er

ter poured over me, drenching my dress and sending a sh

nt," my stepmother whined, her v

wasn't. Everyone

n, the tech giant that made everything from mobile phones to cutting-edge gadgets the

Miles looked like, or they would never

Han?" Dia, my stepsister, shrieked, her voice sharp enough to pierce through

of her or make her his heiress. He's only using her to keep his stake in the company. She'll

er grated ag

y chair, irritated by my wet clothes. But just a

mother's hand clamped onto

a clown," she hissed, her teeth clenched. "Miles will toss you out like

e past eleven years. My family had conditioned me to believe I was destined fo

iting for her to

epbrother's voice cut

His resentment was quieter, simmering in silence.

Taking my chance, I darted out of the room, igno

to the bed, my body trembling-not f

almost unnerving. I had never felt that way with any man. Most of the time, th

her wasn't

her, a vile man whose presence turned my childhood into a waking nightmare. For

ool one day. That was when I told her everything. He was arrested, but my stepmother

elief of him being gone out

ing back tears. The feeling of unwanted hands on your body was something w

Mile

scrub my skin raw. I didn't feel the need to shrink into mysel

ant to overthink it, but I

od feeling

odd to be interning at my father-in-law's company. Wasn't it awkward enough that I was marrying his son-someone t

o have me around, and perhaps I'd even enjoy the perks of being part of the "

was I

cheme ruin it for me. I tucked my old iPad into my bag, swung it over my shoulder, and braced myself for the fa

keeping my head down as I h

snapped, freezing me mid-step. I wince

here my so-called family was enjoying bre

you going?"

my voice steady, though my heart ham

to the fabric of my everyday life. My stepfamily thrived on intim

e'll be scrubbing floors," my dad scof

e I was really interning-he'd have found a w

the disdain etched on her mother's face. Only my stepbrot

inally dismissed me, her t

was often my favorite command from her Without

I apologized to the cab d

led deeply, the tension

ffocating, but it still felt better

first-floor air-conditioning

ful strides and focused faces makin

y attention immediately. They were pol

h white sneakers, suddenly felt glaringly out of pl

tern," I said to

yping something for a few moments

fice is down the hall to y

sed to politeness. Not like this. Though I wouldn't actu

My outfit wasn't drawing as much attention as I feared;

easant, though it ended on a sour note. Interns were requir

I going t