Claimed By My Stepbrother novel Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Camila POV

Ethan’s car. His stare. The way he seemed to just know where I was.

“Get a grip, Camila,” I whispered to myself. “You’re overthinking it. He’s just a guy. A really, really weird guy.”

But deep down, I knew it wasn’t that simple. And no matter how hard I tried to push it out of my mind, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the beginning of something absolutely crazy.

And I wasn’t ready for it.

With a groan, I dragged myself off the bed and rummaged through my stuff to shower and get ready for the night. Just as I was pulling a shirt over my head, I heard it- the unmistakable creak of the front door opening downstairs. Perfect. Our cute little stalker is back. What a treat.

The night was hell. Absolute, unrelenting hell.

I didn’t sleep a wink- not even close. Part of it was because I was still on edge, my nerves frayed from the whole “Ethan might be a psycho” situation. The other part? I kept expecting him to burst into my room like some deranged horror movie villain. Staring at me from the corner, whispering creepy things like, “There you are, my mate.” Ugh, the thought alone made my skin crawl.

I lay there, eyes wide open, every creak of the house sending my imagination spiraling. Was that the wind, or was Ethan scaling the wall outside my window? Was that the fridge humming, or was he lurking in the hallway? By the time the first rays of sunlight crept through my curtains, I was half–convinced I was losing my mind.

“Okay, Camila, get it together,” I mumbled, sitting up and stretching out the stiffness in my body. My reflection in the mirror across the room looked as bad as I felt- dark circles under my eyes, hair sticking out at weird angles. Definitely not a good look.

Dragging myself out of bed, I grabbed my nightgown and shuffled to the bathroom. The cool tile floor under my feet was like a wake–up call, reminding me I had to pull myself together. Today wasn’t going to be any better if I walked around looking like

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Chapter 9

something out of a zombie apocalypse.

I slipped out of my clothes, letting the hot water from the shower wash away the

exhaustion and the lingering unease. The heat eased my tense shoulders, and for a

moment, I let myself relax. But then, like an unwelcome guest, Ethan’s intense stare

popped into my head again. I groaned out loud, scrubbing shampoo into my hair like it could somehow scrub the thought away.

By the time I stepped out, wrapped in a towel, I was feeling a little more human. I dried off, slipped into a pair of jeans and a soft sweater, and got to work fixing the mess

on my head.

Brushing my hair took longer than it should have- thanks to the knots from my

restless tossing and turning- but eventually, I got it looking halfway decent. I added a bit of lip oil, savoring the subtle sheen it gave me, and spritzed on my favorite fragrance. The bottle was almost empty, which was another annoyance I didn’t need right now, but whatever. At least I smelled good.

Giving myself one last look in the mirror, I nodded. “Alright. You’ve got

this.

Or at least I hoped I did.

When I walked out of my room, the last thing I expected was to lock eyes with him.

Ethan was standing at the bottom of the stairs, his hands in his pockets, staring up at me like he had been waiting there all morning. His gaze was sharp, unrelenting, and entirely too intense for my liking. It was like he knew I was coming down before I even

took my first step. How was that not the creepiest thing in the world?

My heart did this weird flip, part fear, part irritation. I looked away, refusing to acknowledge him as I walked down the stairs. If I didn’t engage, maybe he would just… vanish.

“Morning, sweetheart,” Mom’s cheerful voice broke the tension. She was standing by the kitchen counter, flipping pancakes like this was a sitcom family breakfast. Greg sat at the table, sipping his coffee and scrolling through his phone like he owned the place- which, I guess, he technically did now.

“Morning,” I muttered, leaning over to kiss Mom on the cheek. Her smile widened, but then she raised an eyebrow at me.

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Chapter 9

“So,” she started, her tone a little too playful for my liking. “Karaoke, huh? That’s…

new.”

I bit back a groan. Of course, she was going to bring that up. “Yeah, well, sometimes people do new things. Shocking, I know.”

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