Four Brothers and a Bride

Chapter 55

Chapter 55: Chapter 55

ASHAL

"Are you angry right now, Mr. Rollins?" Dr. Welsh asks. She is a good-looking woman in her early forties with a sophisticated bent. She sits across from me, one leg crossed in front of the other with a pen and book in her hands. While laying on my back on the tuxedo sofa, I squeeze my stress ball harder and exhale deeply.

"I think so. A little bit."

"What are you angry about right now?"

"It’s not what, it’s who." I shut my eyes to pretend I am talking to myself in an empty room where no one can judge me, hoping that way I can express myself better.

"I am angry at the woman I love. We um...we attended a birthday party together. Before that, she promised me that she wouldn’t try socializing with certain people at the party. I left her by herself for a few minutes during the party to handle some things and when I got back to her, she was exactly where she said she’ll be."

"Keep going."

"The thing is, she broke her promise and did converse with the people she promised to stay away from...and she didn’t tell me about any of it. I had to find out from my brother and it made me look stupid."

I can’t believe Olivia spoke to Ashton and Demi. I can’t stop myself from wondering who else she must have talked to at that party. Why did she talk to them? Why did she intentionally omit that little detail when we discussed the party afterwards on our way to the penthouse? I am so pissed.

"Okay." I hear Dr. Welsh scribbling in her notebook. "Have you had a chance to talk to her about this?"

"I am too angry to. I don’t want to lose myself when I am around her and hurt her and I can’t talk to my brothers either because I lied to them to defend her. That’s why I’m back here."

"I understand, Mr. Rollins and I am very glad you resumed our sessions. Now, let’s circle back a bit. Can you tell me the exact emotions you felt when you discovered the woman you loved and trusted had lied to you?"

"Anger, obviously. Betrayal. Pain." A little pause. "This doesn’t count as an emotion but I did feel unloved." The last statement feels heavy in my mouth.

"Unloved?

"Yes. I tend to doubt her feelings for me whenever she lies to me."

"Is this peculiar to your relationship with her or extends to other people in your life?"

"I wouldn’t say it’s peculiar to my relationship with her." I shift uncomfortably. "It’s a thing with me. I tend to doubt people’s affection for me and it doesn’t help when they lie to me."

"How long have you been feeling this way? Was it before this relationship or after it?

I exhale deeply. "Long before. My brothers and I grew up under our father’s iron fists. He is very good at showing us tough love, as they say. There were four of us with this face and every day, the challenge of being on father’s good books grew steeper. I was also dealing with bullies at school during that period. It was just a lot of pressure for me. Despite being the son of a wealthy businessman, I felt like my father constantly pitted my brothers and I against one another to secure his affection. Then, something happened in school."

"What happened?"

"I beat up my bullies in school. I don’t recall how it went down but the boys were deathly scared of me afterwards. My brothers and I even had to change schools because of my action. That’s when my entire family really started to look at me differently. I mean, I always wanted to be a little different from my brothers growing up but that was not what I had had in mind when I thought of making my own mark one day. They all looked at me like I was a freak, especially father. I’ve always felt unloved and unworthy ever since."

"How has this affected your relationships with women?"

"I constantly feel like I have to work twice as hard as my brothers to get a woman to want me for the long haul, you know. This face and body mostly attract women who don’t want me for just me. It attracts women who want to be with me for my name, fame and money. I don’t mind that but then I worry my BPD wills scare them away. Unlike my brothers, I actually want to build a life with the one woman I cherish but my condition keeps driving a wedge between us. I always feel inadequate because of it. I feel unworthy because of it. To make matters worse, she’s in love with one of my brothers." I hate how pathetic my voice sounds at the end.

"Are you also angry at your brother?"

"No. He doesn’t want anything to do with her."

Dr. Welsh continues to pick my mind apart and uncover layers of hurt I didn’t even realize I had.

"Do you think your anger might be masking another emotion like fear or shame? Fear that you aren’t worthy of being loved just like your brothers? Shame over the things your anger has driven you to do in the past?"

here. This is exactly why I can’t keep up with my appointments with Dr. Welsh. Though our sessions are helpful, it’s

a particular situation. I agree to take a walk to blow off steam and

my therapist said. I need to stick with my sessions till I

with me or is she doing it because she thinks Asher has completely moved on from her? What will happen if he randomly

on her rather than going through Lily. For this, I got a second phone number that only has her number

how are you?" I pipe into

I’m taking an online cooking class." Olivia replies with a low chuckle. "It’s not going so well. I

okay. You’re learning. Lily can

me. She’s been sick all morning. Poor

her out of there so

like that." Then in a low whisper. "It’s

with Olivia and the security team. She only steps out to pick up groceries delivered at the gate. Unless she’s had sexual relations with any of the bodyguards, there’s no other boyfriend outside the four walls of the penthouse who could be responsible for her pregnancy. If she hasn’t been cozying up to any of the guards, then it has to be that

out of my forehead. "How? Has she been seeing any of the security

Olivia counters enthusiastically. "She is very professional with them. She already told me it belongs to her lover. She’s only ever been with him. It’s his baby and she plans on

"Her lover?"

so in love with him, Ashal. I can see it in her eyes when she talks about him and rubs her flat stomach in circles. She’s excited about the little family they’re going to

can Lily do this? I can’t let her tear me and Olivia apart, not after everything

you be

of is how she still hasn’t spoken a word about talking to my family members at Demi’s party. I honestly hope she can bring

have to rectify at all costs. I need to speak to her first and clear up some things. I dial Lily’s number next and she picks up almost immediately. She greets me gaily

tells me you aren’t feeling too strong. Are you really

"Yes sir."

a bonus so you can have enough to support yourself and your child while I get someone to replace

"R-Replace me?"

didn’t think you were going to be walking around pregnant and barefooted, did you? Need I remind you that you are a live-in housekeeper who is expected to double as a friend to my wife and keep her company?

father, sir. The night we spent together..." Her voice wavers with tears. "I haven’t been with anyone else...I am

done later, the DNA match will be a 98-99.9%? Is that what you are saying, Lilian DeMarco? You haven’t had any kind of relations with any other man in that building? You better think twice before you lie to me. If there’s even a slight chance that someone else could have fathered your child, now is a good time to talk because if you make me go down the path of a paternity test, it won’t

small gasps. "You are the only one who didn’t use

house! Go figure it out with your child’s father. I don’t want you around Olivia. Please

don’t fire me...I have nowhere else

baby are you really

she utters quietly.

one of the guys from the security

you lie

make a great father for mine if you believed you had fathered it. I’m so

Olivia in the family and getting father to accept

***

vanity mirror. She looks stunning in the bodycon dress I sent over. She’s is almost ready for our big date and smells so nice. "That’s not possible. How did you get through security? My husband

a tight frown. Still, I

he wasn’t looking and came in here pretending to be him. Don’t worry,

thinking. "Yes, I borrowed his car too obviously.

you want from me? We’re done. I am with Ashal now. He loves and cherishes me more than

say that, Liv. You’re breaking my

the pieces. Get out or I’ll scream

I’d hate my guts too but please hear me out before you make me leave. You have everything confused. Contrary to what you thought, I didn’t abandon you or deny you. That’s far from the truth. Liv, I

care. Get out, Asher

eyes dim with curiosity now. "When I came by that day, I wanted to see you. I came to tell you that everything I had been putting in place for us to have a life together was coming to fruition. I had managed to convince my father that I will be a better

family with him. He even said mother was a witness. I couldn’t believe it. I was too shocked and angry to realize that I had put in so much effort for us only to be betrayed

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