Can’t Win Me Back

Jasper remained silent.

His hands balled into tight fists at his sides, trembling ever so lightly as a dark expression settled over his face.

After amoment of silence, Justin offered a casual smile, ignoring the tension on Jasper's face as he moved past him.

"Justin, I've always respected you since I was young." Jasper's voice broke the silence, hoarse and strained, with his back turned to Justin.

“There are things I can compromise on, but some matters, I can't." Justin, his back still facing Jasper, narrowed his eyes and asked, " Such as?" "My need to see her now." A fierce determination lit Jasper's darkened eyes.

"Justin, I won't deny your feelings for her.

It's none of my business.

But you have no right to stop me from seeing her either.

"If you and Ms.

Alyssa are officially together, I'll never go near her again.

You won't even need to say a word.

I'll give you both my blessings and wish you a happy life together." As Jasper said "happy life", his throat tightened, and a bitter taste of bile rose at the back of his mouth.

Still, he continued, "But as long as she's not yours, we're equals in her eyes.

her, and so can

bothers you, I'm sorry." The darkness in Justin's eyes hid any trace of emotion on his

feelings for her? You haven't let go, have

marked by a few

We may not share the same mother, but ask yourself —how have I treated you since we were kids?" "You've treated

mind, moments of warmth shared with Justin, four years his senior, a brother who

family, his life seemed bleak, as he was met with disdain from

the first to show him care, standing by him when the household staff mistreated him and offering him a

life on the

been the one sitting in the wheelchair today, unable to

see, I'll be bound to this

medications are the permanent part of it too, just to keep me

know that I don't deserve

Alyssa.

to spend time with me despite my

humans

and away from home on my own for so many years, I often

is just going

the companionship of

married, start a family, and have a happy and fulfilling

older brother, once so detached from the world, longed for a family? And the woman he wanted

Jasper's chest tightened.

orphanage, where Alyssa and Justin had shared a