Off limits to my Italian step brother

★FIVE YEARS AGO★

Tears were pouring down Lynnette Miller's face, like an August rainstorm.

Sitting on top of her desk, she squeezed the letter in her hand, which was already soiled with her hot tears. Her body trembled as she opened the letter and proceeded to read it;

"Lynn Miller,

I understand that you're probably going to hate me after reading this. I want you to know that I have no choice but to write this letter to you, even when I know my words could hurt you.

Recently I've found myself sleepless, thoughtless, and joyless, and that's how I knew that I must stop denying what I was feeling, and start accepting that YOU happened to me. I have fallen deeply for you, I can't express how much it means with my words but there isn't another girl in school who I can stay all night thinking about, except you, Lynnette Miller.

I can't explain why I feel this way, it could be your smile that makes my sad days worthwhile, your eyes that glance like the sunset in the sky, or your voice which makes me want to come to school every morning. But one thing's for sure, you have captured my heart. And I'm sorry that it took me forever to confess.

Although, what I am most sorry about, is that you will never get to see me again. I'm leaving the country tomorrow morning with my family, and I'm going to college somewhere very far from here. I don't really know if you feel the same way about me, I hope that you do. But I want you to know, that I'll never forget you.

My heart is yours forever, Lynnette.

Love, Leone."

Leone Russo was the hottest and most popular guy in the school, and Lynn considered herself lucky to be in the same class as him.

She has had a huge crush on Leone for as long as she could remember. And the only one who didn't know that she could die for Leone was Leone himself.

But now that her dream was about to come true, now that she discovered Leone felt the same way about her, he was suddenly gone.

Life always had a way of making her disappointed.

That was the third time she read the letter in disbelief. It had been kept there by Leone himself when she took a break from class earlier.

She glanced around and realized that school had closed about thirty minutes ago and she was the only person left in the classroom. Lynn felt dejected more than ever. All the colors were dark and the only thing she could feel was her tears that couldn't stop pouring.

★★

Lynn dragged her feet to the Atoboy Korean restaurant that was just a few blocks from her school, where she was working part-time.

Even as she scuffed, her mind was deeply wrapped around the letter she read earlier. Twice she went out through the back door and cried at work.

As she was about leave work for home, she packaged some left-over Kimchi stew and Korean pork rind as she usually does. But they weren't for her— it was for her favorite person in the world. Her reason to live was her lover, who was none other than her dearest little sister, Meredith.

She was only five years old. But was also a great amount of joy to Lynnette.

Even after an uneventful day, Lynnette managed a wholesome smile when she remembered her sister, and how happy she would be when she set those beautiful orb eyes on the pork rind and kimchi stew.

Upon reaching home, she knocked at their Landlady's door, who always helped take care of Meredith's Asthmatic condition. But not the Landlady nor Meredith seemed to be around, so she went over to their apartment.

The door was open, so Lynn concurred that her lovely little sister must have returned home, probably because the landlady needed to step out for a moment.

"Did the landlady open the door for you, Sweetie?"

Her question was meant for Meredith, but no one answered.

As she walked into the apartment, she was shocked to find Meredith on the floor, struggling and gasping for air.

Lynn's hands lost grip of the leftover, and the package fell to pieces, scattered around on the floor.

Colors drained from her face. She froze and didn't know what to do for a second, then she darted over to her little sister's jerking body.

As she reached her, she tried to breathe some air into Meredith's mouth, but it was to no avail. Lynnette was sobbing uncontrollably as Meredith was lying unconsciously. She struggled to keep her sister stable while speaking to her.

"Stay with me, Meredith, Please stay with me I beg you!" Hot tears rolled in rivulets down her cheeks.

Lynnette was still sobbing as she frantically checked her bag for an inhaler, but she couldn't find it. She opened the drawer and it wasn't there too.

“Where could this darn inhaler be?” She bellowed out of frustration.

She had no idea what to do, so she pumped and pumped more air into Meredith's lungs.

Just when she thought she was succeeding, Lynn felt her sister's body become limp. She wasn't moving anymore.

"No, no please, Meredith doesn't do this to me!" She yelled out of her lungs. Hot tears poured shamelessly down her cheeks.

She shook her body, there was no movement. She shook again, but still nothing.

Lynnette didn't want to believe what her mind was whispering to her. She shook her head and carried Meredith on her back. She raced out of the apartment and took her to a clinic nearby.

Moments later, Lynn was panting and pacing back and forth with Meredith in her arms, she strongly resisted when the nurses told her to keep her little sister and wait outside. She wasn't having any of it.

As a doctor checked Meredith, he wrote something down on a note and spoke to Lynnette.

"Tell me, Kid. Where are your parents?"

She tried to respond to his question, but she didn't know how she could make him understand, that their mother works at a hotel. And she was on a night shift. Perhaps, away from her cell phone at the moment.

Still crying incessantly, she managed to reply to the doctor.

"Our parents are out of town, you can tell me whatever it is we need to do. Just please save my sister, please."

"I'm not supposed to be divulging such kind of information to you." said the doctor, in a very low tone. "And I also don't want to run into trouble with law enforcement."

He let out an exasperated sigh.

"I'm sorry to say this but, your sister has passed away about thirty minutes ago. My deepest condolences."

"You're kidding, right? Is she upset with me? I'm sorry, look I know I should have been back home earlier so this is all my fault. I would never leave you again, I promise. Just talk to me, please Meredith!"

"I'm sorry, Kid. I can't help you now."

Lynnette Miller went quiet.

Her head began to spin, and everything seemed to be moving out of its axis. She lurched forward and backward with the weight of her dead sister caving in on her trembling hands. And then, she gave in to the darkness.

Collapsing to the ground in a loud thud with Marilyn still in her arms. 1. Disagreement to agree