His new stepsister His biggest threat (Claire and Elijah) novel Chapter 190

Chapter 190

Chapter 190

Claire’s POV

The remaining days leading up to the big day passed in a blur of constant activity and building pressure.

Posters for the arts showcase lined every hallway at school, announcing the opening tomorrow night in bright, bold letters.

Right next to them hung banners for the academic relay finals, reminding everyone that the competition would start at noon the same day. It felt like double the stakes and double the exhaustion all at once.

Sleep had become something rare for me.

I spent late nights in the studio until the lights went out, then long afternoons at relay practice until my mind felt completely fried.

After that, I would sneak into Elijah’s room for whatever quiet hours we could steal. Most nights we just held each other, talking softly in the dark until one of us finally drifted off.

Elijah was feeling the strain just as much. His playoff practices were long and intense, with Coach pushing the team harder than ever.

He would come home smelling like cold ice and sweat, his shoulders tight and knotted from the effort.

Even so, he always came to find me first.

There would be a soft knock on my door, and then his arms would wrap around me, pulling me close as if I was the only thing helping him stay steady.

Thursday morning arrived-the day before everything we had worked for would happen.

Around the house, Elijah and I moved past each other carefully, like we were strangers sharing the same space.

Breakfast was unusually quiet. Mom hummed to herself while she packed snacks for the people coming to watch the relay, and Dad scrolled through hockey stats on his phone without saying much.

“You both look tired this morning,” Mom said as she set a mug of coffee in front of Elijah. “Tomorrow is a big day for you two. Try to rest tonight, okay?”

“Yeah,” Elijah muttered, rubbing at his eyes. “We will.”

I nodded and kept my attention on my toast, not trusting myself to say more.

School that day felt like being inside a pressure cooker. Between classes, teachers stopped me to wish me luck for the relay.

Friends from the art program hugged me in the halls and talked excitedly about the showcase. The hockey players slapped Elijah on the back and discussed game strategy with him.

We passed each other in the hallways four times that day. Each time there was only a quick smile or the lightest brush of fingers before it was gone, hidden again before anyone could notice.

Something felt wrong, though.

Elijah was quieter than usual, and even when he looked at me, his eyes seemed distant, like his thoughts were somewhere far

away.

In chemistry class, our last period before the weekend, he sat next to me as always. But the space between us felt larger than it should have, even though our desks were close.

Chapter 190

“Are you okay?” I whispered while the teacher explained something about titration curves.

He nodded a little too quickly. “I’m fine, Just tired.”

I decided to let it go for now.

When the final bell rang, my relay team met in the library for one last review session. Elijah had hockey practice, so I did not see him again until we were both home for dinner.

Mom had made pasta for us, calling it carb-loading to give us energy for tomorrow. We sat around the table trying to act like a normal family.

“Are you nervous, Claire?” Ethan asked me with a kind smile.

“A little,” I admitted. “Having both the relay and the showcase on the same day feels like a lot.”

“You’ll do great,” Mom said warmly. “We’ll be there for the relay, and then we’ll come straight to the showcase afterward to see your work.”

Elijah barely touched his food, just pushed it around on his plate.

You’re awfully quiet tonight,” Mom said to him, concern in her voice. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, he replied. “It’s just been a long week.”

After we finished eating and cleaned up the dishes, I went upstairs to my room.

I still needed to finish mounting the last piece for the showcase. Jessica had texted earlier to say everything was ready-the projections were synced and the lighting looked perfect. I should have felt excited about it.

Instead, a quiet anxiety kept growing inside me, like something heavy sitting on my chest.

Around ten o’clock, my bedroom door opened softly. Elijah slipped inside and closed it behind him without a sound. He looked exhausted, with messy hair and dark shadows under his eyes.

“Hey,” I said, putting down the mounting tape I had been using. “Are you okay?”

He did not answer right away. He just leaned back against the door for a moment and watched me.

“We need to talk,” he said at last. His voice was low, and the words felt heavy in the air.

My heart started to beat faster. “Okay,” I said slowly. “Then talk.”

He walked across the room and sat on the edge of my bed. I stayed where I was, standing near my desk.

“I’ve been thinking a lot,” he began, keeping his voice quiet. “About tomorrow and everything coming up. But mostly about what happens after.”

“After what?” I asked, confused.

“After all of this is over,” he said. “The showcase, the relay, the playoffs. When life goes back to something more normal.”

I frowned, not sure where he was going. “Okay…”

He looked up at me, his expression serious. “What happens to us then?”

The question hung between us for a long moment.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

17:57 Fri, Dec 26

Chapter 190

“I mean do we keep doing this forever?” he said. His tone grew a little sharper. “Sneaking around the house pretending in front of everyone, only touching when no one is looking or when the hallway is empty?”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “We’ve talked about this before. We can’t tell them yet. Not with the baby on the way everything else going on-

“I know all the reasons,” he interrupted. “I helped come up with them. But Claire… how long are we supposed to wait?”

“As long as we need to,” I said.

“That isn’t really an answer.”

“It’s the only one I have right now. You and I know it’s forbidden.”

and

He stood up, and I could see frustration starting to show on his face. “You say it like it’s simple. Like we can just put our lives on hold until the timing feels perfect.”

“It isn’t simple,” I replied, my own voice rising a little. “None of this has been simple.”

“Then why does it feel like you’re okay with keeping things this way?” he asked.

I stared at him, surprised by the question. “What?”

“You have your art and the relay and all your plans for college portfolios,” he said. “You’re building a whole future that feels separate from this. And I’m just the secret you make time for at night.”

“That isn’t true,” I said.

“Isn’t it?” He lowered his voice when he realized it had gotten louder, glancing toward the door to make sure no one heard. “You always say ‘not yet.’ But what if ‘yet’ never comes? What if you get accepted to some amazing art program far away and decide it’s easier to leave all of this-leave us-behind?”

My chest felt tight. “You really think I would do that?”

“I don’t know,” he said softly. “I think you’re scared. And I think you’re using the family as an excuse to stay scared.”

The words hurt more than I expected.

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