Mystepmother-friend -

But lately, things felt different. I was twenty now, no longer the teenager who needed help with his math homework. When Elena looked at me now, it wasn't with the indulgent smile of a family friend. There was a new weight to her gaze, a lingering curiosity that made my pulse quicken.

The house always felt a little too quiet when my father was away on business. That was when Sarah, my stepmother, would invite her best friend, Elena, over for dinner. mystepmother-friend

"You've grown up, Leo," she murmured, standing a little too close as the pasta boiled on the stove. "In ways I didn't expect to see." But lately, things felt different