Being Dumped by My EX, I Marriied His Older Brother-Chapter 45: Apology Video

Justin Kane’s low, husky voice sent Nina Thorne’s thoughts drifting back three years.

That night three years ago was Cole Kane’s birthday.

Serena Kane hadn’t gone abroad yet and had taken the opportunity to ply Nina with drinks, getting her nearly wasted.

In her daze, she had mistaken Justin Kane for Cole, clinging to him like an octopus, rubbing her face against his and slurring drunkenly.

She and Cole had been young back then. Even though they were together, they had only ever held hands and never done anything more intimate.

But that night, Nina had been unusually bold and proactive. She’d pestered the man she thought was Cole, asking for hugs and pecking his face again and again.

Eventually, they kissed. It was Nina’s first kiss...

That was also the night a major incident occurred within the Kane Family.

Afterward, Justin and Serena Kane both went abroad, one after the other. In the blink of an eye, three years had passed.

...

Nina snapped back from her thoughts, momentarily embarrassed. She explained in a low voice, "I didn’t mean to do that that night..."

"It’s fine,"

Justin Kane’s hand on her back tightened, and his warm, moist breath seared the shell of her ear. "Now we can do what married couples are supposed to do, legally and legitimately."

Nina stared at him, stunned. Their bodies were pressed so close she could feel his warmth through their clothes, and her heart began to race again.

Her heart had been pounding erratically for the past two days. She deliberately dodged his comment. "We’re technically a fake couple, right? We shouldn’t have to... do that sort of thing?"

Nina said, pushing against his firm chest with both hands.

Justin’s eyes darkened. The pressure from his hand increased as he pulled her firmly into his arms. "Have you forgotten what I said?"

Nina looked at him, confused, and heard him repeat in a husky voice, "I told you. We are married, and we need to do what married couples do."

His directness left Nina speechless.

’Right now?’ she thought.

’It seems too fast.’

’He was gentle and responsible, but she couldn’t help worrying that the moment the woman he loved returned, he would cast her aside.’

At this thought, Nina’s heart sank, and her expression dimmed.

Seeing her reaction, Justin assumed she still wasn’t over Cole. An emotion flickered in his bottomless dark eyes, and he suddenly let her go.

"It’s all right. I won’t force you." Justin’s expression was grim. He didn’t look angry, but he did seem a little disappointed.

When Nina looked at him again, he had already regained his composure. He quirked a corner of his lips. "Are you sure you don’t need my help with the ointment?"

Convinced that she had misread his expression, Nina felt a strange pang of unease.

She pursed her lips and shook her head. "I don’t need the ointment. It’ll heal on its own soon."

Justin hummed in acknowledgment, his voice even. "Get some sleep. You can get up later for dinner."

Nina meekly agreed.

Justin’s dark eyes lingered on her for a moment. He smiled, reached out to gently tap the side of her nose, and then left the room.

「Two days later.」

It was the day Nina Thorne was scheduled to sign her contract with Reagan.

Nina went to the Reagan offices. The manager she met with was named Susan Foster, a gentle-looking woman who appeared to be in her early thirties, with a pleasant rather than stunning face.

After going over a few points as per procedure, both parties quickly signed the agreement. Susan Foster was polite and courteous to Nina throughout the entire process.

Nina’s first impression of the company was quite good. Susan told her the final manuscript just needed to be submitted within twenty days. Nina agreed and left Reagan’s offices.

As Nina walked out of the ground-floor lobby, she got a call from Macy Lynch, who sounded incredibly excited. "Nina, quick, look at the Sylport U forum! There’s a surprise."

Without hanging up, Nina opened the link to the Sylport U forum. A large banner on the homepage jumped out at her, the bold text reading: We Hereby Sincerely Apologize to Nina Thorne!

Seeing her name, Nina clicked on the banner out of sheer impulse. A video popped up, showing several people taking turns to apologize.

They were the very same male classmates who had previously spread rumors about Nina and viciously attacked her at the fundraiser.

After watching their apology video, Nina felt nothing. She closed the window and went back to her call with Macy.

Nina remarked sarcastically, "Well, pigs must be flying. I can’t believe those self-righteous jerks would actually apologize."

Macy said, "I heard they’re in a really bad spot. The ones with jobs got fired, and the ones with small companies went bankrupt. Babe, do you think it was your guy who made a move?"

Nina recalled something Cole had mentioned before. She suspected it might have been Justin’s doing, but she wasn’t entirely sure.

She didn’t dwell on it, her eyes turning cold. "Whatever the reason, the fact is they were in the wrong. If ’sorry’ fixed everything, what would we need the police for?"

It wasn’t just them. She was also going to sue Cole Kane and Todd Grant to the very end for stealing her manuscript.

Macy made a little whimpering sound of joy. "Yes! This is the girl I used to know! That’s right, that’s how you should be! Babe, this is great. The old you is finally back."

Nina couldn’t help but laugh, telling her she was being too dramatic. But after the laughter faded, a pang of bitterness settled in her heart.

’That’s right,’ she thought. ’I’ve changed so much over the years. But it’s okay. I’m still me, and I’ll keep getting better.’

After finishing her call with Macy, Nina hailed a cab back to the villa. On the way, she received a WeChat message from Justin Kane.

Scumbag 2.0: Done with work?

Nina had mentioned the contract signing to Justin, so she quickly replied: Yeah, just finished.

Scumbag 2.0: Heading home?

Scumbag 2.0: My parents are coming home on Wednesday, the day after tomorrow. They’ll probably want to talk to you. Have you thought about what you’re going to say?

Nina couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation. ’They’re finally coming back.’

She quickly typed a reply: Yeah, I can handle it.

After sending the message, Nina glanced at his contact name.

Since the incident with Vanessa Walsh had been a misunderstanding, Nina quickly changed Justin’s contact info and deleted the nickname. His actual WeChat name appeared: JT.

’Kane, Thorne?’

’I must be going crazy,’ Nina thought. She was always overthinking things lately. Justin’s WeChat name had been JT long before they got married.

...

The next day, Nina spent the entire day at home writing her script. Inspiration was flowing, and she managed to write nearly ten episodes.

But after staring at the computer for so long, her neck was incredibly sore. She rolled her head a few times and stood up to stretch.

Just then, Miss King came to call Nina for dinner, and only then did she realize it was already past six in the evening.

Around four o’clock, Justin had sent her a message saying he had a business dinner and would be back late, so she shouldn’t wait up for him.

Nina felt he had been particularly busy the past couple of days. Last night, she had wanted to ask him about her former classmates’ apology on the Sylport U forum.

But he still hadn’t returned by the time she went to sleep. When she woke up this morning, he had already left for the office.

Nina suddenly had the strange feeling that she hadn’t seen him in a very, very long time.

Just as Nina finished dinner, her phone rang. It was Mrs. Kane.

"Nina, it’s been a while. How have you been? That boy Cole hasn’t been giving you any trouble, has he?" Mrs. Kane’s voice was gentle and concerned.

They hadn’t spoken in a long time, but there was no awkwardness between them. Nina replied, "Yes, I’m doing well. How about you, Mrs. Kane? I heard you and Mr. Kane are coming back tomorrow?"

Nina deliberately sidestepped the question about Cole, figuring it was better to discuss it in person.

Mrs. Kane’s voice was warm. "Your uncle and I are doing very well. It’s thoughtful of you to ask."

Mrs. Kane then told Nina that they had taken an earlier flight and were already back in Sylport. She asked Nina to come over to the Kane family home for dinner the next day.

Then Mrs. Kane added, "Nina, that boy Cole is still immature. If he’s done anything wrong, you must tell me and your uncle about it tomorrow. We’ll teach him a lesson for you."

Nina could tell from her tone that Cole must have already told them she was trying to break up with him.

From Mrs. Kane’s attitude, it was clear she planned to talk Nina around and smooth things over, just like every other time for the past five years, coaxing her until the issue was forgotten.

But this time was different from all the rest.

She was determined to break off the engagement. There was no way she would take back a piece of trash like Cole.

Nina agreed in a placid tone, "Alright, Mrs. Kane. I’ll be there tomorrow."