Mated To My Step Brother

5

The party was loud, a mix of music, laughter, and chatter, but nothing could drown out the tension that sat heavy in my chest. Ravi and I had just arrived, and as much as I tried to enjoy myself, my mind kept circling back to Kalen. I’d hoped I could escape him for one night, but as the universe always seems to do, it had other plans.

I hadn’t even seen him when he walked over, but I felt the change in the air. The laughter around me dulled as his presence cut through the crowd like a knife. I turned, my eyes immediately locking with his. There he was, standing just beyond the edge of the crowd, leaning against a tree with that smug expression I loathed.

Ravi, sensing my discomfort, stood beside me, his arm loosely slung over my shoulders as a way to shield me from whatever Kalen had planned. “Ignore him,” Ravi muttered under his breath, but I couldn’t. Not when Kalen was already heading in our direction.

“You look ridiculous,” Kalen’s voice sliced through the chatter, cold and biting. “A dress like that? What are you even trying to prove, Liora?”

I turned to Ravi, taking a deep breath before responding. “I’m not proving anything,” I said, my voice steady. “You’re the one who seems to have an issue with me.”

He stepped closer, his chest now just inches from mine, making me feel small in a way that no one should. “Yeah, I have an issue with you thinking you belong here. You’re nothing but a joke.”

I felt the heat of his words, the sting of the truth buried in them, but I wouldn’t back down. Not this time. “You don’t get to define where I belong, Kalen. Not anymore.”

His lips curled into a sneer, and before I could react, he shoved me. Not gently, but hard enough that I stumbled backward toward the edge of the small lake the party had gathered around.

For a moment, everything slowed—my heart racing in my chest, the cool evening air stinging my skin. And then, I lost my balance.

The ground beneath my feet gave way, and before I could scream or even try to catch myself, I splashed into the cold water. The shock of it was immediate, my body jolting as the freezing liquid enveloped me. I couldn’t help but gasp, but my panic was quickly drowned by the sound of laughter.

I struggled to stand, sputtering water out of my mouth as I tried to regain my footing. The water was waist-deep, and the lake's muddy bottom made it even harder to find my balance. My dress clung to me, heavy with the weight of the water. I looked up, only to find Kalen still standing there, watching me with that damn smirk on his face, his arms crossed.

“You should know your place, Liora,” he called, his tone dripping with amusement. “Maybe this will teach you some humility.”

I gritted my teeth, the sting of humiliation coursing through me like wildfire. But before I could find the strength to say anything, Kalen turned away, walking toward a group of people by the bonfire. And that's when I saw it—saw her. A girl with blonde hair and a tight, red dress, standing by the fire, laughing and running her fingers through Kalen's hair.

She was perfect, everything I wasn’t. And then, before my heart could stop, Kalen grabbed her by the waist, pulling her in for a kiss. He kissed her like she was the only thing that mattered, like I had never existed in his world. My stomach twisted as I watched them, the familiarity of it all—the way he touched her, the way his hands slid down her back, making my chest ache.

I couldn’t look away, even though every part of me wanted to. I felt my heart crack just a little bit more with each moment they shared, the rawness of the situation hitting me harder than I expected. He didn’t care about me. He never had.

I hadn’t realized I was still standing in the water until Ravi was suddenly at my side, his hand on my arm, pulling me gently out of the lake. “Liora, don’t let him get to you,” he said softly, his voice a warm contrast to the cold I still felt in my bones.

But I couldn’t stop the way my heart ached as I watched them—Kalen and his new conquest. I couldn’t stop the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes, the vulnerability that he had exposed in me. Why did it hurt so much to see him with her?

“You don’t have to do this,” Ravi continued, his voice full of concern. “We can leave. You don’t have to stay here with him.”

I shook my head, my emotions swirling like a storm inside me. “I’m fine,” I muttered, even though I wasn’t. I was so far from fine, I felt like I might crumble under the weight of it all. “Let’s just get out of here.”

Ravi didn’t argue. Instead, he guided me toward the edge of the crowd, his hand steady on my back. But as we walked away, I couldn’t help but glance back one last time. Kalen and the girl were still there, still wrapped up in each other, and I couldn’t help but feel that same pang of jealousy, of hurt, as my heart reminded me that I would always be the one left behind.