The white walls of the house were still bare, but she could already feel the weight pressing down in this place. Her name was Élisa Evit. Her entire childhood had been nothing but a spectacle of violence and insults between her parents. She could only watch from a distance, motionless, tears in her eyes, unable to utter a word. In her head, the only word she repeated over and over was: "Stop, please."
Her parents divorced, and she was placed under her father's custody. This event affected her deeply. In the following years, Élisa became a shy, introverted girl, content with having only three friends. This solitude defined her daily life until her third year of high school.
One day, during a school break, Élisa was chatting with her friends. Hesitantly, she asked:
"Tell me, what's it like to have a stepmother?"
Lusia, one of her friends, shrugged and replied:
"I don't know, I've never had one."
Émilie, her second friend, added with a laugh:
"Me neither, but in TV shows, stepmothers are always mean, ready to torture their stepdaughters. But why do you ask?"
Élisa lowered her eyes and murmured:
"My father wants to remarry… He says he met a woman who looks a lot like him."
Lusia said:
"Alright, I see. But why don't you talk to this woman to get to know her better?"
Élisa sighed and replied:
"She's coming next week, on Thursday, with her two children so we can all talk together. But honestly, it makes me anxious. I don't like being around too many people."
That's when their friend Ino, with a mischievous smile, changed the subject:
"Alright, let's talk about something else! Girl, have you finally found yourself a boyfriend?"
As Élisa stood up to head to class, she replied with a light laugh:
"Not really. Guys aren't really my thing. I always freeze in front of them. And honestly, love stories don't interest me, especially in this school."
She paused before adding with an amused smile:
"Imagine me falling for a guy who looks like a criminal!"
She burst out laughing, making her friends laugh along with her.
Suddenly, someone bumped into her hard, and she fell to the ground. The young man responsible for the accident rushed toward her, panicked:
"Oh, shorty? Don't just stop anywhere—I didn't see you!"
Élisa looked up at him, and her gaze met the boy's. Instantly, her face turned bright red, unable to respond. She stammered a few incomprehensible words, her heart racing.
"I... I'm sorry, it's my fault. I didn't see you… Sorry, really…" Élisa mumbled, visibly flustered.
The boy, with a proud and arrogant expression, replied:
"Next time, stay out of my way, okay, little one?"
Élisa quickly nodded, red with embarrassment.
"O-okay… I promise…" she said, bowing nervously several times.
The boy walked away, and immediately, Ino and the other girls started screaming with excitement:
"What?! You talked to a boy?! No way!"
Élisa looked at them, completely lost. With a confused expression, she asked:
"Why are you shouting like that? What's wrong with you?"
"Yeah, you're right, I did talk to a boy!" Élisa said with a joyful smile, almost proud of herself.
But suddenly, her expression changed. Her face filled with horror as she realized what she had just done. She exclaimed, panicked:
"I talked to a boy?!"
Lusia responded, waving her hands excitedly, a huge grin on her face:
"But that's a good sign! That guy, who totally looks like a drug dealer, might be your future boyfriend!"
Hearing that, Élisa turned bright red. She started waving her hands wildly, panicked, and exclaimed:
"No, no, no, that's not possible! That guy is weird, and we don't even know him! So stop imagining things!"
Émilie, with a mischievous smile, replied:
"But love doesn't choose the time or place, my dear."
Panicked and red as a tomato, Élisa stuttered:
"Oh wow, history class is about to start! Time flies so fast! We need to go, let's go, let's go!"
The girls all responded in unison, amused:
"She's avoiding the conversation!"
When history class ended, Élisa walked out with her friends, heading toward the cafeteria. While walking, she asked curiously:
"By the way, what do you think about the guy who bumped into me today?"
Ino shrugged and answered:
"Personally, I think he's the quiet type, the kind who doesn't talk much."
Émilie added thoughtfully:
"I'd say he's rather arrogant. He had that really smug attitude."
But Lusia, with a mischievous smile, stared at Élisa and asked:
"Why do you ask, huh?"
Élisa quickly replied:
"No reason… It's just that since we ran into each other, his image keeps popping into my head. Do you think he hit me too hard? Is that why I keep thinking about his… weird face?"
Ino and the other girls burst into laughter before answering in unison:
"No, no! We think it's something else!"
Élisa frowned:
"I don't know what you're thinking, but that's not it."
After a brief silence, she realized what they were implying. Her face turned red with anger, and she almost charged like a bull:
"I said no! That's not what you think!"
Then, in a calmer but still annoyed tone, she added:
"And even if it were love, do you really think we were destined to meet? It was just a random encounter, nothing more."
Suddenly, while choosing food in the cafeteria, Élisa bumped into someone. Looking up, she realized it was the same boy again.
She stared at him for a few seconds, frozen in surprise, then turned bright red. Completely panicked, she started stammering an incomprehensible mess of words, unable to form a coherent sentence.
The boy smirked, a mix of irritation and amusement:
"Oh, the little mouse from earlier! Are you following me or what?"
Élisa, red with embarrassment, quickly responded:
"No, of course not!"
But in her head, it was total chaos: Why is he here? Why is he looking at me like that? This guy… he's a demon!
Then, against her will, another thought slipped in: But… a hot demon… No, why am I thinking that?!
The boy shrugged and said nonchalantly:
"Well, I need to eat. And stop following me, little one."
Élisa stammered:
"O-or… no! Stop calling me little one!"
The girls squealed with excitement, unable to hold back their joy.
"We knew it! You have a crush on him, admit it!" they exclaimed, laughing.
Embarrassed, Élisa raised her hands to calm them down and quickly replied:
"Alright, let's eat! Talking about this is just ridiculous…"
Classes ended. Élisa said goodbye to her friends and went home. As she opened the door, she called out cheerfully:
"Hi, Dad! I'm home!"
Her father, sitting in the living room, responded with a warm smile:
"Good evening, my little princess. Did you have a good day?"
Élisa nodded with a smile:
"Yeah, it was fine. And you, Dad?"
"It was a wonderful day, my dear girl," her father replied with a smile. Then, in a slightly serious tone, he added:
"By the way, the woman I told you about… she changed her plans. She'll be here at 8 PM tonight."
Élisa nodded, a little nervous:
"So, they'll arrive in an hour? Alright… I'll go wash up and get ready."
Her father smiled and replied:
"Alright, I'll set the table in the meantime."
Élisa freshened up and changed at a leisurely pace. She didn't realize the guests had already arrived. Once ready, she headed to the living room but froze upon hearing voices.
When she entered the room, she saw an elegant woman sitting on the couch, accompanied by two young boys. Her father stood up with a smile and said:
"Élisa, this is Kethia, my fiancée."
Élisa timidly replied:
"Hello…"
But then her eyes landed on the young boy, and her heart skipped a beat. It was him. The boy she had met at school.
Her father continued, unaware of her shock:
"And this is Nasser, her son. He'll soon be your new brother."
Élisa stood frozen, completely shocked by the revelation. She couldn't take her eyes off Nasser, who was also staring at her.
My brother.