Claimed By My Stepbrother novel Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Camila POV

My boots scuffed against the uneven pavement, and I didn’t have a clue where I was going. Not that it mattered. I just needed to get away. Away from my mother, away from Greg, away from the suffocating weight of their disbelief.

I couldn’t stop crying. I mean, I wasn’t even trying to stop. What was the point? My face was a mess, hot tears mingling with the cold air, making my cheeks sting. My nose was running, and I didn’t have a tissue, so I swiped at it with the sleeve of my hoodie like some kid. Classy.

My sobs came out in short, choked bursts, each one making my chest ache more. Every now and then, I would let out this pathetic little whimper that even I hated hearing, but it wasn’t like I could control it. I wiped my face again, sniffing hard as I kept walking, my feet moving on autopilot.

The streets were quiet, eerily so. Just me and the occasional sound of a dog barking in the distance or a car engine revving somewhere far off. The streetlights cast long, flickering shadows, and my own stretched out in front of me, tall and gangly, like some kind of ghost haunting the pavement.

I kept my arms wrapped around myself, not because I was cold, but because it felt like if I didn’t, I might just fall apart completely. My hoodie wasn’t doing much to keep the chill out, but I didn’t care. My mind was racing too much to

notice.

“Why didn’t she believe me?” I muttered under my breath, my voice hoarse from crying. “Why can’t she just listen to

me for once?”

I thought about my mother’s face, the way she looked at me like I was some kind of problem she couldn’t solve. And Greg… Greg with his stupid, guilty, avoidant eyes. He knew something, I was sure of it.

But no, apparently, I’m the crazy one. I’m the one who needs help. A therapist. Yeah, right. Like talking to some stranger about my “feelings” would make Ethan any less of a monster.

Another sob escaped me, and I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as I walked faster, like I could outrun the suffocating anger and betrayal that were clawing at my insides.

I didn’t even notice where I was going until the houses started thinning out, giving way to open fields and patches of trees. The asphalt beneath my–boots turned to gravel, crunching with each step, and I realized I had wandered off the

main road.

Great. Just perfect. Lost and crying in the middle of nowhere.

I stopped, finally letting myself take a breath. My lungs burned, and I doubled over, resting my hands on my knees as I tried to catch up with my own body. My head was spinning, my heart pounding in my chest like it was trying to break

free.

The sky above me was dark, the stars barely visible through the hazy glow of the distant city lights. The wind picked up, rustling through the trees, and I shivered. It felt like the whole world was pressing down on me, heavy and suffocating, like it was mocking me for being so small, so helpless.

I wiped my face again, my sleeve now damp and useless, and straightened up. I didn’t want to go back- not yet, maybe not ever. But I couldn’t just stand here forever, either.

“Get it together, Camila,” I muttered to myself, my voice shaking. “You’re not some damsel in distress. You’ve got this.”

1/3

Chapter 44

I didn’t believe it for a second, but saying it out loud felt better than the silence.

I started walking again, my steps slower now, more deliberate. The gravel crunched underfoot, the sound oddly soothing in its rhythm. I didn’t know where I was heading, but at least I was moving.

The tears had slowed by now, reduced to the occasional sniffle and the dull ache in my chest. My face felt raw, my eyes swollen, but I ignored it.

The further I walked, the darker it got. The streetlights were long gone, and the only illumination came from the faint glow of the moon peeking through the clouds. The shadows were deeper here, thicker, and every little sound made me jump- a branch snapping, leaves rustling in the wind.

I hugged myself tighter, my nerves prickling with unease.

“Pull it together,” I whispered to myself. “It’s just the wind. Nothing’s out here.”

But that didn’t stop me from glancing over my shoulder every few steps, my heart leaping at every imagined movement in the darkness.

I kept walking, my pace quickening despite myself. The gravel path seemed endless, stretching on and on with no sign of where it led. My breath came faster, my chest tightening with every step.

And then I tripped.

My toe caught on something- probably a rock- and I went sprawling forward, scraping my palms on the rough gravel as I tried to catch myself.

“Shit!” I hissed, sitting up and cradling my hands. Blood welled up in tiny red dots on my palms, and I bit my lip, blinking back the fresh sting of tears.

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