Tempted by My Ex’s Brother

FOUR

Lily’s POV

He didn’t let go immediately. Just long enough to ensure I wasn’t going to fall. Then he released me, his hands gentle and precise.

“ I-I’m sorry,” I stammered, heat burning my face. “I wasn’t looking. I-uh-sorry.” Up close, I saw it clearly. This man really looked like Connor.

Not exactly. Connor’s features were softer, boyish even. While his were sharper, older in spirit, more cut from stone than skin. But something in the line of his jaw, the shape of his eyes, the way he held silence instead of filling it, it echoed Connor enough that my breath caught in my throat.

For a moment, the two images overlapped in my mind, the man I had loved for years and the stranger whose presence pulled at something inside me I didn’t have a name for.

I opened my mouth, unsure what I was even going to say—but my phone rang out loud, shattering the moment like glass on concrete. The screen lit up with Connor's name. My stomach dropped.

“ I-I have to take this,” I said quickly, stepping back.

The stranger didn’t move to stop me. His eyes only flickered once, something unreadable passing through them.

I hurried out of the hallway, out of the warm dimness of the club, and pushed through the door into the cool night air. The sudden temperature shift made me shiver. I answered on the second ring.

“Connor?”

His voice came sharp and strained.“Where are you?” The question wasn’t angry, just desperate. But desperation could be worse than anger.

“I’m out with Gabby,” I said, which was true. Just not entirely complete. “What’s wrong?”

He exhaled shakily, like he had been trying not to break until I picked up.

“She’s back." He said I didn’t need clarification. But my stomach still dropped.

“Victoria?” I asked quietly.

He didn’t answer, which was its own answer. A car passed on the street behind me, headlights washing across the pavement. I turned away from the traffic, pressing my hand to my forehead.

“When?” I asked.

“Today,” he said. “She called me. Then she—she asked to meet. So I—”

“You went,” I finished for him.

Silence. Of course, he went. He had loved her first. Hard. Stupidly. Completely. And she had left him for someone richer. Someone with connections. Someone who bought her gifts and vacations and a future she didn’t want to earn herself. The story was old, but the wound was still young.

“What happened?” I asked, voice softer.

“She cried,” he said. “She said she made a mistake. That she only left because she was scared. That she still loves me. That she was miserable without me. That she—” His voice cracked. “That she wants to try again.”

My eyes stung, but I blinked hard. “And what do you want?” I asked. It took him too long to answer. The longer it took for him to answer, the more I felt my heart aching.

“Lily, can we talk? In person? Please.”

I swallowed. “Yeah. Okay. Where?”

“Can you come to my place?” he asked.

I didn’t want to. I wanted him to come to me. To be the one who showed effort for once. But something inside me knew this was a moment I had to face, not avoid.

“Yes,” I said. “I’ll be there soon.”

“Okay,” he breathed. “Drive safe,” he said and hung up. I stood on the sidewalk for one long breath. But I turned away from the building and went back to the world I belonged to—the one I had already chosen.

---

Connor’s apartment felt smaller than usual when I arrived, even though everything was the same. He was sitting on the couch, elbows on his knees, hands clasped together. His hair was messy, not in the cute way, but the I’ve been pulling at it for an hour way. His eyes lifted when I shut the door. Those familiar brown eyes. They looked warm and tired. And I braced myself.

“Come here,” he said.

I sat across from him instead of beside him. Space mattered right now. He noticed, and thankfully, he didn’t comment.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said quietly.

“Then don’t,” I replied.

His laugh was short and miserable. “I don’t know if I can promise that.” his words broke me more than he knew.

I breathed slowly through the tightness in my chest. “Tell me the truth. All of it. No sparing my feelings. No, trying to be gentle. Just say it.” I said to him, preparing for the worst. He dragged his hands down his face.

“I loved her,” he said. “I thought she was it. I thought we were going to get married. And when she left—when she threw me away like I didn’t matter—it broke something in me. I didn’t think I could ever trust anyone again. And then you… You were the one who helped me feel like I could breathe again.”

That should have sounded loving. It didn’t. Not a choice. I inhaled slowly. “And now that she’s back?” I asked shakily.

“I don’t know,” he whispered. “I thought I was over her. I wanted to be. I really tried. But seeing her today… It messed with my head.”

My throat burned. “Do you want to get back together with her?” I asked.

His jaw clenched. He looked away. “I want to want you,” he said. “You’ve been good to me. You’re kind. You don’t leave. You don’t make everything a dramatic storm. But she… Victoria is—”

“Chaos,” I finished. “Fire. The thrill you can’t control.”

He closed his eyes. “Yes.”

I nodded. Honesty was a blade. Sharp. Clean. It hurt, but it didn’t confuse. “And you think that means you should be with her?” I asked quietly.

“I don’t know what I think,” he said. “I’m scared I’ll make the wrong choice again.”

I leaned back, folding my hands in my lap, anchoring myself. “Connor, she didn’t come back because she loves you.” My voice was soft, hiding the pain I felt.

“She came back because the rich heir dumped her. She lost the comfort she left you for. That’s not love. That’s convenience. That’s survival instinct. That’s wanting to be wanted.” I said to him ruthlessly.

He didn’t interrupt.

“You said she cried,” I continued. “But did she apologize? Did she take responsibility? Did she say what she did to you was wrong?”

He blinked, slowly.

“No,” he said. “She said she was confused and scared. That she didn’t know what she wanted.”

“Exactly,” I said. “She still doesn’t.” Then I leaned forward and took his hand.

“Connor, I’m not asking you to choose me because I’m safe. Or because I’m here. Or because I don’t cause chaos.”

He looked at me then, really looked.

“I’m asking you to choose something that grows. Something that lasts. Something that doesn’t throw you away.” I finally said. I heard his breath tremble.

“And if someday,” I added quietly, “you look at me and realize you can’t love me the way I deserve… then I’ll walk away. I won’t trap you. I won’t cling. I’ll just go.”

His eyes widened. “Lily—”

“But not for her,” I said. “Not for someone who already proved she would leave again the moment she gets something shinier.”

He nodded after a moment.

“You’re right,” he whispered. “I know you’re right.”

I exhaled, relief loosening something tight in my ribs, but exhaustion settling in its place. He squeezed my hand.

“I won’t see her again,” he said. “I’ll block her. I’ll delete her number. I’ll move forward. With you. If you’ll still have me.”

I nodded, feeling a little better. I had fought to protect my relationship. I wasn't going to lose Connor now.