Title: Playing Dirty With My Stepdad

Title: Playing Dirty With My Stepdad
Lyra did not mind that no one remembered her birthday today. She was just happy to cook a meal for the people who had been kind and sincere to her.
She watched Darren’s back as he walked ahead toward the dining room. The distance between his study and the dining room was long. Suddenly, Darren stopped, and Lyra accidentally bumped into him, falling to the floor. He quickly turned around and helped her up.
“Oh no, how embarrassing,” Lyra thought, her cheeks burning.
“It is alright, come on,” Darren replied with a nod.
“I feel very comfortable here,” Lyra said sincerely.
Darren nodded. “I’ve been busy, so I cannot always keep you company,” he said.
“That’s fine. You’ve already been very kind. Thank you for helping me realise the value of my life,” Lyra said. Darren gently ruffled her hair, and of course, it made her blush.
When they entered the dining room, Darren frowned at the beautifully served food.
“What is the occasion?” he asked.
“There is no celebration,” Lyra replied.
“All of this was made by Madam herself,” Brenda added cheerfully.
Lyra shook her head, embarrassed by Brenda’s praise. Darren’s gaze softened as he tasted the food.
“This is good,” he said, making Lyra smile.
“Does this mean I can say I can cook now?” she asked.
“Yes,” Darren replied, holding out his plate for more.
Handing him the food, Lyra quietly watched him eat, her heart full.
“You are actually quite talented,” Darren said.
“I just want to learn things I’ve never tried before,” Lyra said.
“Why are you not eating?” Darren asked. Lyra blushed, remembering the compliment.
After they finished, Darren asked her to tell him about her days. Lyra shared everything: growing vegetables, sewing, learning to cook, and tending flowers.
“Do you not miss going out like before?” he asked.
“No. I feel comfortable staying here. But if I am bothering you, I promise I will not be a burden. I have nowhere else to go,” Lyra whispered, her eyes filling with tears.
Darren stood silently for a moment, then walked away without a word. Lyra hurried to her bedroom, finally allowing herself to cry, clutching her knees. Happy birthday, Lyra and Liora, she thought. All I have is luck.
The door opened. Darren sat beside her, holding her hand as he carefully treated her burns and scars. Seeing the wounds on her stomach, he clenched his jaw but did not scold her. Instead, he held her close.
“Am I really that disgusting?” Lyra asked, trembling.
“No,” Darren replied immediately.
“I only flirted… I gave sleeping pills to my friends. No one knows the truth,” Lyra admitted, her voice breaking.
He pulled her into a tight hug. “You are not disgusting. You are my Lyra,” he said softly.
He kissed her gently and placed a necklace around her neck.
“Happy birthday,” he whispered. Lyra touched the pendant, hugging him tightly.
Three days later, Lyra had not seen Darren. When she asked Brenda, she was told he had gone to London. Darren had instructed Brenda not to mention the psychiatrist again. Lyra spent her days in the garden, sipping tea, trying to calm her thoughts.
Finally, she confided in Brenda, revealing her painful past: a twin sister, bitter childhood, and the darkness that had consumed her. She spoke of the self-harm, the isolation, and the weight of secrets she had carried for years. Brenda listened, tears brimming, offering comfort without judgment.
No one wakes up wanting to make mistakes or to be hated, Lyra thought. Deep down, everyone wants to be good—but pain from the past can push a person into the dark. Lyra had beauty, wealth, and fame, but none of it made her happy. Her father, Silas Noah, had given her money but not love, leaving her lonely even in her privileged world.
At a party one night, her jealous “friends” tried to drug her, planning to humiliate her. But Steven Gotargio, her cousin, intervened just in time, saving her from disaster. Though the night ended with her vulnerable and emotionally shaken, she survived.
Months later, Liora, six months pregnant, sat in her home, longing for her sister Lyra. She missed her desperately and begged Draven to let her see her. Draven, full of love for Liora, promised she could meet Lyra, understanding how important this reunion would be for both sisters and their future children.
Draven held Liora close, feeling their twins kick against his hand. “They are excited,” he said, smiling. “Because their daddy just promised they will meet their auntie.”
Liora laughed through her tears, and Draven called Darren immediately. It was time to reunite the family.
When Lyra finally saw Liora and Draven arrive, her heart skipped a beat. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she ran to embrace her sister. Liora hugged her tightly, whispering, “I missed you. I want you to feel love, not fear. You can change, Lyra. I believe in you.”
Darren watched silently, emotion in his eyes, as Lyra and Liora reunited. He felt pride and relief, knowing she had survived her past and would now have a family to protect her.
Draven promised that the twins would be raised together, just as Liora wished, never forced to endure separation like she and Lyra once had.
The sisters finally had a home, a family, and love. Lyra smiled through tears, finally feeling peace.
That night, as laughter and conversation filled the house, Darren held Lyra close. Liora rested against Draven, feeling their babies kick gently between them.
Love, forgiveness, and family had triumphed. The pain of the past no longer ruled their lives. Together, they faced a new beginning, hand in hand, heart to heart…ready for the happiness they had long deserved.
END

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Title: Playing Dirty With My Stepdad

Blurb: 

The day my mother introduced me to her fiance was the day everything changed. l didn’t mean to notice the way he looked at me. l didn’t mean to stay when l should have walked away when he was intimate with my mum. Dominic wasn’t just my mother’s fiancé. He was powerful, controlled, handsome and impossible to ignore. He offered me a future l had only dreamed of and l let him get too close. Find out what happened.

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Aria's pov
I sat in front of the mirror and my face looked completely dead. The reason was the man I loved was about to marry my mother. I thought he would call off his plan, but I was wrong. Instead Dominic was going through with the wedding. He had only one reason. Dominic did not want to disappoint his future wife, who happened to be my biological mother. How would l satisfy this urge?