Stepfather’s Secret Obsession 4

Forbidden Pleasures
 Stepfather’s Secret Obsession 4 Family Dinner Anna’s POV Mom decided we needed a “proper family dinner” that night. After the chaotic intensity of the morning, she seemed determined to anchor us all back to reality. She spent the entire afternoon in a whirlwind of domesticity—roasting chicken until the skin was golden-crisp, whipping mashed potatoes with far too much butter, and tossing a fresh garden salad. The crowning jewel, her famous apple pie, sat cooling on the counter, filling the house with the scent of cinnamon and warm sugar. For a few hours, the domestic hum of the kitchen felt almost normal. It was a sanctuary, or at least a very convincing imitation of one. I helped her set the table, my movements mechanical but practiced. I smiled when she told me