coiling around its prey.
"Baby, why did you run off like that?" she asked in that sweet voice that made my stomach turn. "I was so worried about you."
Her hands were everywhere. She touched his chest, his arms, his face. Every touch was deliberate, and every touch was meant for me to see. She wanted me to watch her claim him. She wanted me to feel the pain of seeing the boy I loved belong to someone else.
And it was working.
"I needed to talk to Lila," Ryan said, his voice still tense with anger.
"About what?" Cassandra asked innocently, tilting her head to the side. "What could possibly be so important that you had to drag her away like that?"
She looked at me with those cold blue eyes, and I saw the warning in them. The same warning she had given me last night. Keep your mouth shut, or I will destroy you.
"About her new boyfriend," Ryan said through gritted teeth.
"Oh, Derek!" Cassandra said with fake excitement. "Yes, I heard about that! How exciting for you, Lila. You must be so happy."
The way she said "happy" made it sound like a curse word. She was enjoying every second of this. Watching me squirm. Watching me suffer.
Ryan was still staring at me, waiting for answers I could not give him. But now Cassandra was here, touching him, reminding me of my place. Reminding me that I was nobody. Just the quiet stepsister who did not matter.
"I have nothing to say," I said finally, my voice flat and empty.
Ryan's eyes widened in shock. "What do you mean you have nothing to say? I asked you a question, Lila."
"And I answered you," I replied. "I have nothing to say about my relationship with Derek. It is none of your business."
The words felt wrong coming out of my mouth. Everything about this situation felt wrong. But what choice did I have? I could not tell him the truth. I could not explain that Derek was blackmailing me. I could not reveal that Cassandra was my childhood bully. I was trapped in a web of lies and secrets that grew bigger every minute.
Cassandra smiled at my response. She actually smiled. Like she was proud of me for finally learning my place.
"See, baby?" she cooed to Ryan, running her fingers through his hair. "Lila is a big girl. She can make her own choices. Even if those choices are... questionable."
I wanted to scream at her. I wanted to tell Ryan everything about who she really was. But the fear kept me silent. The fear of what she would do to me if I spoke up.
"I am leaving," I announced, turning away from them both.
I could not stand there anymore. I could not watch Cassandra's hands all over Ryan. I could not see the hurt and confusion in his eyes. I could not pretend that any of this was okay.
I took one step toward the stairs.
Then Ryan's hand shot out and grabbed my wrist again, yanking me back so hard that I almost lost my balance.
"Ryan!" I gasped, pain shooting through my arm.
"You are not going anywhere," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "Not until you give me a real answer."
Cassandra's smile faltered for just a moment. She had not expected this. She thought Ryan would let me go. She thought her presence would be enough to make him forget about his anger toward me.
But she was wrong.
"Let me go," I said, trying to pull my arm free.
His grip only tightened. "No."
"Ryan, you are hurting me," I whispered.
"And you are hurting me," he shot back. "Do you understand that? You are hurting me, Lila. By being with him. By keeping secrets from me. By refusing to explain yourself."
Tears burned in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not here. Not in front of Cassandra. I would not give her that satisfaction.
"I do not owe you an explanation," I said, my voice shaking. "You are not my father. You are not my boyfriend. You are just my stepbrother."
The words hit him like a slap. I saw him flinch. I saw the pain flash across his face before the anger returned.
"Just your stepbrother?" he repeated slowly. "Is that what I am to you?"
No, I wanted to scream. You are everything to me. You are the reason I wake up every morning. You are the reason I go to every game. You are the reason I wrote all those stories.
But I stayed silent.
"Baby," Cassandra said softly, touching Ryan's arm. "Maybe we should just leave her alone. She clearly does not want to talk."
"Shut up, Cassandra," Ryan snapped.
Both Cassandra and I stared at him in shock. Ryan never talked to anyone like that. Especially not to his girlfriend.
Cassandra's face turned red with anger, but she quickly hid it behind another fake smile. "Okay, baby. Whatever you say."
Ryan turned back to me, his eyes blazing. "Do not push me, Lila. I am serious. Do not push me right now."
"Or what?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Or I will lose my mind," he said through clenched teeth. "I need to know. I need you to tell me right now. Are you really dating Derek Stone? Is he really your boyfriend?"
The question hung in the air between us like a bomb waiting to explode.
I opened my mouth to answer, but the words got stuck in my throat.
