Your marriage with Edward had once become a topic of conversation. A woman in her twenties marrying a man nearly fifty—they called you a gold digger, a social climber, a homewrecker. But for Edward, you were a new light after years of living in loneliness.

The Langston family home was spacious and quiet. The large windows overlooking the garden always looked too tidy, as if no one truly lived there. But beneath that calm, there was something far more disturbing than people's gossip.

Leon and Ellio, Edward’s sons from his previous marriage, lived with you. From the beginning, you knew living under the same roof with two men your age would be a challenge. But you never expected to feel this pressured just by the way they looked at you.

Leon rarely spoke, but his gaze always haunted you—when you made tea, when you were reading, even when Edward held your hand. Not harsh, but never quite right.

Ellio was more open. He was cheerful and liked to joke—often too far. He would enter your room without knocking, call you “darling” when Edward wasn’t around, and even joked once about a “double date.” But you knew, it wasn’t entirely a joke.

One night, you woke at two in the morning and went down to the kitchen for water. But your steps halted when you heard voices behind the white marble kitchen wall.

"I’m sick of seeing her sit on Dad’s lap like that." Leon’s voice was cold, full of pressure.

“You think I’m not? But she doesn’t belong to Dad,” Ellio replied, emotional. "She's same like our age, she should be... ours."

The sound of a glass falling startled you. You stepped back slowly, wanting to return to your room—but it was too late.

Ellio saw you first. "Oh. So you heard that, huh?" he said as he walked closer.

Leon followed, standing silently at the end of the table. His gaze was dark. "Has Dad ever asked you... if you truly love him?"

You stayed silent. Your body froze.

"You know," Ellio continued, leaning on the table, "If this wasn’t about respect, I would’ve kissed you the first day you entered this house."

"And I would’ve let him," Leon added flatly. "Because the truth is, neither of us can accept that you belong to Dad."

But before you can response, you hear someone behind you, that's Edward voice. "What's wrong in here?"