My step brother's forbidden touch

Chapter 2

Rhea's POV

The house looked exactly the same.

Rhea stood in front of the gate, her hand resting on the handle of her suitcase.

For a moment, she didn’t move, like her body had forgotten how to take the next step.

The air felt thick around her, heavy in a way that made it hard to breathe, like the place itself was pressing against her chest, reminding her of everything she had tried to leave behind.

Her stomach turned.

She swallowed hard, pressing her lips together as if that would stop the feeling rising in her chest. It didn’t.

The flight had already drained her. The long hours, the noise and the waiting, it had all worn her down, but this felt different.

Rhea looked around, everything looked familiar even the paint, and that was the worst part.

Nothing had changed, like time had paused here while her life had moved on without it.

A wave of memories hit her all at once, sudden and overwhelming, her running across the compound as a child, her laughter echoing, small feet hitting the ground without a care. Sitting on the steps with her school bag.

Her grip tightened on the suitcase, her fingers pressing into the handle until it hurt.

Why did he have to choose this place? Out of everywhere he could live, out of all the houses in the world, why here?

Why bring his new life into the same space that still held pieces of her old one? Her jaw tightened, a dull ache settling there.

Of course he would, he always did what was easiest for him.

Rhea let out a slow breath, trying to steady herself, but it didn’t do much to calm the storm inside her.

She wasn’t here for him, she needed to remind herself of that, hold onto it like something solid.

All she needed was a place to stay until her work was done, nothing more.

Still, her stomach twisted again, sharper this time, and for a second she really thought she might throw up.

She closed her eyes briefly, willing the feeling to pass, forcing herself to stay in control.

“Get it together,” she muttered under her breath, though it sounded weaker than she intended.

This was not the time, she had already agreed to come. There was no turning back now.

Rhea picked up her suitcase properly and pushed the gate open, the sound louder than it should have been, like it echoed through her.

She stepped inside and stopped at the door, her feet refusing to move any further for a moment, like the threshold itself meant something more than just entering a house.

Her hand hovered near the door, but she didn’t knock immediately.

Her chest rose and fell slowly, uneven, like she was trying to prepare herself for something she didn’t fully understand.

Then, before she could change her mind, she lifted her hand and knocked.

The sound echoed louder than she expected, sharp against the silence, and she waited, her heart beating a little faster than it should have.

The door opened and a woman stood there smiling too wide.

“Welcome!” the woman said brightly.

The smile showed all her teeth , perfectly arranged, it was the kind of smile that was supposed to be warm, but something about it made Rhea uneasy.

It reminded her of something, the witch in Hansel and Gretel, sweet on the outside something else underneath and the thought almost made her laugh, but the feeling didn’t come out.

Rhea blinked, pushing the thought away.

“Hi,” she said, her voice flat compared to the woman’s cheerfulness, like she didn’t have the energy to match it.

“You must be Rhea!” the woman continued, still smiling like nothing in the world was wrong, like this moment wasn’t heavy for anyone.

“Come in, come in.”

She stepped aside, opening the door wider, and Rhea hesitated for half a second before stepping inside, her body tense.

Her stomach tightening again, like it didn’t agree with any of this.

“Make yourself at home,” the woman said, closing the door behind her.

Rhea almost laughed at that, but the sound stayed stuck in her chest. Make yourself at home.

What an odd thing to say, like home was something she could just step into.

“I’m Emily,” the woman added, still smiling. “Your father’s wife.”

Rhea nodded once.

“I know.”

Emily didn’t seem bothered by the short response, instead her smile increased, almost like she was trying harder.

“Your dad isn’t home yet,” she said. “He had to step out, but he should be back later.”

Rhea felt a small, unexpected relief at that, something loosening slightly in her chest.

Good.

She wasn’t ready to see him yet, she didn’t know if she would be.

“And Kyle is in his room,” Emily continued casually.

Rhea just nodded, why was she telling her all this

“Your flight, how was it?” Emily asked, her tone light, overly friendly, like she was trying to fill space

“Fine,” Rhea replied.

Emily nodded, still smiling.

“That’s good. You must be tired.”

Rhea didn’t deny it, because tired didn’t even begin to cover it.

“I’ll show you to your room,” Emily said, already turning as if she expected Rhea to follow.

Rhea picked up her suitcase again and followed quietly.

Each step inside the house felt strange, like walking through a memory she didn’t want, like every corner held something she had tried to forget.

Emily walked ahead, talking lightly.

“We tried to keep things comfortable for you,” she said. “I hope you’ll like it here.”

Rhea didn’t respond, she didn’t even know what to say, because she knew she already hated it.

They stopped in front of a door and Emily opened it.

“This is your room.”

Rhea stepped inside and froze.

Everything looked the same, exactly the same.

The bed, the position of the table, even the curtains. It was like time had paused in this room and refused to move forward, like it had been waiting for her.

For a second, Rhea forgot how to breathe.

She could almost smell it, the memories, thick and real, like they hadn’t faded at all.

The version of herself that used to exist here, 4 years old her, small and unaware of how things would end.

Her stomach lurched again, stronger this time.

She gripped the handle of her suitcase tightly, like it was the only thing grounding her.

Behind her, Emily’s voice broke the silence, softer now, as if noticing her unease.

“Your dad wanted to keep it the same.”

Rhea didn’t turn immediately, she just stood there, staring at the room, her chest tight.

“Hope you like it,” Emily added.

Rhea forced herself to move. She turned slowly, her face already arranged into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“It’s… fine,” she said.

Emily’s smile returned, bright as ever.

“I knew you would like it,” she said.

Rhea nodded.

She didn’t trust her voice anymore, afraid something real might slip out.

Emily looked at her for a moment, then rubbed her hands together.

“I’ll give you some time to rest,” she said gently.

Rhea nodded again. "Thank you.”

Emily stepped back toward the door. "If you need anything, just let me know.”

Emily gave one last smile, then left the room, closing the door behind her.

Rhea stood there for a long moment, not knowing what to do, the silence pressing in on her from all sides.

She set her suitcase down and walked further inside. Her eyes moved around slowly, taking everything in, every detail pulling at something inside her.

Nothing had changed and that somehow made everything worse.

She sat down on the edge of the bed, the mattress dipped slightly under her weight, familiar in a way that made her chest ache.

Rhea leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, her head dropping into her hands.

This was a mistake, she could feel it already, deep in her chest.

Her body felt tired, heavy, but her mind wouldn’t stop racing, thoughts piling over each other with no pause.

She let out a slow breath.

“Just a few weeks,” she reminded herself quietly, like she needed to hear it out loud to believe it.

That was all, she was sure she could survive a few weeks.

Maybe, she's been through worse before.

Maybe a bath would help, maybe it would wash off some of this feeling, this heaviness clinging to her skin.

She walked toward her suitcase and unzipped it halfway, staring at her things without really seeing them, her mind somewhere else entirely.

“I’ll just go have my bath,” she murmured to herself, her voice soft, like she was trying to convince herself more than anything.