Bianca's POV
The day Vanessa came home, the entire house felt different. Like the air itself had changed, gotten thicker somehow, harder to breathe.
I stood in my room, staring at my reflection in the mirror, trying to decide if I should go downstairs or just hide up here until the whole welcome home thing was over. My hands were sweating. Actually sweating, like I was about to face a firing squad instead of just meeting my stepmother.
But Vanessa wasn't just any stepmother. She was the woman who'd made sure I grew up without a family, the woman who'd turned my father into a broke, broken man. The woman who blamed me for existing.
"You can do this," I whispered to myself. "Just smile, be polite, and stay out of her way."
A knock on my door made me jump.
"Bianca?" Chloe's voice came through. "Mom's here. Come down and say hello."
I took a deep breath, smoothed down my dress, and opened the door. Chloe stood there looking radiant as usual, but I could see the nervous energy in her eyes too.
"Is she mad I'm here?" I asked quietly.
Chloe hesitated, which was answer enough. "She'll come around. Just give her time."
Time. Right. Because time fixed everything.
I followed Chloe downstairs, my legs feeling like they were made of lead. The living room was full of people, some relatives I'd met at the wedding, some I hadn't. And there, in the center of it all, stood Vanessa Montgomery.
She looked exactly like I'd imagined. Tall, elegant, with perfectly styled blonde hair and the kind of face that probably never showed real emotion. She wore a cream colored pantsuit that probably cost more than my entire year's rent, and when her eyes landed on me, they went ice cold.
"Mother," Chloe said, pulling me forward gently. "This is Bianca. My sister."
The room went quiet. Everyone was watching, waiting to see how this would play out.
Vanessa's smile was sharp enough to cut glass. "Bianca. How lovely to finally meet you."
The words were polite, but her tone said something completely different. It said, I know who you are, I know what you represent, and I will never accept you.
"Mrs. Montgomery," I said, extending my hand. "Thank you for having me in your home."
She looked at my hand like it was something dirty, but she shook it anyway. Her grip was firm and cold.
"It's Chloe's home now too," she said. "And apparently, she's decided to extend that hospitality to you."
The emphasis on apparently made my stomach twist.
Alexander appeared then, putting a hand on Chloe's shoulder. "Vanessa, welcome home. We're glad to have you back."
Vanessa's expression softened immediately when she looked at him. "Alexander, darling. Thank you for taking such good care of my daughter while I was away."
"Always," he said, and I hated how genuine he sounded.
Chloe beamed. "Now that we're all together, we should have dinner. A proper family dinner."
Family. That word again. It felt wrong in my mouth, like something I wasn't allowed to claim.
Dinner was exactly as awkward as I'd expected. We sat around this massive dining table, the kind you see in movies, with enough food to feed a small army. Vanessa sat at the head of the table, queenlike, while Chloe and Alexander sat on one side and I sat on the other, as far from everyone as possible.
"So, Bianca," Vanessa said, cutting into her chicken with surgical precision. "Chloe tells me you'll be working at Montgomery Media."
"Yes, ma'am. I start next week."
"How fortunate for you." She took a delicate bite. "From exotic dancer to corporate employee. Quite the career change."
The table went silent. Chloe's fork clattered against her plate.
"Mother," she said sharply.
"What?" Vanessa looked innocent. "I'm simply stating facts. There's no shame in acknowledging where one comes from. Is there, Bianca?"
I felt my face burn, but I kept my voice steady. "No, ma'am. No shame at all. I did what I had to do to survive."
"Of course you did." Her smile didn't reach her eyes. "Just like your father. Always taking the easy way out."
"That's enough," Alexander said, his voice low and dangerous.
Vanessa turned to him, eyebrows raised. "I'm sorry, Alexander. Did I say something wrong?"
"You're being cruel."
"I'm being honest." She set down her fork and looked directly at me. "Charles destroyed this family with his selfishness. He cheated, lied, and abandoned his responsibilities. And now his daughter shows up, expecting to be welcomed with open arms? Forgive me if I find that difficult."
Chloe stood up, her chair scraping loudly against the floor. "If you can't be civil, then maybe you should eat in your room."
Vanessa's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me." Chloe's hands were shaking, but her voice was firm. "Bianca is my sister. She's family. And I won't let you treat her like this."
For a long moment, mother and daughter stared at each other. Then Vanessa stood, smoothing down her pantsuit.
"Fine. I seem to have lost my appetite anyway." She walked toward the stairs, then paused and looked back at me. "Just remember, dear. Blood may make you related, but it doesn't make you family. That has to be earned."
Then she was gone, leaving behind a tension so thick you could choke on it.
I pushed back from the table. "I should go."
"No," Chloe said quickly. "Stay. Please. I'm sorry about her. She's just adjusting."
"It's okay." I forced a smile. "I get it. I'm the reminder of everything that went wrong. I probably would hate me too."
"I don't hate you," Chloe said, her eyes filling with tears. "I love you. You're my sister."
The words should have made me feel better. Instead, they made the guilt worse. Because while Chloe was fighting for me, defending me, I was keeping a secret that would destroy her.
I hugged her quickly. "I know. Thank you. But I'm tired. I think I'll just go to bed early."
I didn't wait for a response. I just headed upstairs, past Vanessa's closed door, past the family photos on the walls that I'd never be part of, straight to my temporary room.
I collapsed on the bed, and for the first time since the wedding, I let myself cry. Really cry. The kind of crying that came from deep in your chest and made your whole body shake.
My phone buzzed.
I almost ignored it, but something made me check.
Alexander.
"Are you okay?"
I stared at the message for a long time. Then I typed back.
"No."
Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.
"Meet me in the library in ten minutes."
I should have said no. Should have turned off my phone and gone to sleep and pretended this whole nightmare would be over in the morning.
But I didn't.
Ten minutes later, I was slipping into the dark library, my heart pounding so hard I was sure everyone in the house could hear it.
Alexander was already there, standing by the window, moonlight cutting across his face.
"You shouldn't have come," I whispered.
"Neither should you." He turned to face me. "But here we are."
The space between us felt electric, dangerous.
"Vanessa hates me," I said.
"She hates everyone who isn't Chloe."
"That's not comforting."
He stepped closer. "What she said at dinner was wrong. You didn't destroy anything. Your father's choices weren't your fault."
"Weren't they?" My voice cracked. "If I hadn't been born, maybe everything would have been fine."
"Don't say that." He was right in front of me now, close enough that I could feel the heat coming off his body. "Don't ever say that."
"Why do you care?" The question came out sharper than I meant it to. "I'm just your wife's illegitimate sister. The stripper who got lucky."
His jaw tightened. "You know that's not what I think."
"Then what do you think, Alexander?" I was angry now, angry at him, at Vanessa, at myself. "What am I to you?"
He didn't answer. He just stared at me with those grey eyes that saw too much, that made me feel naked and exposed.
Then his phone rang, shattering the moment.
He pulled it out, and I saw Chloe's name flash across the screen.
Reality crashed back in.
"Answer it," I said, stepping back. "Before she wonders where you are."
He hesitated, then accepted the call. "Hey, babe. Yeah, I'm just in the library grabbing a book. Be right up."
He hung up and looked at me. "This has to stop."
"I know."
"We can't keep meeting like this."
"I know."
But neither of us moved.
Finally, I turned and walked away, leaving him standing there in the dark.
When I got back to my room, I locked the door and pressed my back against it, my whole body trembling.
This was bad. So bad. And it was only going to get worse.
I could feel it coming, like a storm on the horizon.
And I had no idea how to stop it.