The Brother I Wasn't Born With

I never asked to be a Crowley.
When they found out I wasn't their blood, that I'd been a mistake wrapped in silk and privilege, I thought I'd lose everything. But they kept me, calling me family. And for a while, I believed them.
Then Herman happened.
My "brother", the one supposed to protect and guide me, became my cage. The touches under the table, the whispers behind closed doors — Each day, I play the perfect daughter; each night, I surrender to desires that would destroy us both if discovered.
And now, there's the baby, a ticking bomb within me and this house of lies.
"Someone could come upstairs," I whisper, even as his hands claim what's forbidden.
"Then you'll have to be quiet, won't you?" he murmured, dark satisfaction coloring his voice.
This isn't love. It's about survival. And when the truth explodes, which of us will bleed first?