Being Dumped by My EX, I Marriied His Older Brother-Chapter 28: Three Years Ago, The Reason for Going Abroad
"Hello?"
Answering the call, Nina Thorne put on a carefree air. "Justin Kane, congratulations. So, tell me, when are you coming back for the divorce?"
Justin Kane’s breathing hitched.
’I call her in the middle of the night, and she wants to talk about divorce?’
"Tell me why," Justin Kane said, his voice deep and low.
Not wanting to seem like a sore loser, Nina Thorne forced a casual laugh. "It’s a contract marriage anyway. Either of us can end it at any time."
Her eyes stung and grew hot, as if someone had thrown sand in them.
Justin Kane scoffed self-deprecatingly. ’It hasn’t even been a day, and she’s already made up with Cole Kane?’
"Are you sure?" Justin Kane asked, his voice now slightly hoarse.
"Mhm." A lump formed in Nina Thorne’s throat and her eyes reddened. Afraid he would hear her crying, she quickly hung up the phone.
"Nina Thorne..."
Justin Kane called her name softly, his voice hoarse, but he was met with the cold, steady beep of the dial tone.
His long, slender fingers tightened around his phone, his knuckles turning white. His expression darkened, becoming visibly terrifying.
When Assistant Cheney opened the door and entered, he was hit by a blast of frigid air.
"President."
Assistant Cheney’s heart leaped into his throat. He was completely baffled.
’Just a moment ago, the President was happily calling his wife. Did some major disaster strike?’
Justin Kane shot him a cold look and ordered, "Find out who my wife met with today and what she did."
’So it is about his wife.’
Assistant Cheney nodded respectfully. "Yes, President."
...
That night, Nina Thorne tossed and turned, unable to get a good night’s sleep. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
The next day, she tried to work on her script, sporting dark circles under her eyes.
Her mind wasn’t on her work; she kept writing and deleting things over and over.
After half a day, she had written less than a thousand words.
Realizing she couldn’t continue like this, Nina Thorne decided to ask Macy Lynch out for coffee.
"What happened to you?" Macy Lynch asked, spotting the dark circles under her eyes. She teased, "Is Justin Kane not home? Feeling lonely all by yourself?"
Nina Thorne looked at her and shook her head.
Macy Lynch took a sip of her coffee. "So what’s wrong?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
Before Nina Thorne could answer, Macy’s expression hardened. "Don’t tell me you’re upset because of Cole Kane’s attitude yesterday."
"Nina Thorne, are you a masochist or something?"
"A piece of trash like Cole Kane belongs in a landfill. Don’t you dare be stupid and get hung up on him again like you used to."
"..." Nina Thorne wasn’t surprised by Macy Lynch’s reaction.
In her five-year relationship with Cole Kane, she, the daughter of a wealthy family, had been so subservient that she’d lost her sense of self. It had been pathetic.
In the past, Macy Lynch had been endlessly frustrated with her for not living up to her potential.
She had even started to suspect something supernatural was at play, thinking Nina must have had a curse placed on her.
"It has nothing to do with Cole Kane."
Nina Thorne then told her about the woman who had answered the phone the previous night, and also about how Justin Kane had once mentioned there was someone he loved.
After she finished, she said calmly, "And that’s the whole story."
Macy Lynch was stunned. "Justin Kane is in love with someone? Then why on earth did he marry you?"
"I did it out of spite. He..." Nina Thorne paused. "Did it to stop his family from nagging him to get married."
Macy Lynch was well aware of how fond the Kane family’s patriarch was of Nina Thorne.
If he couldn’t marry the woman he loved, then choosing Nina Thorne was his best alternative.
If the woman from last night was truly the one Justin Kane loved, then their marriage was on very shaky ground.
Macy was both sympathetic and angry. "So what? A two-legged frog might be hard to find, but three-legged men are a dime a dozen."
"I think you need to go ask Justin Kane for a straight answer. If it’s what you think it is, then divorce him. We’ve got money, looks, great bodies—we’re not lacking a thing. We’re not going to sit around moping like some tragic heroine. Once you’re divorced, I’ll take you out to hire some male models..."
Nina Thorne’s mind was elsewhere, and she didn’t respond.
Macy Lynch’s heart sank. "Girl, don’t tell me you’ve actually fallen for Justin Kane, have you?"
Nina Thorne’s heart leaped, startled by the possibility. Was it true? She was shocked to find that she couldn’t answer her own question.
...
For two straight days, Nina Thorne was plagued by this question.
She finally came to the conclusion that her feelings for Justin Kane were a mixture of habit and dependency.
After all, in the role of a husband, Justin Kane was more than qualified. But she wasn’t going to stay in a contract marriage just because he was a "good fit."
Nina Thorne silently resolved to have a proper talk with Justin Kane as soon as he returned.
...
「On the third day」 Macy Lynch personally came to the villa to pick up Nina Thorne for the fundraiser.
The fundraiser was held right on the Sylport U campus.
A stage was built outdoors, grand in scale, with long rows of seats in front that could accommodate over a thousand people.
All the guests invited to the event were alumni of Sylport U.
They were business elites and rising stars in finance, all at the top of their game.
The venue was packed with people, and soft, melodious music played in the background.
Principal Tate was standing near the stage, surrounded by a group of students who were greeting him and chatting.
Nina Thorne and Macy Lynch also went over to say hello.
Principal Tate, his hair meticulously slicked back and wearing thin, silver-rimmed rectangular glasses, actually recognized them.
"It’s you two. I remember you."
"You’re Nina Thorne, and she’s Macy Lynch, right?" Principal Tate said with a friendly chuckle.
Nina Thorne and Macy Lynch exchanged a surprised glance.
"That’s right, Principal. It’s us."
Macy Lynch said, pleasantly surprised, "I can’t believe you still remember us."
"How could I forget? You two used to be like twins, always together," Principal Tate added with another laugh. "And Nina, your whole dramatic pursuit of Cole Kane throughout your four years here was quite memorable."
’He called it a pursuit, but we had confirmed our relationship long before that. We were dating. Cole Kane had never publicly acknowledged their relationship. The reason he gave me was that he wanted to establish his career first so he could marry me sooner. That year, I was a freshman, and he had just graduated and taken over a subsidiary of The Kane Group. I was completely brainwashed by that excuse. To make it easier to see him, I even got an apartment off-campus. Even though I had to get back to campus early every day, I still managed to act as his alarm clock, his maid... It’s only been a year since I graduated, but now, I was more desperate to put distance between us than he had ever been.’
"That was just everyone joking around back then. How embarrassing that you remember," Nina Thorne said with a placid smile.
During this, people kept coming to greet Principal Tate, and the two took the opportunity to walk away.
There were two ways to contribute at the fundraiser: donating on the spot, or making an electronic transfer to the university’s foundation.
This "fundraiser" was really just a stage for the most successful alumni to show off.
Realizing this, Macy Lynch scoffed. "How lame. If I’d known it was going to be like this, I wouldn’t have bothered coming."
Nina Thorne gave a helpless smile. "Tell me about it."
The two exchanged a look of mutual understanding, pulled out their phones, and simultaneously made their donations to the foundation. Then, they prepared to leave.
They had barely taken two steps toward the exit when Cole Kane and Serena Kane walked in side by side, with their little lackey, Corinne Kerr, trailing behind them.
Nina Thorne’s eyes darkened. ’Of all the people to run into.’
Macy Lynch lifted her chin slightly. "Looks like we can’t leave now."
Sure enough, the trio a short distance away had also spotted them.
And shamelessly, they walked right up to them.
Cole Kane glanced at Macy Lynch before his gaze landed on Nina Thorne with contempt. "Everyone here today is somebody. You’ve been graduated for a year and you’re still just a minor scriptwriter. Don’t cause any trouble today. You’ll just embarrass me."
"...?"
’Is he nuts?’
Macy Lynch gritted her teeth and shot back, "And you’re just some rich kid living off his family. What’s so impressive about that?"
Serena Kane jumped to his defense. "The subsidiary my brother manages has seen its market value soar in just three years. That’s a level of success you two could never hope to achieve."
"So what?" Macy’s gaze slid to Serena’s face, her tone mocking. "You’re awfully proud of him. Have you forgotten you didn’t even finish university before you tucked your tail between your legs and ran off abroad for three years?"
Serena Kane’s face flushed with anger. "I wouldn’t have had to go abroad if it weren’t for a certain narrow-minded person!"
Her words were clearly aimed at Nina Thorne.
"Is that so?"
Nina Thorne had no patience for Serena’s passive-aggressive act. "Why don’t we talk about the *real* reason you went abroad three years ago?"
Cole Kane froze for a second, then asked suspiciously, "What do you mean? Didn’t Serena go abroad three years ago because of you?"
