Stepmother

Seventeen-year-old Emma Black grieved her mother alone for three years, relying on her father — until he brought home Chloe Harper, her high school deskmate and longtime bully.Chloe once locked Emma in locker rooms, insulted her dying mother and hit her. Now she occupies Emma's late mother's seat at home, calling them family.Emma holds three secret recordings of every abuse, which could ruin Chloe's facade. Yet she chooses not to play them.Instead, she tells her father the truth. For the first time in three years, he believes her without proof.This is not a tale of revenge. It shows what happens when trust turns powerful, and the quiet Emma finally puts herself first.The recordings were never played — but they changed everything.