My Ex-Boyfriend is my New Step-Brother

Back to School

I didn't sleep at all after leaving the kitchen. I just sat on the edge of my bed, watching the clock until the sun came up. By 7:30 AM, the house was already moving. I could hear doors opening and closing, and the muffled sound of Marcus giving orders to someone downstairs.

When I got to the front door, my mother was waiting. She was perfectly dressed, as usual, but she kept twisting her wedding ring around her finger—a nervous habit she’d picked up the second we moved in here.

"Your ride is ready, Scarlett," she said. She didn't look at me directly. She was busy checking the hallway. "Marcus wants you to go straight to school. No stops."

"I know, Mom. I heard him yelling it last night."

Two identical black SUVs were idling in the driveway, their exhaust thick in the morning air. Roman was already outside, standing by the first car with his hands shoved deep into his hoodie pockets. He looked exhausted. His hair was a mess, and he was staring at the gravel like he wanted to disappear into it.

Marcus stepped out onto the porch behind me. He looked as sharp and composed as if he hadn't just spent the night screaming at his son.

"Roman, you're in the lead car with Miller," Marcus said. His voice was calm, but it had that edge that didn't allow for a 'no.' "Scarlett, you're with Harris in the second car."

"We're going to the same place, Marcus," Roman muttered, finally looking up. "The separate cars thing is a bit much, don't you think?"

"I think I’m the one paying for the gas, the insurance, and the tuition," Marcus snapped. The calm mask slipped for a split second. "You’ve proven you can’t be trusted to get her there safely on your own. So now, you go separately. Harris will be staying with Scarlett until she’s inside the building."

I looked at Roman, but he looked away the second Marcus started talking. He didn't fight back this time. He just pulled his backpack higher on his shoulder and walked toward the first SUV without saying a word to me.

"Go on, Scarlett," my mom whispered, giving me a little nudge. "Don't make him more upset than he already is."

I walked down the steps. The gravel felt loud under my shoes. As I reached the second car, Harris opened the door for me. He was a big man, someone I’d seen around the mansion but never actually spoken to. He didn't smile. He just waited for me to get in.

I climbed into the back seat. The leather was cold, and the tinted windows made the bright morning look gray and depressing. Through the glass, I watched the brake lights of Roman's car flicker as it pulled away.

"Everything alright, Ms. Wood?" Harris asked as he got into the driver's seat. He adjusted the rearview mirror, and I could see him watching me.

"Fine," I said.

We followed Roman's car down the long, winding driveway. At the gate, his car turned left toward the highway, and we followed right behind it, staying exactly two car lengths away. It felt like a funeral procession.

I stared at the back of the SUV in front of us. I knew Roman was in there, probably sitting exactly like I was—angry, tired, and trapped. Yesterday we were hiding together in a motel, and today we weren't even allowed to breathe the same air in a car.

"Mr. Reed wants you to review these on the way," Harris said, handing a folder back to me over the seat.

I opened it. It wasn't schoolwork. It was a list of "Talking Points" for my screen test on Monday. Notes on how to answer questions about the wedding, how to describe my "new family," and a reminder to mention Marcus’s latest tech project if any reporters were around.

I closed the folder and dropped it on the seat next to me. I didn't want to talk about my new family. I just wanted to be back in that motel room where the only person watching me was Roman, and not a dozen cameras and security guards.

We pulled up to the school gates ten minutes later. Roman's car stopped at the far end of the drop-off lane, and mine stopped right behind it. I watched him get out, slam the door, and walk into the building without looking back once.

"I’ll walk you to the door, Ms. Wood," Harris said, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"I can walk twenty feet by myself, Harris."

"Mr. Reed’s orders," he said firmly.

I got out of the car, feeling the eyes of every student in the parking lot on me. Having a private driver walk me to the entrance was the fastest way to make sure everyone at Northcrest hated me even more.

As I reached the glass doors, I saw Roman’s blonde head disappear into the crowd of the main hallway. He was gone, back to being the guy who didn't know I existed. And I was back to being the girl who had to pretend she was okay with it.