Being Dumped by My EX, I Marriied His Older Brother-Chapter 55: The Shameless Thing Serena Kane Did 3 Years Ago
Nina Thorne’s body trembled uncontrollably. A flash of fear crossed her face as images of Cole Kane pinning her down flashed through her mind. Resistant and afraid, she instinctively flinched away.
"What’s wrong?"
Justin Kane saw her fear and was instantly filled with guilt. "I’m sorry. Did I scare you?"
Nina took a deep breath, taking a moment to calm herself. "It’s nothing. It’s my own issue."
In fact, when they got married, they had agreed that they needed to live as a proper married couple for it to be a real marriage.
Over the past month, the most they had done was kiss. Justin Kane respected her and had yet to take the next step.
"I..." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Nina’s voice was dry and hoarse as she started to speak, but Justin cut her off, stroking her cheek tenderly. "Silly girl, I was just teasing. It’s okay. We have plenty of time."
Nina stared at him, stunned. ’So, does this mean we’re not getting a divorce? That we still have a future together?’
A flutter of joy stirred in her heart at the thought.
Justin Kane stood up again, unbuttoning his suit jacket with one hand. His voice was deep and magnetic. "Father will be going to talk to Mr. Thorne about calling off the engagement in a couple of days."
"Also, he already knows we registered our marriage."
Nina was shocked. "Your father knows? Then, what about everyone else...?"
Guessing her worries, Justin said calmly, "For now, only he and Grandfather know. I’ve already handled everything, so don’t worry."
Hearing this, the weight on Nina’s chest finally lifted.
’It’s good that no one else knows.’
They had registered their marriage in a fit of pique, and she didn’t want it to affect Justin Kane’s status and image within the Kane Family.
As for herself, she didn’t really care.
After all, in their five years of dating, aside from rumors in their social circle, practically no one knew they were boyfriend and girlfriend.
The rumors flying around school just said that she was clinging to Cole Kane, having pursued him for five years without success.
Thinking about it now, it was actually for the best. More than her past with Cole Kane, she now never wanted anyone to know what a vile thing she had been forced to swallow.
...
A few days later, Ethan Kane personally brought Cole Kane to the Thorne family home to propose calling off the engagement.
Nina Thorne was also present, as Justin Kane had insisted on accompanying her.
With Justin there, Cole Kane was on his best behavior the entire time, not daring to say anything harsh. He just kept apologizing to Nina and trying to sweet-talk her.
"Nina, I just love you too much. When I heard you wanted to call off the engagement, I felt like I had no choice but to resort to such a desperate measure. Give me one more chance, and I’ll definitely prove my love for you."
"Nina, it’s been five years. We’ve been together for five years. Can you really bear to separate?"
"I was an asshole, an idiot. I’m sincerely apologizing to you. Let’s get back together. I’ll post on social media right now and make our relationship public."
"There’s no need," Nina refused flatly. "We’re here today to discuss breaking the engagement, not to watch you act."
Justin Kane sat beside Nina, and his cool, woody scent of cedar was pleasant. Breathing it in, Nina felt inexplicably at ease.
It made her words to Cole Kane even colder and more resolute.
"Second Young Master Kane, once you sign the cancellation agreement, there will be nothing more between us."
After she spoke, a mischievous thought crossed Nina’s mind: ’I really can’t wait to see the look on his face when he has to call me ’sister-in-law’ in the future.’
’Just thinking about it is so satisfying!’
Seeing that she wouldn’t yield an inch, panic flared in Cole Kane’s heart, along with the feeling that he was about to lose her for good.
He threw caution to the wind and pleaded with Master Thorne, "Grandfather, I truly love Nina. Please, I’m begging you, put in a good word for me. Ask her to give me one more chance."
Master Thorne, sitting at the head of the room, rapped his cane heavily on the floor. "You know full well how you’ve treated Nina these past five years. Someone like you, who doesn’t know how to cherish a person, is completely unworthy of her."
"My granddaughter is the apple of the Thorne Family’s eye, our treasure. I can’t even bear to say a single harsh word to her, but you... how did you order her around?"
Master Thorne was naturally imposing, his every word landing with resonant force, questioning Cole Kane until he was left speechless.
"Sign it." Nina handed the cancellation agreement to Cole. Her signature was already on it.
Cole looked as if he’d been struck by lightning. It took him a long moment to come to his senses. He took the document with a trembling hand, his eyes pleading with her. "Is there really... no chance at all?"
Nina turned her face away and said coldly, "Never again."
’The day he stood her up for their marriage registration was the day she stopped waiting for him.’
’Besides, if he hadn’t saved her all those years ago and barged into her heart, why would she have loved him so foolishly for five years, humbling herself only to be trampled on and humiliated by him?’
For the first time, Cole Kane felt the sting of heartache. The moment he signed his name, his heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife, and his hand felt as heavy as lead.
But in the end, he still signed it.
Nina took the document and handed it to the lawyer standing beside Master Thorne. "There. From now on, we have no relationship. When we meet again, you should address me appropriately."
Her words were loaded with hidden meaning. A faint smile touched Justin Kane’s lips. ’This girl... she’s becoming more and more like the fiery little spitfire she used to be.’
After the signing, Ethan Kane went to the study with Master Thorne, and they called Justin Kane to join them.
Justin knew what they were going to discuss and glanced at Nina, worried.
"Will you be okay?"
"Go on, I’ll be fine. Unless he wants you to beat him to death." Nina smiled, and a pair of faint dimples appeared, adding a touch of sweetness to her radiant features.
Her reflection filled his pupils, and a hint of tenderness softened his naturally aloof eyes.
In the end, he had Assistant Cheney stay and keep watch before heading to the study.
Nina didn’t want to be alone with Cole Kane and was about to go upstairs when he called out to her, "Nina..."
Nina glanced back indifferently. "Want to curse me out again?"
Cole frowned. He hadn’t expected Nina to think of him that way. He had always been so indulgent with her, so doting.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have let Serena Kane go abroad three years ago.
"Can’t you feel how I’ve treated you all these years?" Cole looked at her with deep emotion. "Do we really have to take things this far and break the engagement? It’s been five years. Can you really bear to throw it all away?"
"I couldn’t bear it,"
Nina sneered, "but that was in the past. Now, I wish we had called it off sooner so I wouldn’t have wasted so many good years of my life."
Seeing how heartless she was, Cole gave a bitter smile. "Then tell me, what were the last five years between us? Just because I threw a welcome-back party for Serena that day, you had to push things this far?"
"Nina, do you really hate Serena that much? You can’t tolerate her being here? If so, for your sake, I can send her abroad again..."
His words made Nina’s eyes turn cold. She cut him off. "Don’t you dare pin the blame on me! Why Serena Kane went abroad back then has absolutely nothing to do with me."
Cole just thought she was making excuses and said placatingly, "Fine, fine. If you say it has nothing to do with you, then it has nothing to do with you. Can we just let this go now?"
He took a step forward, reaching for Nina’s hand. "As long as we get back together, we can go register our marriage tomorrow. As for Serena, I’ll send her abroad again, okay?"
Nina stepped back, avoiding his hand. She looked at him as if he were a joke, her patience finally snapping. "Listen here. The reason Serena Kane was sent abroad three years ago was because she did something she shouldn’t have, and Mr. Kane was the one who sent her away. But she deliberately pinned the blame on me, causing you to resent me for years!"
"If you don’t believe me, go ahead and ask Serena Kane! See if she dares to admit to the shameless thing she did back then!"
Nina’s words were sharp, her gaze clear and cold.
Seeing that she didn’t look like she was lying, Cole’s conviction began to waver.
’What happened three years ago?’
’This shameless thing Nina said Serena Kane did... what was it?’
