𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 | ✓

Chapter 1

It was the perfect day for a funeral.

The sun shone brightly overhead in the cloudless sky and the wind had a slight chill to it as it blew among the small crowd gathered closely to pay their last respects to Randall Vincent Wolfe.

I tugged my coat closer against my body and brushed at the tears that fell slowly down my cheeks as I watched my step father's casket being slowly lowered to the ground.

My mother, Jullian, had married Randall when I was just fourteen years old. It was a marriage of convenience she'd told me, still too young to understand what those words actually meant. I'd learn soon enough. My father had been an investment banker and we'd been living a very comfortable life. My mom didn't need to work so she'd stayed at home to raise me. My father died suddenly in a car accident two years before my mother remarried. It was then we'd found out that he'd been siphoning money from his investor into offshore accounts and we'd found ourselves in serious debt.

Less than a year later, my mom met Randall. I never knew the details of their first meeting or even their "arrangement", but soon I had a new father and we were moving into a large estate just outside the city.

It was like a fairytale.

I'd had not only my own room, but an entire wing of the house. When I'd done some exploring, I'd happened across a boy's room with sports and movie posters. I'd been confused because no one ever mentioned that Randall had children and I'd been living at the estate months now.

"This is Killian's room." Randall had said from the doorway. He looked good for a guy in his late forties. He was over six feet tall with salt and pepper hair and kind grey eyes. His body was lean as he swam in the Olympic sized pool every morning and evening, I knew.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" I'd started to apologize, not wanting to make my new stepfather angry.

But Randall had just put up a hand halting me and walked towards the bed and sat down. He patted the space next to him until I sat beside him on the huge king sized bed. Standing, he towered over me, but seated next to him, I felt like an equal even thought I still had to look up at him.

"Killian is my son." He began as his eyes wandered nostalgically over to the soccer trophies that lined the book case. "He went off to college before I met your mother."

I looked up at him in surprise, I had a step brother! I'd been so used to being an only child, the thought of a sibling was exiting. I caught sight of a graduation photo of Killian and Randall together, smiling and seemingly happy. He looked like he belonged in a boy band. He had a pretty face and the same dark hair and grey eyes as his father. The butterflies in my stomach caught me by surprise.

"How come he doesn't come visit?" I asked innocently.

Randall's head bowed then, making me frown. Ever since I'd met Randall he'd always been so cheerful and encouraging towards me. I couldn't imagine why Killian wouldn't come visit him.

"He's mad at me so he won't come home."

I was about to ask him why when the answer dawned on me.

"Is he mad at you because you married my mom?"

Randall turned then and took my shoulders turning me to face him.

"Nila, you have to do understand. Killian lost his mother when he was very young." He said then meeting my eyes squarely. "He doesn't think anyone can replace her in his life and I shouldn't replace her in mine either."

I understood that. Randall would never replace my father but then the two were so different. Randall was more like the doting uncle I never had.

"Does he think I'm replacing him?"