All Chapters of My 7 Deadly Stepbrothers : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

The sound of the sizzling pan in the kitchen wasn’t enough to keep my mind from the tight feeling in my chest. Caspian was so close, his hands brushing against mine as we cooked, and I couldn’t help but replay last night over and over in my head. His kiss, his touch—it was all too much to forget, but I needed to focus. I stirred the sauce as if my life depended on it, willing the tension in my body to disappear. “So, Dev is still sleeping?” I questioned to cut the deafening silence between us. I knew Caspian was thinking about something and that's why he wasn't talking to me, silently frying the vegetables. "No, Leo is having one of those days,” he answered, then quickly added when he saw my confusion. “Some days, he acts like a 5-year-old and needs someone with him all the time. Today’s one of those days, and Dev went to wake him up. Now, he is stuck with Leo for a few hours.” “I am still confused,” I admitted, smiling at the way Caspian's eyes sparkled with joy as he talk

I couldn’t breathe. Lucas’s words circled in my head, spinning faster and faster, creating a storm of confusion, pain, and anger. Caspian—the one who had shown me a side of myself I hadn’t even known existed—was using me. Using me to hurt his brother. I couldn’t process it. It was as if everything I thought I understood about my place in this family, my relationships with the brothers, had just crumbled beneath my feet. And worse? I had let it happen. My eyes blurred with tears as I sat there, sinking deeper into the beanbag. My entire body felt like it was imploding, my heart twisting and pounding in my chest, squeezing tighter with each breath. I tried to make sense of it and tried to rationalize why Caspian would do something so cruel. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t. Caspian wasn't the man Lucas was trying to paint him to be. Lucas’s presence loomed over me, and I knew he was watching, waiting for me to say something—anything—but I couldn’t find the words. It wa

Neel’s text vibrated through my phone, snapping me out of my thoughts as I stared blankly at the ceiling. My body still felt heavy, weighed down by the emotional rollercoaster of the morning. Caspian and Lucas—both had a different story about themself and the other person. I was still trying to make sense of it all. To think over all the things to understand who was right. I grabbed my phone and glanced at the message.Neel: Leaving for college. Do you need a ride?I checked the time and sighed. I hadn’t realized how late it had gotten. Shaking off the lingering confusion from the morning’s conversation with Caspian, I shot back a quick reply.Me: Yeah, I’m almost ready. Give me two minutes.I tossed my phone onto the bed and headed straight for the bathroom. Splashing cold water on my face, I stared at my reflection. My skin looked pale, and my eyes were still puffy from all the crying. I grabbed some concealer, patting it under my eyes to hide the puffiness, and swiped on a bit of

“Okay everyone, we will stop here today,” the professor said looking around the room. “We will continue again in the next class. Write your student ID at the bottom of your canvas and leave it here.” “We can't take it home?” O.G. questioned, cleaning his fingers with tissue paper. “I kind of like what I've created, might sell it online.” The class laughed, I couldn't stop myself either at the bluntness with which he said that. His painting was also nothing special, it looked like what most of us have created, but the colour contrast made it stand out among the others. It was very bright and fluid, with definite black strokes. It looked beautiful. “Not today,” the professor answered. She came to look at his painting and looked impressed. “They need to dry. I'll put them away safely when they are dried. You all can leave.” Everyone started collecting the materials they had brought to put back on the shelves. Neel took pictures of both of our canvases despite my protest

I glanced over at him, seeing the quiet wisdom in his expression, the gentle way he moved through the world without letting the noise in his head consume him. There was something calming about watching Dev work. Every movement was deliberate and steady, as though he’d found some peace in the simplicity of planting seeds and getting his hands dirty. He didn’t need the drama or intensity; he didn’t need anything other than what was right in front of him. “Maybe you’re right,” I said, pressing another seedling into the earth. “I’ve been so caught up in trying to figure everyone out that I forgot to think about what I actually want. It’s like… I keep getting wrapped up in all the things I don’t know, all the things I’m trying to understand about other people, but I haven’t stopped to listen to myself.” Dev paused, glancing over at me with a hint of a smile. “And what is it you want, Miss Katherine?” I smiled at the way he ended his sentence. It was like a therapist talking with t