Mated To My Obsessive Stepbrother

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

KASMINE.

"I am so sorry: I..." I said, heaving a sigh of frustration.

The phone felt slippery in my hand as I clutched it tightly, careful to keep my voice low. My heart pounded with an anxious rhythm that almost left me breathless.

"Kasmine... I know it's not your fault, but how many more apologies will you have to offer?" He questioned.

"I'm trying, Jake," I whispered, pressing my palm against my mouth to muffle the words. "I don't know how to make him see reason. Kester is-he's suffocating me." My voice cracked, and I bit down hard on my lip to stifle a sob.

On the other end, Jake's silence lingered for a beat too long before he finally spoke. "Mine, you have to fight for yourself. You deserve your own life. He can't keep dictating everything you do." His voice was so gentle that it made my chest ache more.

He chose to call me 'Mine'.

From Jake, the name felt sweet, almost natural, as if the name belonged to me and not to his control. But from Kester... it was different. Every time he said it, the word wrapped around me like chains-possessive, inescapable, suffocating.

Kester made it specific that he was the only one allowed to call me Mine. He claimed the

name as his own, made it clear that no one else was allowed to utter it. But Jake didn't know that, and I couldn't bring myself to stop him. He'd chosen it on his own, just as Kester had, drawing it from my name in an innocent way.

Why should it matter? Why should it feel like I was betraying something-or someone-when it wasn't meant to belong to him in the first place?

I turned my head towards the door, my gaze darting to the thin sliver of light spilling through the gap at the bottom. The last thing I needed was Kester knowing

I had a secret phone, which I used in communicating with Jake.

If he ever found out... The consequence is something I don't want to think about. No. Not now.

"I don't know how to fight him," I admitted in a hoarse whisper, gripping the phone tighter. "It's like he's everywhere. Watching. Controlling. I-" My voice broke off as tears threatened to spill, and I drew a shaky breath. "I'm tired, Jake. I just want to be free. To live my life without feeling like I owe him every moment of it."

He sighs, "If your brother keeps up like this, we'll never have the chance to spend any time

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kills me to know you don't have it." He

For someone who was still trying to woo me, he must

are at this stage of a relationship. There isn't any

broke the quiet, and my blood

Footsteps. Coming closer.

I scrambled to think. My eyes darted to the room, searching for a place to hide the

usually hid it inside a box of sanitary pads and tossed it under the wardrobe. But

outside my door. The handle

edge of the

slamming against the wall with

the room, narrowing

he demanded, suspicion reeking off of him. He couldn't

the edge of the bed to keep them

see through my lies. My thighs

out.

He'd kill Jake.

Then, he'd kill me.

Who were you talking to?" He asked, slowly stepping in and taking in my

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couldn't lie to have been making a regular call with Claire. My phone isn't even close

Me being alone, isolated, and miserable?" I asked with an eye roll, trying to be at

walking out without saying a word. His silence scared me to

silence

***

Kester asked one of his

to the office because he had other important

couldn't be more grateful. As soon as I stepped into

else's

What the hell?

would Kester allow someone to share the office with