Library

Home / Not Yours To Give / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of Not Yours To Give: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

13 Chapters

Chapter 1

I was stunned and my mind went blank as I stared at Vivian Langdale.I was desperate to find a hint on that face I knew so well that she was joking, but there was none.She was being absolutely serious.“What do you mean by that?” I croaked, barely able to speak.“My mom is being ridiculous and you’re following suit?”Vivian stood where she was and looked at me.“I’m not being ridiculous. I considered it seriously.”“What did you consider?” I almost yelled.“Your mom is right.”Vivian’s gaze shifted away from my face to my younger brother, Jeff Sanders, who was sitting quietly on the couch.“My mom prefers someone like your younger brother. He's stable, down-to-earth, and a good person to settle down with.”I suddenly felt like a huge joke.I had been with her for five years, from jointly renting a single room to moving to a two-bedroom apartment.She was always busy with work, so I learned how to cook all her favorite dishes. Not only was I busy with work, but I even had

Chapter 2

“Mom, who’s your flesh and blood here? Would any mother in this world make her child let his brother have his girlfriend?”“What’s wrong with that? I’m doing it for your younger brother’s good!”My mom looked unperturbed by the idea.“You’ve always been a sensible child, and you said it yourself that your younger brother is of poor health. It might be easy for you to find a partner, but do you know how tough that is for Jeff?“Just look at his colleagues and his social circle. They’re all so repulsive, and none of them are even half as good as Vivian.“Don’t you always talk about how much you dote on Jeff? This is a great chance to show your brotherly love for him.”I opened my mouth but realized that I couldn’t speak a word.Tears streamed down my face as I turned to look at Vivian standing next to me.“Vivian,” I said, taking a deep breath as I wiped the tears on my face away. I asked her emphatically, “I’m asking you this one last time. What exactly do you mean?”She fell s

Chapter 3

Vivian furrowed her brows, as if not expecting me to give in so quickly.Given what she understood of me, she expected me to flare up, smash things, and chase her out.I had been like this over these five years, my temper flaring up quick but also eventually dissipating in her silence, bit by bit.But this time, things were different.Vivian didn’t know that there was something physically wrong with Jeff.He was infertile.He was diagnosed when he was eighteen. My mom had brought him to hospitals in various states and cities but the result was always the same.He wasn’t able to impregnate any woman in this lifetime.My mom kept this a secret, and aside from me and Jeff himself, no one else knew about it.Vivian was an only child, and each time I met her mom during festivals and celebrations, she would nag at us to have children early and to have a few of them and she would be glad to take care of them. She was a traditional woman, and having descendants to continue the family

Chapter 4

Vivian sounded so natural calling her that. I felt like a clown standing at the entryway.This was my home where my mom was planning a wedding for others, and my brother was acting coy around my girlfriend.“Alright, here’s wishing you every success in your engagement tomorrow, and may you have a wonderful wedding ceremony next month. May you two be filled with happiness and stay together forever.”My mom cast me a glance, probably finding my words of blessing snarky. However, she was in a good mood and didn’t scold me for it.“I know you’re sensible,” she said with a wave of her hand. “Alright, if you don’t want to stay at home tonight, you can go elsewhere. Come back tomorrow to witness the engagement. It’s your brother’s big day, and you have to be there.”I didn’t respond to her.Instead, I turned to open the door.When I walked out of the door, I heard my mom’s voice from behind.“Here, Jeff. Sit next to Vivian and I’ll take a photo of you two together.”I could hear Je

Chapter 5

I didn’t know what time I fell asleep.The next morning, I was woken up by my phone ringing.I found my phone in a daze and saw my mom’s number on the screen.I swiped right to answer the call.“Joshua Sanders! Look at the time now! Why aren’t you here yet?” My mom’s voice came crashing through the receiver like a ton of bricks. “Your brother is getting engaged today! Our relatives are all here, so how could you, as his elder brother, not be present?!”I glanced at the time.It was half past nine in the morning.“Hurry up. The restaurant your dad booked is in the south of the city. Call for a cab and come here straight!”My mom hung up without even waiting for an answer.I threw my phone on the bed and sat up, rubbing my temples.My bag was still in that house, with my ID, credit card, work phone, house keys, and employee ID badge all in that bag.These weren’t actually important. What was important was an original copy of a contract I had just signed with my customer last w

Chapter 6

Dead silence ensued in the private room, and everyone’s faces froze.Aunt Tilly’s spoon hung in midair and Uncle Sam’s wine glass was raised to his lips, while Uncle Paul’s jaw dropped to the ground.“Steal?”“What does that mean?”“What did Joshua say? That Jeff stole his girlfriend?”My mom’s face turned pale and then flushed a bright red.She grabbed my arm and dragged me to one side as she said in urgent, hushed whisper, “What nonsense are you spouting? This is your brother’s engagement party!”“Isn’t that true?” I broke free of her hold, my voice calm. “Mom, tell me. Am I really talking nonsense?”Jeff was already cryingVivian’s brows were furrowed as she wrapped an arm around his shoulder. She looked up at me with reproach in her eyes.“You shouldn’t be causing trouble here, Joshua,” she said.“Me? Causing trouble? I just gave my brother my girlfriend of five years yesterday. Today, I’m attending your engagement party and congratulating you two before saying truthfull

Chapter 7

But it was okay—I wasn’t the one forking out the money.I closed the notebook, picked up my bag and left the house without looking back.Walking along the district boulevard, I enjoyed the great sunshine and azure skies. Golden leaves drifted down and covered the entire lane.I stepped on the fallen leaves which made crisp, crunching sounds with every step.I thought about how Vivian said that her mom preferred my brother’s style. She had probably forgotten the kind of person her mom was when she made that remark.I knew her mom, Cynthia Lewis, only too well.She grew up in the countryside and had three sons before having Vivian. She had spoiled Vivian since she was young, thinking her daughter was the most outstanding woman in the whole world.In her eyes, the kind of man who could match up to her daughter had to be an all-rounder who shone both in public and at home, made good money, and knew how to win over his mother-in-law.That was why she wasn’t very pleased with me.

Chapter 8

I leaned back in my chair and said calmly, “Let them believe that.”“Come back right now to apologize to your brother!”“Mom,” I called out to her, surprising even myself with my calm. “I’m not going to apologize. Every word I spoke was true, and I didn’t lie or exaggerate things. I simply said what you guys have done. It’s not my fault if the truth embarrasses you.”Silence ensued for two seconds on the other end of the line.My mom then said something that made my heart grow cold. “You’ve always been like this since you were young, inconsiderate toward your brother. I’ve truly brought you up in vain.”She hung up.She had always been saying that since we were young.In her world, the purpose of my presence was to serve Jeff.I put my phone down, opened the PowerPoint slides for this quarter's progress report, and continued working on them.I told myself that it was alright.From now on, I no longer needed to consider anyone else in my decisions.I only needed to consider m

Chapter 9

“Arrive earlier tomorrow and help your brother with his suit. Also, what in the world were you wearing during their engagement party previously? It was all gray and not festive at all. Wear something brighter tomorrow and don’t embarrass your brother.”“Got it,” I said, then hung up.The next day, I didn’t wear anything festive.I wore a sharply tailored black suit paired with black leather shoes. My hair was neatly slicked back, and I looked noticeably more refreshed.Chad was waiting for me at the door, and he wolf-whistled the moment he saw me.“How handsome. Are you sure you aren’t going there to stir up trouble?”“Not at all,” I said as I threw my bag over my shoulders. “Just there to watch an entertaining show.”Vivian and Jeff’s wedding was held at a five-star hotel in the east of the city.My mom had spent a fortune just to make everything look good, including booking the largest banquet hall in the hotel and paying for a total of forty tables.There was a huge wedding

Chapter 10

The restaurant felt warm and toasty. Chad poured me a full glass of beer, and the foam overflowed onto the table.“Cheers!” he said as he raised his glass. “To Joshua Sanders for his new life.”I picked up my glass and clinked his, the sound of striking glass crisp and pleasant to the ear.“Cheers.”That night, I drank three bottles of beer, more than the total amount of the beer I’d had over the past five years.Toward the end, I slumped over the table and said something from the bottom of my heart to Chad.“Over the past five years, I thought I was in a relationship, but I was merely her nanny.”Chad swore under his breath, his eyes bloodshot, as he poured me another glass of beer.I didn’t say anything more.However, I knew that from now on, I would never be a nanny to anyone else.Life was good, being alone.One and a half months later, I moved into a newly rented apartment.It had one bedroom and one living area. At a total of 430 square feet, it wasn’t a large space,

PREV

NEXT

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP

DMCA.com Protection Status