Claimed By My Stepbrother novel Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Camila POV

I let out a slow breath, shifting my weight slightly. “I’ll be coming back home three days from now.”

She snapped her head up so fast, I almost flinched. “Really?”

The raw disbelief in her voice caught me off guard.

I shrugged, glancing away. “Yeah.”

And then-

She moved.

Before I could react, she was rushing down the stairs with hurried steps, closing the distance between us. And the next thing I knew-

Her arms wrapped around me.

Tightly.

I went rigid..

She clung to me like she was afraid I would disappear if she let go.

My breath caught.

Then-

A shudder.

A tremble.

I felt it before I heard it.

The uneven hitch in her breathing, the way her body tensed before finally–finally–breaking.

She was crying.

I froze, my hands hovering awkwardly before finally settling against her back.

It was the first time in years I had seen her cry.

And somehow, it made my throat tighten.

“Thank you,” she murmured, voice thick. “And I’m sorry.”

I didn’t say a word.

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Chapter 71

I just stood there, letting her hold onto me as if she could somehow mend all the broken things between us with an

embrace.

Maybe, for just this moment, I would let her believe she could.

The drive home was quiet, just the hum of the engine and the distant sound of cars passing by. The sun had started dipping below the horizon, casting everything in a soft golden hue, but I barely noticed. My mind was elsewhere, replaying the last hour like some shitty, low–budget drama I never signed up for.

My mother’s hug.

Her tears.

The way she clung to me like I was something fragile.

I gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, exhaling through my nose.

I didn’t know what to do with that.

So, like every emotionally unavailable person ever, I shoved it down and focused on the road.

By the time I pulled into Aunt Anya’s driveway, the sky had darkened to a deep blue, city lights flickering to life in the distance. I cut the engine and sat there for a second, fingers drumming against the wheel.

Home.

Not my home.

But close enough.

I sighed, popping the car door open and stepping out. The air was cool, carrying the faint scent of rain, and I let it wash over me as I moved to the trunk. My hands worked automatically, grabbing my phone, my jacket, the few things I had

tossed in without much thought.

A part of me wanted to just leave them there, pretend I didn’t have responsibilities, pretend I could just get in the car

and drive until I didn’t have to deal with any of this shit anymore.

But I wasn’t that lucky.

With a grunt, I hoisted everything up and made my way to the front door, kicking it shut behind me as I stepped

inside.

And then-

Silence.

Complete. Utter. Silence.

The kind that settled deep in your bones, that made everything feel just a little too still.

I glanced around, eyes adjusting to the dim lighting. No TV on. No music playing. No voices drifting from the kitchen or upstairs.

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Chapter 71

Alone.

The thought brought a slow grin to my lips.

I had the house to myself.

No Anya. No Matt. No bullshit.

God, it was almost liberating.

I dropped my bag near the stairs, rolling my shoulders before stretching my arms over my head. Every muscle in my body ached, exhaustion weighing heavy, but at least now I could just exist without anyone breathing down my neck.

I let out a deep breath as I kicked off my shoes near the stairs. My body felt heavy, weighed down by exhaustion, by the day–hell, by the whole damn week.

A shower.

I needed a shower.

My skin still felt weird, like it was coated in something I couldn’t scrub off. Maybe it was just the stress, maybe it was the lingering memory of everything–of my mother’s hug, of Ethan’s voice, of the goddamn wedding looming over me like a storm cloud.

Either way, I needed it gone.

With that thought, I peeled off my jacket, tossing it onto the couch as I padded toward the stairs. The air inside the house was cooler than outside, and goosebumps prickled along my arms as I climbed up.

Each step felt heavier, like my body was finally realizing how drained I was.

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