No one knew.

The dangerous secret that Ethan and I hid was our relationship that only existed behind tightly locked doors.

At school, we were stepsiblings, just two kids who lived under the same roof. There was nothing odd about us at all.

However, once the lights went off and the room turned silent…

We became something completely different.

The passionate kisses and burning hot embraces were so dangerous that I nearly lost myself.

He studied seriously, and I helped him with his exam prep, checking every essay he wrote. His GPA soared, and it actually reached 3.8 when he graduated.

His father fulfilled his promise. When the results came out, a brand new silver Camaro appeared in our garage.

Ethan won, and I had completely fallen for him.

However, others were also starting to catch on.

“Aren’t the two of you… a bit too close?” someone mentioned over lunch. “Ethan, are you making a move on your stepsister, too?”

He scoffed and tossed a grape into his mouth. “Are you crazy? She’s family. Besides, who could someone like Summer seduce?”

Everyone burst out laughing, as did I.

That night, when he pinned me against the corridor wall, though, he did not look anything like a brother.

“God, Summer,” he murmured, his lips burning like fire on my collarbones. “You have no idea what you do to me.”

And I melt in his arms every time. Every single time.

After that, we graduated.

That night, the school rented a hall in the city center for our prom. There were chandeliers, and my rented dress sparkled like a sky full of stars.

Ethan did not even show up with Chloe, even though she was supposedly his partner.

He only showed up after the slow dancing ended and the DJ started up the EDM. Looking at me across the dance floor, he gestured at me with his chin, summoning me to his side.

I got into his car, and he drove us to a swimming pool. No one ever patrolled there.

“I brought you something,” he said, taking a small black box out of the glove compartment.

My heart skipped a beat. The box contained a sexy white bikini, soft, elegant, and undeniably seductive.

“You’re crazy,” I muttered, my face burning,

“I had this custom-made for you,” he said softly, his gaze intent. “I’m sure you’d be gorgeous in it.”

“This is insane.” I could barely breathe.

“Just once.” His throat was dry, and his voice was hoarse. “For me.”

I nodded.

Perhaps it was love.

Perhaps I was just lying to myself.

Either way, he got out of the car and waited for me to emerge in the bikini.

When I got out, his collar was undone and his sleeves rolled up. His gaze swept across my body.

“You’re so beautiful.” His voice was raspy. “Come here.”

My body was trembling. He reached out and pulled me into his embrace.

“You’re being too bold. What if someone sees us?” I asked against his chest.

His fingertips traced my spine as he kissed my shoulder, slowly and deliberately. “In that case, why don’t we hide in the water?”

He held me and jumped into the pool with a laugh. We frolicked in the water.

After that, he looked at me and said, “Call me ‘Brother’.”

He kissed me as though he could not breathe without me.

“I can’t,” I whispered.

He did not stop. He just came in closer…

He was strong. It hurt. But I did not stop him.

In that moment, under the cover of darkness and starlight, the only sound was the lapping water in the pool and my soft panting.

The morning sunlight was cruel. It spilled in through the dark car window of the Camaro. My naked body was wrapped in his shirt, reminding me of everything that happened last night.

My whole body was in pain, and my heart hurt the most.

Ethan was gone and had left me all alone.

His phone pinged with a prompt tone, and a message appeared on the screen.

I did not mean to peek at it.

Zach: [I can’t believe you had your way with that vixen in the swimming pool. You're incredible!]

My heart felt like it was frozen, and I could not resist picking up his phone. It was not password-locked, and my eyes were glued to the screen from the moment I clicked on the message.

It was his chat with Zach Whitmore.

Zach: [Interesting. You almost fought with me back then over her. I thought you were really in love with her.]

Ethan: [Are you kidding me? The sight of her and her mother makes me sick!]

Zach: [You almost fought with the football team in March. Was that also for her?]

Ethan: [That's part of the plan too. Girls with daddy issues like her are the easiest to handle. Treat them well, and they'll cling to you like stray dogs.]

Zach: [Remember to let me have a go when you're tired of her. I want to see if she's as soft as you said.]

Ethan: [Deal.]

My hands began to tremble as I continued to scroll up.

Ethan: [Her mom clings to my dad like a leech. She's just a gold-digging loser.]

Zach: [Summer's the same. She looks innocent, but she was willing to sleep with you after some coaxing. How pitiful.]

My heart felt like it was being torn apart as I froze.

Ethan returned to the car with a smile, holding the breakfast he had just bought. He gently stroked my hair with his hand and said with a smile, "Lazy bug, are you finally awake? I bought you your favorite sandwich."

I could not move. It was even getting difficult to breathe. I handed the phone to him, almost unable to speak. My throat felt like a knife was lodged in it. "Why...?" My voice was hoarse and almost inaudible.

He put down the breakfast in his hand and took the phone as if nothing had happened. "You saw everything." He raised his hand and gently pushed a strand of hair on my face behind my ear. I felt sick.

He smiled icily as he muttered, "You were always just a game, Summer. If you hadn't peeked at my phone, we could’ve played for a while longer. But you broke the rules..."

He leaned in closer and whispered in my ear, "Game over."