Bounded By The Brother

Lily's POV “I have been trying to tell you for a long time.” Dorian's voice was calm. The kind of calm that didn't belong in the room where I had just walked in to see him cuddling another woman. I stood still in the middle of the room. In the same room we had our first sex. He leaned on the wall completely naked with a cigarette between his lips. He exhaled the smoke like none of this was a big deal. “Tell me what?” My words drifted out in a low tone. “That I have met a better person.” His words didn't hit immediately. They didn't make sense. Just yesterday he had promised to take me on a vacation to celebrate our one year anniversary. “You are breaking up with me?” “I'm not breaking up with you,” he said. “I broke up with you a while ago. You were just too blind to see it.” One year of my life gone. One year of rejecting other men for him. One year of working hard for his business not because of the salary but because of the way I felt about him. One year of doing eve

Lily's POV “Lily, wake up,” a voice drifted into my ears. I felt a hand repeatedly tap my shoulders. I didn't want to. Waking up meant remembering what I had spent two days trying to forget. “Lily,” the voice came again. I opened my eyes. Shawna was seated at the edge of my bed. Three empty bottles of alcohol sat on the nightstand. The room was dimly lit and the curtains were closed. My clothes from Sunday night were piled up on the floor. Shawna stood up to open the curtains. “What day is it?” I asked, rubbing my face. “It's Tuesday,” she responded. “I've been calling you since Sunday night,” she said. “I thought you would still be with Dorian for the vacation.” His name broke something in me. The tears came like a sudden rain and I didn’t even try to stop them. Shawna pulled me into her arms without a word. She just held me tight and steady as streams of tears flowed onto her shoulder. When the shaking finally stopped, she pulled back and wiped my face with her

Lily's POV Shawna’s husband, Mike, was at home when we got to their apartment. He didn't ask any questions. He just stood up from the sofa and said he would make tea. Shawna took me to their guest room where I put away my things. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. I didn't step outside the room for the rest of the day, not even when Shawna came in to call me for dinner. By 8 p.m, I switched off the light and settled in for the night. I turned. Twisted. Sat up. Lay back. Yet, sleep didn't come. My mother's face appeared in my mind. Pale and still in the hospital bed with an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose. It had been a week since I last visited her at the hospital. I reached for my phone on the nightstand to check the time. But a message was already waiting for me. Dr. Ashley. Miss Bowman. There have been some updates on your mother's condition. We need to discuss next steps as soon as possible. Please come in first thing tomorrow morning. I read it again and again.

Aaron's POV “Okay,” she said quietly. “But I'm still leaving.” She turned and I felt a sting in my heart. Why did I feel like if she left I'd regret it forever. This was the woman who helped me when she didn't know me. “You won't even hear what the job is all about,” I said quickly. “No,” she responded. “You don't care about the salary?” I tried again. “I don't want it,” she said. “Are you sure you don't?” I said as she was about to open the door. “Yes. I will find another job,” she responded. She was different. All the ladies that had come in here had looked too eager before I even said anything. Smiling too wide. Making sure I paid attention to their curves. Saying yes to everything I said. It had been too exhausting until she came in. This one turned her back to me and was clearly battling something inside her head. It was interesting. I liked interesting things. “It’s twenty thousand dollars a month.” She froze like the words had pinned her to the ground. Sh

LILY'S POV I didn't reply immediately. I stared back at her. “Hellooo. Can you hear me? Who are you?” “Lily Bowman. The new personal assistant.” The muscles on her face softened immediately. Her hands dropped from the door knob to her side and she blinked repeatedly. I felt her unease. “The new what?” She asked. “Personal assistant. I was asked to resume work today,” I answered. She still blocked the doorway until a voice sounded from inside the office. Aaron's voice. “Let her in,” he said. She flinched and opened the door wide. I stepped inside. Aaron was seated. Completely sank in some documents on the desk. “You are here,” he said without looking up at me. “Yes,” I said. The lady walked back and stood beside me. “Nova,” he said. “This is my new personal assistant.” Nova. It took me a while to remember. That was the name he had called out that night at the club. When he was drunk and about to go home. This was the woman he had mistaken me for. Nova sto