Being Dumped by My EX, I Marriied His Older Brother-Chapter 10: Are You a Dog? Be Gentler.

Strange.

She thought her heart would ache.

But unexpectedly, aside from the throbbing pain in her back, her heart only felt heavy, not pained at all.

Perhaps after five years of pain, she had just gone numb.

Her face was pale as she let out a sudden, cold laugh. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she straightened up without a word.

Her reaction, however, left Cole Kane with a strange, unpleasant feeling. His expression shifted slightly. ’Did I go too far just now?’

"Nina Thorne, I..."

Sensing Cole Kane’s resolve wavering, Serena Kane let out a choked sob.

"Brother, thank God you’re here. If you hadn’t come... I don’t know what Nina Thorne would have done to me."

Hearing this, Cole Kane’s fleeting moment of softness vanished into thin air.

’Nina Thorne really is too willful!’

’It’s a good thing I saw it today, that’s the only reason Serena is okay. Otherwise, who knows what Nina Thorne would have done.’

"Don’t be scared. I’m here."

Cole Kane took off his suit jacket and draped it over Serena Kane’s back before turning to glare angrily at Nina Thorne.

"Nina Thorne, you’ve really gone too far this time. Apologize to Serena. Now."

As Nina Thorne watched Cole Kane protect Serena Kane, the scene felt not just familiar, but deeply ingrained.

Four years ago, at a Kane Family dinner.

Serena Kane had deliberately leaned in to whisper insults in her ear. "Nina Thorne, you’re so pathetic. An orphan, completely useless. You used your parents’ death to get with my brother, to win his pity."

"Did your parents die on purpose?"

Nina Thorne had always had a fiery temper. Her eyes flashing red with rage, she’d raised her hand and slapped her.

Serena Kane fell to the ground, crying pitifully, her teary eyes gazing up at her as she asked:

"Nina Thorne, I know you’re upset that I’m so close with my brother, that it gets in the way of your relationship. But if you don’t like me, you could have just told me. Why did you have to hit me?"

Several of the Kane family’s cousins were present, and they all began pointing fingers at Nina Thorne.

In that instant, Nina Thorne became the target of everyone’s scorn.

Cole Kane had immediately helped Serena Kane up, not even bothering to ask for a reason before angrily scolding Nina Thorne for being willful and immature.

Unable to defend herself against the accusations, Nina Thorne had left the Kane residence in tears.

Cole Kane didn’t contact her for two days.

It was she, afraid of losing Cole Kane, who had reached out to him, apologized, and admitted fault.

In her relationship with Cole Kane, she had always been the one on the defensive, constantly afraid of losing him.

She knew that if she ever truly lost her temper, they would be over.

Recalling these past events, a wave of intense bitterness churned in Nina Thorne’s chest.

She let out a derisive laugh. "And who are you to tell me what to do? Why should I apologize?"

"What’s with that attitude? After what you did to Serena, you don’t think you should apologize?"

Cole Kane’s eyes were bloodshot. "Nina Thorne, if you keep this up, there’s no future for us!"

Hearing this, Serena Kane saw her chance.

She knew Nina Thorne’s personality all too well and immediately added fuel to the fire, feigning magnanimity. "It’s okay, Brother. I know Nina Thorne only acts this way because she loves you so much she can’t stand having me around."

"All women want to be doted on. It’s all my fault for delaying your marriage registration. It’s only natural for Nina Thorne to hold a grudge against me."

After speaking, Serena Kane lowered her head in a gesture of self-blame, while simultaneously shooting Nina Thorne a triumphant glance.

Nina Thorne saw it all, her expression completely indifferent.

Before, words like these would have provoked her into arguing her case.

But now that the love was gone, she was only just realizing.

Serena Kane’s tactics were so crude and despicable, yet every time, she had fallen into the trap and become a picture of emotional hysterics.

And in doing so, she only made herself look more spoiled and willful.

"See, Nina Thorne? Just listen!" Cole Kane accused. "Because of your tantrums, Serena still feels guilty! Just tonight, she was convincing me to come apologize to you, to cheer you up."

"And what do you do? You do this to her! You’re hopeless!"

Nina Thorne felt not a ripple of emotion. "I, Nina Thorne, was indeed wrong."

Serena Kane, thinking she was about to apologize, froze. She turned to see the tension in Cole Kane’s face easing.

"As long as you know you’re wrong. Now, give a proper apology..."

The words had barely left his mouth when Nina Thorne broke into a brilliant smile. "My only mistake was not breaking up with you sooner, to make way for you two—such a loving brother and sister, you disgusting pair."

"Nina Thorne!" Cole Kane’s pupils dilated, rage blazing in his eyes. "Say that again!"

Nina Thorne turned to leave, but he suddenly grabbed her wrist. His grip was so strong it made her wince in pain and furrow her brows.

"Cole Kane, let go."

Meanwhile, Misty Hughes had gotten worried when Nina Thorne didn’t return from the restroom and had come looking for her.

Seeing the scene before her, she rushed forward.

"What... what are you doing to Nina Thorne?"

Misty Hughes recognized Cole Kane and became so flustered she nearly bit her tongue, with no time to wonder why Nina Thorne was tangled up with him in the first place.

"Get lost."

Cole Kane’s handsome face was dark, a storm brewing in his eyes. The sight of it made Misty Hughes shrink back in fear.

"Misty Hughes, call the police."

"Oh, okay."

Misty Hughes fumbled for her phone with trembling hands and almost dialed the wrong number.

The next second, her phone was snatched from her hand and thrown violently to the ground, the screen instantly shattering into a spiderweb of cracks.

Cole Kane’s friend, Zane Jarvis, had an arrogant look on his face. "Get lost, now!"

"Why... why are you bullying us like this?" Misty Hughes was scared. She tried to grab Nina Thorne’s hand but was shoved aside by Zane Jarvis.

"This doesn’t concern you. Scram."

Zane Jarvis’s gaze was vicious, and Misty Hughes was so frightened she didn’t dare say another word.

"Zane Jarvis, are you their dog? You sure know how to bark." Nina Thorne shook off Cole Kane’s hand and pulled Misty Hughes behind her, shielding her from getting needlessly involved.

Zane Jarvis had never liked Nina Thorne to begin with.

He had been having dinner in a private room with Cole Kane and his sister. When they didn’t return for a long time, he came looking for them, only to unexpectedly find Nina Thorne.

Seeing Serena Kane looking so disheveled and wronged, his anger flared.

"Nina Thorne, you’re becoming more and more unreasonable. Serena is Cole Kane’s sister. How can you be jealous of his own sister? Don’t go too far."

"Master Jarvis, I’m fine. Don’t blame Nina Thorne. She was probably just angry when she shoved my head into the sink," Serena Kane said, seemingly explaining but actually fanning the flames.

"What? She did that to you?" Zane Jarvis truly exploded. "Cole Kane, she treated Serena like that, and you’re not going to teach her a lesson?"

"If you don’t make her kneel and apologize to Serena, she’ll just get bolder! She’ll keep bullying Serena until she’s forced to go abroad again!"

This wasn’t the first time Zane Jarvis had put on such a display of righteous indignation.

Zane Jarvis had always had a crush on Serena Kane.

When Serena Kane went abroad three years ago, Zane Jarvis had blamed it all on Nina Thorne.

For the past three years, he had constantly stoked the flames around Cole Kane, causing Cole to become increasingly neglectful of Nina’s feelings.

Urged on by Zane Jarvis, Cole Kane would never reply to her texts or answer her calls whenever he was out drinking with his friends.

Back then, people had laughed at Nina Thorne, calling her a simp, completely love-struck.

’And she really was, wasn’t she?’

Afraid that Cole Kane would break up with her, she had always silently endured it.

Nina Thorne looked at Cole Kane calmly.

’This time, she would see. Would Cole Kane really make her kneel?’

"Brother..." Serena Kane whispered, carefully tugging on Cole Kane’s sleeve, looking utterly wronged and frightened.

Just as expected, Cole Kane’s hesitation vanished. He spoke to Nina Thorne mercilessly.

"After what you did to Serena, kneeling to apologize is only right. Nina Thorne, give her a proper apology, and I’ll consider going to get our marriage license with you again."