Chapter 43

Aiden POV

I sat on the couch, pretending to be engrossed in the game on my tablet. My fingers moved absently over the screen, tapping and swiping at nothing. But my mind wasn’t in it. Not today, not after the problems we encountered.

Living here with my stepmother felt like walking on eggshells. Every word had to be measured. Every step had to be careful. She tried to act like she cared, smiled too wide at dinner, asked about school with a voice that didn’t match her eyes, but I wasn’t stupid. I could feel her irritation whenever I was around, like I was some burden she couldn’t wait to get rid of. Like I was taking up space that wasn’t mine.

I miss Mom, not just the idea of her, but everything she used to represent. Warmth, safety, and someone who genuinely cared. Someone who looked at me and saw me, not a problem to manage.

My stepmother wasn’t that. She was always busy or preoccupied, whispering on her phone in the hallway or sulking when she though