His Step Daughter:His Obsession

Paula's POV

I stood at the front door, clutching my dad's old sweater. It still smelled like him, like home. Everywhere seemed so bright, but all I felt was gloom and dark. Today was the day we buried him and the worst part was, mother wasn't even there.

"Paula, are you ready?" my mom's voice drifted from behind me.

I turned to see her standing at the entrance, so she did manage to come afterwards. Also, she was looking so different; her hair was perfect, her clothes expensive. "I can't believe you came," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Why wouldn't I"

"Because you left us when we needed you the most? You never cared or liked my father?"

"I had to do what was best for me," she said, crossing her arms. "You know how hard life can be."

"Hard? You abandoned me and Dad! You chose a new life over us," I shot back, anger bubbling inside me. I missed my dad so much. Why did he have to leave? Why couldn't it be this selfish and senseless woman!

She flinched, but then her expression hardened. "Look, I made mistakes. But I'm back now. Can we at least try to make this work?"

I shook my head. "No. I don't want anything to do with you. Not now, not ever."

Just then, a loud honk echoed outside. Mom sighed and looked at me with that annoyed expression she always had. "We have to go. Get in the car."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," I replied defiantly.

Mom stepped forward, frustration written on her face. "You think this is easy for me? This isn't just about you, Paula!"

"I don't care! Just leave me alone." My voice cracked as I thought about my dad lying in that cold, dark ground.

And then her guards stepped in. I didn't even notice them at first, but one of them grabbed my arm gently but firmly. "Miss Paula, your mother asked you to come with her."

"No!" I screamed, pulling away. "Let me go!"

But they were too strong. They bundled me toward the vehicle, and my protests turned into desperate cries. "You can't do this! I don't want to go!"

"Stop this nonsense, Paula! I'm doing this for your own good!" Mom shouted, her voice rising over my protests.

Finally, they pushed me into the backseat of the shiny black car. I sat there in fury and was as confused as hell, as Mom slid in beside me. I glared at her, pressing down the urge to go off on her. "You think you can just waltz back into my life after all these years?"

She looked out the window, silent for a moment. "I know I messed up, but you need to understand, I had no choice."

"Really? You had no choice but to leave us?" I snapped.

The car drove off, and the city blurred past. I stared out, feeling trapped and miserable. "What about Dad? You didn't care about him, did you?"

Her face twisted in a mix of anger and sadness. "It wasn't like that. He was sick, and I couldn't watch him suffer."

I couldn't believe her. "You could have stayed! You could have helped us through it!"

"Do you even hear yourself? I was drowning, Paula!" She turned to face me, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I didn't want to go, but I had to survive."

"By leaving me and Dad behind?" I shot back, crossing my arms tightly.

"I thought about you every single day!" she insisted, exasperation coloring her voice.

"Yeah, sure." I rolled my eyes.

As we drove, I couldn't shake the feeling of resentment. How could she act like this was okay? I wanted to scream, but I kept quiet.

Eventually, we arrived at a grand house, bordered with expensive cars and tall gates. It looked like something out of a movie. I couldn't help but feel a pang of disgust. This was what Mom chose instead of us.

"Welcome to my new home," she said softly, almost proud.

"Your home?" I echoed, bitterness creeping into my voice. "This is the life you chose while Dad was dying?"

She narrowed her eyes at me, a flash of annoyance crossing her face. "It's not like that, Paula. You don't understand-"

"Understand what? That you sold out?" I scoffed, stepping out of the car.

Mom followed behind me, her heels clicking on the marble floor as we entered the house. I couldn't believe how lavish everything was. But the beauty of it all felt tainted. It disgusted me to my very own being.

Before I could say anything else, a man descended the staircase, and I froze. He was tall, wearing expensive clothes, and he had a smug look on his face.

"Who's this?" he asked, stopping at the bottom of the stairs and looking between Mom and me.

"This is my daughter, Paula," Mom said, her voice colder than before. "Paula, meet Andre, my husband."

My mind went blank for a moment. "Husband?" I repeated as my heart raced. "You're married to this man?" She got married to this very same bastard?!

"Of course," Mom replied, her tone sharp. "I needed to move on."

Andre stepped closer, a predatory glint in his eyes. "It's nice to finally meet you, Paula. Your mother has told me so much about you."

"Yeah, I bet she has," I replied bitterly as I took in his expression. So he was pretending not to know me. The day I found out what my mother really was-she never mentioned him. She only talked about her struggles.

"What do you mean by that?" Andre asked, eyebrows raised.

"Just that you seem to be quite a catch for her," I scoffed. "Did you marry her for the money, or did she sweeten the deal somehow?"

"Paula!" Mom yelled, her voice echoing off the walls.

"No, let her speak," Andre said, a smile creeping onto his face as though he enjoyed my outburst. "How about a little honesty?"

I couldn't stand the way he looked at me, like I was some entertainment. "I don't need your games," I shot back.

Mom frowned, obviously annoyed, and the news only only fueled my anger. "This is not right, Mom! You just expect me to be okay with all of this?"

"I never said that," she replied, frustration evident in her voice. "I just want you to understand things were complicated for me. I only want what's best for you."

"Best for me? You mean throwing me into your perfect little world?" I shouted. "What about my world? You know nothing about what I've been through while you were out living in luxury!"

Andre intervened, trying to calm the tension. "Paula, it's not as simple as you think. Your mother has had her struggles too."

"Struggles? You think a one-night stand was a struggle?" I felt the heat rising in me, and I pointed a finger at him. "You don't get to act like you know anything about my life."

"Enough!" Mom stormed between us, the weight of her anger palpable. "You need to start respecting my choices, Paula."

"So you want me to just let you walk all over me?" I shot back, feeling my heart pound in my chest. "You abandoned me! Don't come here pretending to care now just because you have a shiny new life."

Andre cleared his throat, stepping forward again. "I think you need time to adjust to all of this, Paula. You can't expect everything to change overnight."

"I don't want to adjust to anything," I said coldly. "I just want my dad back."

"Paula, it's going to take time," Mom insisted, pain flickering across her features. I could see she was affected, but I didn't care.

"Time? Time for what?" I yelled. "To forgive you for everything you did? For leaving me with a dying father?"

The silence that followed was thick, each of us grappling with our own wounds. The tears I felt at the back of my throat threatened to spill again, but I blinked them away. I didn't want to cry.

"Maybe this was a mistake," I finally murmured, my voice softening. But I was still furious. "Maybe I should have stayed where I was."

"Paula..." Mom started, but I turned away, wanting to escape the mess we had all created. Would I ever understand her? Could I forgive her?

I looked at Andre, then back at my mom, my heart heavy and I felt like I could commit murder in that moment. "I think I need some time alone. Please, both of you, stay the fuck away from me."

"You can't just–"

"Unless you can bring the parent I want, even if it's with replacing yourself with him, fuck off woman."