chapter 3
When I showed up in the sitting room, he glanced at me immediately, his eyes widening just a fraction as they swept down my outfit.
He didn't say a single word about how tight the short skirt clung to my hips or how my unbraided chest was visibly pushing against the thin cotton of my shirt, but the subtle shift in his posture said everything.
I smiled to myself, completely satisfied with his silent reaction, and strolled over to the couch. I sat down right across from him, crossing my legs so the skirt hitched up just a little bit higher, and we jumped right into talking about school and his work.
We were still talking and laughing about the hectic exams I wrote before coming home when the loud click of the front door opening signaled my mom's arrival.
She stepped into the house carrying a couple of heavy grocery bags filled with food stuff.
The moment I saw her, I sprang up from the couch, rushed over, and hugged her tightly.
"Isabella! You are back!" she exclaimed, her face lighting up with genuine surprise and joy as she balanced the heavy bags in her arms.
"Yes, Mom!" I giggled, stepping back to look at her.
"Welcome back, my darling. We have missed you so much," she said, leaning in to kiss my cheek before placing the bulging bags onto the nearby side table.
"I missed you too, Mom," I replied smoothly. Without wasting any time, I picked up the heavy food stuff she had brought home and headed straight into the kitchen to help her set things up.
Behind me, I could hear her greeting my stepdad in her usual rushed tone before her quick footsteps followed me down the hallway. She walked into the kitchen, tied an apron around her waist, and immediately began sorting through the fresh vegetables and meat she had just purchased.
"I hope you are enjoying your school life," she asked, looking over at me with a warm, motherly smile as she turned on the kitchen sink to wash the ingredients.
"Yeah. I don't have any problem at all," I answered confidently, leaning back against the cool marble countertop and folding my arms. "My CGPA is very high, just as expected."
"That's my girl! I'm so proud of you, Isabella," she said, beaming with pride as she began chopping up the spices on the wooden board.
We chatted for a few more minutes about my school life, but once I realized she had the cooking fully under control, I excused myself and went right back to the sitting room to meet my stepdad.
I slid back onto the couch, casually resuming our discussion right from where we had stopped, enjoying the quiet intimacy of our conversation while the rich, savory aromas of Mom's cooking began to drift out from the kitchen.
After my mom was finally done cooking a delicious, steaming pot of spiced chicken stew and fluffy white rice, she served the dishes onto large glass plates and called us over to the dining table.
The food was absolute perfection. We ate together in joyful harmony, sharing light jokes and passing side dishes around the table.
Mom couldn't stop praising her own culinary skills, while Dad kept reaching for second helpings, filling the dining room with warmth, laughter, and the simple comfort of family togetherness.
Midway through the meal, as the conversation slowed down, my mom paused, rested her fork on her plate, and looked across the table at me with a playful glint in her eyes. "So, Isabella... with how beautiful you've grown, I know the boys on campus must be going crazy. Do you have a boyfriend now?"
I took a slow sip of my ice-cold water, pausing for a moment before placing the glass down. "Yes, Mom, I actually have a boyfriend on campus," I confessed simply. "But... I don't love him."
Mom blinked in surprise, leaning forward slightly with a puzzled look on her face. "You don't love him? Then why are you with him? Who do you actually love?"
I shifted my posture, casting a subtle, heavy glance in my stepdad's direction before bringing my eyes back to my mother. "I love an older man," I said softly, my voice dripping with a dangerous kind of quiet honesty. "A much older man. But I don't know if I can have him."
The moment those words left my lips, the entire room seemed to drop in temperature.
My stepdad's face changed instantly. The cheerful, relaxed expression he had been wearing all evening vanished, replaced by a sudden, rigid tightness around his jaw.
His eyes narrowed, and he set his spoon down against his plate with an uncomfortably sharp clatter.
He clearly did not like what he was hearing.
Neither of them had any idea that the older man I was talking about was sitting right there at the table—my stepdad himself.
My mom gave a casual shrug of her shoulders and took another bite of her food. "Well, sweetheart, age is just a number these days. It doesn't matter if he's older. If he makes you happy, you should always go after what you want in life."
"Be careful, Isabella," my stepdad interrupted, his voice dropping into a low, stern register that cut right through Mom's easygoing advice.
His eyes locked onto mine with an intense, burning seriousness that sent an electric shiver right down my spine.
"You're young, and older men know how to play dangerous games with young girls.
Just be very careful with who you give your heart to. "
I kept my gaze fixed on his, offering him a tiny, mysterious smile that showed I understood every unsaid warning behind his words. "I will, Dad. I'm always careful."
After dinner, I helped clear the table, said my goodnight, and went straight to my bedroom to rest and sleep off the heavy meal.
The house had settled into a quiet, peaceful stillness.
I closed my door, kicked off my sandals, and changed into a very short, silky black nightgown that barely brushed the top of my thighs.
Underneath the sheer, thin fabric, I wore nothing except my sexiest pair of lace panties.
Feeling completely relaxed, I walked toward my bed, ready to dive under the soft covers and drift off into a deep sleep.
Just as I was about to jump onto my bed, a sudden, sharp rustling noise erupted from the corner of the dark room. A massive, dark brown rat shot out from beneath the closet, scurrying lightning-fast right across the floorboards straight toward my feet!
A wave of pure terror surged through my entire body. I let out a sharp, piercing scream of utter panic. The hideous creature zipped around the corner and ducked directly into the open bottom of my wardrobe.
Completely terrified, I turned on my heel and bolted out of the bedroom into the hallway, my skimpy nightgown flying up as I ran, screaming at the top of my lungs: "Daddy! Daddy!"