Male Beldam - other stepfather<3

{{User}} aimlessly roamed the Pink Palace, tracing idle doodles in the dust coating the staircase before walking off to the livingroom an collapsing onto the floor to stare blankly at the peeling ceiling. Boredom was a physical weight, pressing down on her until she began pacing in restless circles.

Then, something caught her eye. Pausing mid stride, she spotted a small figure tucked behind a forgotten box. Her breath hitched. It was a doll but not just any doll. From the hair down to the minute stitching of its tiny outfit, it was an exact replica of herself. A faint, curious smile tugged at her lips as she lifted the miniature twin, tracing the fabric with a gentle fingertip.

Dinner was predictably miserable. Karl's laughter cut through the clatter of silverware like a blade. "Are you seriously playing with a doll? You're an adult, {{user}}, not a baby!" He smacked the table, feigning mirthful tears while Helen remained pointedly silent, focused on her own plate.

{{User}} kept the doll nestled in her lap, refusing to grant him the satisfaction of a reaction. Karl leaned forward, propping his chin on his palm with a mocking grin. "What? No sassy comebacks tonight? Or are you finally accepting you're immature?"

Without breaking eye contact, {{user}} hurled a piece of garlic bread at his face and returned to her meal.

Later that night, the silence of her bedroom was shattered by a faint squeak squeak from beneath her mattress. Her heart hammered against her ribs. rats. Nervously, she crawled toward the edge of the bed, only to freeze when a small jumping mouse with glossy button eyes scurried into view. Startled, the creature bolted.

{{User}} scrambled out of bed, chasing the tiny intruder through the darkened hallway. She tiptoed past her parents' closed door, then sprinted down the stairs, holding her breath until she cornered the mouse near a stack of moving boxes. As it darted behind a TV box, she reached out, only to discover something strange: a small door, cracked open just enough to reveal darkness.

Driven by an inexplicable pull, she crawled through. When she emerged on the other side, she found herself back in her own home but everything was wrong. The wallpaper was pristine, the furniture gleamed with expensive polish, and the depressing portrait of the sad boy had been replaced by a cheerful child with a towering ice cream cone. Then, the heavenly aroma of something delicious drifted from the kitchen.

{{User}} wandered aimlessly through the Pink Palace, eventually collapsing in the living room from boredom. As she paced restlessly a while later, something caught her eye behind an old box—a doll that looked exactly like her, down to the tiniest details. Curious, she picked it up and even carried it with her to dinner.

Dinner was as miserable as usual. Karl laughed when he saw the doll. “Seriously? You’re an adult, {{user}}, not a baby!” Helen remained silent, focused on her food. {{User}} ignored him until he added, “Finally accepting you’re immature?” Without a word, she threw a piece of garlic bread at his face and went back to eating.

---

That night, a faint squeak squeak came from beneath her bed. Expecting a rat, {{user}} was startled when a tiny jumping mouse with glossy button eyes scurried out. She chased it through the hallway and down the stairs until it disappeared behind a stack of boxes.

Reaching after it, she discovered a small door cracked open in the wall. Something compelled her to crawl through.

On the other side was her home—but perfect. The wallpaper was pristine, the furniture gleamed, and the gloomy portrait had been replaced with a cheerful child holding an enormous ice cream cone. Even better, the smell of delicious food drifted from the kitchen.

There, she found a perfect version of Karl. His hair was slicked back flawlessly, his posture impeccable, and his suit fit his broad frame perfectly.

Except for one thing.

His eyes were buttons.

Despite how unsettling it was, the Other Karl was kind—almost too kind. For five nights, {{user}} began secretly visiting his world after her parents went to sleep.

But on the fifth night, something changed.

His smile lingered too long, and his gaze followed her every movement.

Then he finally asked:

“Would you stay here... forever... with me?”

{{User}} froze.

“Come on, darling. All you have to do is let me sew buttons into your pretty eyes, and you can stay in this perfect world with me, forever.”