Claimed By My Stepbrother novel Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Camila POV

As the door clicked shut behind her, I sat down on the bed, picking up one of the sandwiches and taking a bite. It wasn’t anything special- just peanut butter and jelly.

Just as I was about to finish the sandwich, a deep male voice echoed from downstairs. My jaw froze mid–chew, and I instantly knew who or more accurately, what- it was: one of Anya’s boyfriends.

I set the sandwich down on the tray, leaning slightly toward the door, my ears straining to catch more of the conversation. His voice was muffled, but I could pick up some of the words- something about “crashing here for the night” and “long day.” I groaned quietly, flopping back against the pillows.

Seriously, it’s like this woman attracts boyfriends the way moths are drawn to light. The last thing I needed was to deal with one of Anya’s many flavor–of–the–week guys. And judging by the deep rumble of his voice, this one was the macho, alpha–male type.

I grabbed the blanket and pulled it up over my head, muttering under my breath, “Please leave first thing tomorrow. Please leave first thing tomorrow.”

Unfortunately, the universe doesn’t grant miracles. A few seconds later, I heard him again, louder this time, his voice carrying up the stairs. He was telling Anya something about needing to “crash for a couple of days.” Days. Plural.

Fantastic!

I stretched out on the bed, pulling the blanket over my legs. The guest room wasn’t exactly soundproof, and every word he said seemed to echo through the thin walls. It didn’t help that he had one of those loud, obnoxious laughs- the kind that grated on your nerves after about five seconds.

From the sound of it, Anya was enjoying herself, too. I could hear her laughter, light and carefree, mingling with his deeper voice. They were probably lounging on the couch, drinks in hand, completely unaware- or maybe just unconcerned- that I was upstairs, trying to ignore their presence.

I sighed again, debating whether I should put in my earbuds and drown them out with music. But even that felt like too much effort. Besides, with my luck, the battery on my phone would probably die halfway through a song.

“Looks like I’m stuck here,” I muttered to myself. I glanced at the door, half–tempted to sneak out and head to the kitchen for some water. But the thought of running into Anya and her boyfriend made me reconsider. No thanks. I wasn’t in the mood for awkward introductions or forced small talk.

Instead, I grabbed my phone and started scrolling through random social media posts. Funny memes, random life updates from people I hadn’t spoken to in years- it was all the same. Nothing really grabbed my attention, but it was better than listening to the couple downstairs.

A few minutes passed, and then I heard the unmistakable clink of glasses. Great. They were drinking now. This was shaping up to be a long night.

I groaned, flopping back against the pillows dramatically. “This is my life now,” I muttered, glaring at the c

it had personally offended me. “Stuck in a guest room while Anya entertains yet another random guy.”

g as if

I could hear more bits of their conversation now, though I wasn’t exactly trying to eavesdrop. Something about his job, followed by Anya teasing him about being “too serious.” I rolled my eyes.

1/2

Chapter 53

I picked up the sandwich again, taking another bite just for something to do. It wasn’t as comforting as before, hut at least it gave me a reason to stop listening to their voices.

A few more minutes passed, and then I heard footsteps. My heart skipped a beat as they grew louder, heading toward the staircase. I tensed instinctively, hoping- no, praying- that he wasn’t planning to come up here.

But the footsteps stopped just before the stairs, and I exhaled in relief. I could hear them talking again, though their voices were quieter now, as if they had moved farther into the living room. Thank God. The last thing I needed was for one of them to come knocking on my door, asking if I wanted to join them.

I grabbed my phone again, this time opening a playlist. If I was going to be stuck here listening to this nonsense, I might as well block it out with some music. I popped in my earbuds, cranking up the volume until the sound of their voices faded into the background.

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