Ruined By Him: My Stepbrother's Obsession

Chapter 5

Edeline

My gaze lingered on the message, my mind almost refusing to accept what was right in front of me.

Auric saw the photo.

Fuck. f**k. f**k.

My breathing quickened—shallow, fast gasps as panic crept up my neck. I shot off the bed and started pacing, my eyes still glued to the screen. It felt like the walls were closing in on me, the air growing more suffocating by the second.

How was this possible? How the hell did that bastard even get my number? I could’ve sworn that the name on the screen was Tyler’s. And even if my fingers had slipped from excitement, I wasn’t even supposed to have Auric’s number on my phone, so him receiving the photo instead made no sense.

He was bluffing, right? He had to be bluffing…

I read the message again. And again.

By the time I’d lost count, I just knew I was doomed. Who was I kidding? Auric wouldn’t send that kind of message if he wasn’t absolutely confident. And the timing… the timing left no room for doubt.

I sat back on my bed, disbelief still clouding my senses. I’d somehow managed to send my spicy photo to my stepbrother and worst nemesis instead of my crush.

I was screwed. I was really, really screwed.

Now I genuinely believed I had the worst luck imaginable.

I grabbed a pillow and screamed all my frustration into it. How could this be happening to me? Hadn’t I already been through enough? What was even more concerning was what Auric intended to do with that picture. He would likely try to ruin my life. Given all the awful things he’d done to me, he wouldn’t miss this opportunity for the world.

“I’m doomed,” I muttered as I felt my eyes sting with tears. This had threat written all over it. He’d use those pictures against me in any way he could. I could imagine it now—Auric receiving my message, that smug, stupid face when he realized I’d slipped up, already thinking about all the evil things he’d do.

An actual shiver shot down my spine.

My breathing tumbled over itself, turning erratic and uneven as my chest tightened painfully, like something was pressing down on it. Air refused to come in properly—every inhale was shaky, every exhale hurt. My hands curled tight around the sheets, my knuckles paling as a sharp wave of anxiety surged through my body.

My heart slammed violently against my ribs, too fast, too loud—like it was trying to break out of my chest. My vision blurred at the edges, the room tilting ever so slightly as dizziness crept in. I sucked in a breath, but it barely filled my lungs, panic clawing higher and higher up my throat.

Calm down, Edel, I thought, but even that voice sounded far away, drowned out by the frantic pounding in my ears. Just breathe.

I forced myself to draw in a breath, holding it for a second before letting it out slowly. Then another. And another. Gradually, the tight grip around my chest loosened, the dizziness ebbing away. My pulse evened out, and my airways opened again.

And after what felt like an eternity, I finally settled down.

“It’s not like I did it on purpose…” I muttered weakly, staring at the blank wall like it could fix all my problems.

Taking and sending that photo to him was a huge mistake.

And that’s when it hit me.

There was no going back. Obviously, I couldn’t turn back the hands of time. As Dad would say, s**t happens—and that's just life. You could either let it make you or break you.

I had to stay strong and face whatever was coming. Right now, the best course of action was to completely avoid Auric and act as though nothing had happened.

Yeah. I could do that.

You’re fine, everything is fine. This isn’t the end of the world. You’ve gone through worse and survived. You’ll do the same now.

With that, I switched off the lights and pulled the covers over me, closing my eyes to get some much needed sleep—but unfortunately, it seemed impossible.

*

The next morning, I sluggishly made my way down the stairs, my hand catching a yawn just in time. I hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep, worrying my head off all night. I was beyond exhausted.

Breakfast went by in a flash—mostly me being quiet the entire time because I was too drained to even bother myself over Lydia or her husband. Then the part I’d been dreading the most finally rolled around.

Auric taking me to school.

The very thought made my stomach sink. What I’d give to not be in an enclosed space with him right now—but there was nothing I could do. I just had to brace myself.

Just ignore him, I reminded myself as I drew a breath and pushed toward his car. It was about a twenty-minute drive to school. All I had to do was keep my eyes locked on the road and not utter a single word.

“Good morning, Sunshine,” Auric greeted, looking totally unfazed. His skin was flawless. He had that bright glow about him that practically screamed he got proper sleep—whereas my night was the equivalent of a burning building, and that just pissed me off even more. He opened the car door for me and gestured me in.

This was way too suspicious. Most likely, under that cool, calm exterior, he was saying; I’ve got dirt on you, and I’m planning your downfall right this second.

That was definitely it.

I didn’t respond to his greeting, settling into the passenger seat. About a minute later, Auric started the car and eased out of the estate. For the first couple of minutes… it was completely silent. He hadn’t uttered a single word.

Maybe I was worried over nothing after all.

“So, about last night—”

I might’ve spoken too soon.

“Are we not going to talk about it?” he asked smoothly, and I felt my chest tighten. I wasn’t going to respond to that. I crossed my arms and kept my gaze on the passing buildings.

“You’re not responding.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Really?” It wasn’t even a question. His voice was smooth, unhurried, like he had all the time in the world. “So you didn’t send me anything last night?”

“I really don’t know what you mean, Auric.”

“Hmm.” A beat of silence. “Black lace, if I remember correctly.”

My jaw tightened. I stared harder out the window.

“Very nice choice, by the way.”

Ignore him, Edel. Just ignore him.

"It looked amazing," he continued, his voice dropping to a low, seductive tone. "The way it hugged your curves… I couldn't take my eyes off the picture."

I squirmed in my seat, holding on to my bag for dear life.

“And your c**t,” he murmured, his gaze drifting down to my thighs. “It looked so big and swollen, practically begging for attention. Just aching to be touched.”

“Shut up,” I shot.

I knew I’d told myself I was going to avoid Auric at all costs, but this was just absurd.

“I’m just saying—”

“I said shut up, Auric.”

He laughed—low and quiet, more to himself than to me. It scraped against my nerves, like he found the whole thing privately amusing and had no intention of letting it go.

“Delete it,” I said flatly, my fingers curling tightly into my lap.

“Delete what?”

“Don’t you dare act like you don’t know.” My voice sharpened.

“I thought we were both acting oblivious.” He signaled at a turn, completely relaxed, like we weren’t standing on the edge of my entire life blowing up. “So you might want to be more specific.”

“The picture.” My voice came out steadier than I felt, but my pulse raced and heat crept up my neck. “Delete it. Right now.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Something in me snapped.

“How the hell did you even get my number to begin with?!” I burst out, turning fully to face him, anger flashing hot and fast through my veins.

“I got a hold of your phone while you were in the bathroom and saved my number in your contacts,” he said simply, like he was talking about the damn weather.

For a second, I just stared at him, my blood turning cold before the fury came rushing back twice as strong.

“That’s a violation of my privacy!” The words tore out of me, my hands shaking with the force of it—but he didn’t so much as flinch.

“How else am I supposed to look out for you,” he retorted, glancing briefly in my direction, that infuriating half-smile already in place, “if you’re constantly keeping secrets from your big brother?”

Frustration gnawed at me, and though I wanted to argue, I knew it would only sink me deeper into his pit. He had all the leverage here, and as much as it pained me, I had to beg.

“Please, delete the picture,” I said, my voice noticeably dropping.

“Oh?” Auric laughed. “So your voice can be this subtle?”

“Please, Auric,” I pleaded, my voice shaky. “Just delete the picture and pretend like it never existed. Please.”

He was quiet for a moment, then the corner of his mouth curved. “I’ll delete it,” he offered. “Under one condition.”

“Condition?”

His eyes slid briefly to mine before returning to the road. “I won’t show the picture to our parents or post it online… if you let me have my way with you, that is.”

“You must be insane,” I scoffed. After everything he’d done to me, he had the nerve to say that to my face? “I’d rather die.”

“Then the photo stays.”

“This is blackmail.”

“Negotiation, you mean.” He pulled smoothly into the school drop-off lane. “You’ve got time to think about it.”

The car slowed to a stop. I grabbed my bag, my blood boiling so hot I could barely see straight.

“Go to hell,” I shot.

He smiled. “Have a good day, sis.”

*

For the rest of the school day, I could barely focus. My stomach stayed twisted in knots, nausea rolling through me in waves. I couldn’t even confide in Nina—not a word—and it was eating me alive from the inside out. How was I supposed to even begin explaining the dumb mistake I’d made that got me into this mess?

By the time I got home, dinner was worse. I could barely keep the food down, pushing it around my plate more than actually eating it. My mind was restless, loud, spiraling, and no matter how hard I tried, my gaze kept flickering up to Auric.

He was calm as always, but every so often he’d glance back with that knowing look that made my skin crawl.

Why couldn’t I just evaporate into thin air?

“So how was your day, Lydia?” Auric suddenly asked, turning to her.

“It was lovely, honey. Thank you for asking. How was yours?”

“Quite entertaining,” he replied, throwing me a brief stare as he cleaned the corners of his lips.

Every hair on my body stood on end.

“Really? Care to share?” Lydia smiled.

“Oh, it’s nothing exciting. I just received this really funny photo and—”

I choked.

Lasagna got stuck in my throat as I started coughing violently, my eyes watering instantly.

“Edeline!” Lydia panicked, rushing to my side to rub my back.

“Careful, sis. You’re eating too fast,” Auric added smoothly, that coy, evilness written all over him.

That was it.

If he wanted to play games, then I’d play games.

Later that night, I stood in front of Auric’s door, my entire body practically shaking out of my skin. I came here to negotiate—with a plan, of course. Control the narrative rather than being completely at his mercy.

I would offer myself for one night in exchange for him deleting the picture.

As much as it made me sick in every possible way, this was what I had to do. One mistake to fix another.

My hand trembled as I hovered over the door. After much hesitation, I finally knocked—my heart slamming so hard against my ribs it almost hurt.

I didn't wait. I pushed the door open.

And there was Auric—already waiting for me, sitting upright on his bed, shirtless, a faint glint of satisfaction already in his eyes.