Stolen love: In love with my sister 's fiance-Chapter 17: don’t call me father

As Elaine and Adrian arrived back at college, the day had already ended. Students were heading home, the campus slowly emptying out. But as Elaine reached the entrance, she came to an abrupt stop.

Her car was waiting, as usual, but this time, standing beside it were two figures she never expected to see—her father and Alexander.

Her heart sank. They must have heard the rumors. The scandal of her being a mistress's daughter had spread like wildfire, and although the college had been warned that anyone who leaked it outside would face legal consequences, the damage was already done.

Taking a steadying breath, she walked toward them, masking her emotions as best as she could.

Her father's sharp gaze landed on her, his expression stern and unreadable. "Where have you been?" he demanded coldly. His eyes flicked toward Adrian for a brief second before turning back to her. "And with that boy?"

Elaine clenched her jaw. She knew exactly what he meant by that tone—disapproval, disgust, and a reminder of her place. Keeping her voice neutral, she replied, "We just went to the other side of town to print my files."

Her father studied her for a moment before saying, "Get in the car."

She obeyed without another word, slipping into the back seat as her father took his place beside her. Alexander, to her surprise, got into the driver's seat.

The car moved forward in silence, but Elaine could feel Alexander's gaze on her through the rearview mirror. There was something in his eyes—longing, pain—but she didn't understand why. He had no right to look at her like that, not after everything.

Then, her father's voice cut through the tense air. "I don't want to hear anything about you associating with that boy again." His words were clipped, laced with warning. "You're here to study, not to engage in anything that might damage my reputation."

Elaine scoffed internally, her fingers curling into fists. His reputation. That was all he ever cared about. His so called reputation, status and nothing else matter.

She turned her face toward the window, her voice hollow as she replied, "Yes, father".

There was a pause before her father spoke again, this time colder than before. "And don't call me father."

Elaine swallowed the lump in her throat, her chest tightening with suffocation.

She nodded in agreement in her head as she thought, he doesn't deserve to be called father.

Here she was, trapped in a car with two men who had broken her beyond repair.

Her so called 'father'—a man who had never been a 'father', a man whose betrayal had ruined lives. And Alexander—a man who had crushed her heart, only to look at her now as if he had the right to mourn over what he had lost.

She let out a quiet, bitter exhale, keeping her eyes fixed on the passing streets.

She had done nothing wrong, yet the world chose to punish her for simply being born.

If people wanted to taunt someone, they should taunt her father—the man who couldn't keep his pants up, the man who had ruined everything.

Not her. Never her.

---

As their villa came into view, Elaine felt an overwhelming urge to escape. She had already endured enough at college, and she had no energy left to deal with anything else.

Without a word, she pushed open the car door the moment they stopped and stepped out, her pace quick and determined. She didn't look back—didn't want to see the cold indifference on her father's face or the conflicted gaze in Alexander's eyes.

Alexander, however, hesitated for a moment before stepping out as well. He wanted to talk to her, to finally apologize for that day—for everything.

But Elaine didn't stop.

She was done listening. Done hoping.

And most of all, done letting them hurt her.

---

That night, Elaine didn't come down for dinner. She stayed in her room, her appetite lost to exhaustion and the weight of the day.

Alexander, however, found himself lingering at the dining table longer than usual, waiting—though he wouldn't admit it even to himself. Olivia's chatter faded into background noise, something he never cared for, and his father-in-law's disapproving gaze did little to faze him.

Frustrated with it all, he finally stood and left.

As he walked outside, his eyes instinctively drifted toward her balcony. And there she was—standing still, gazing up at the moon, lost in her own world.

For the first time, something deep stirred within him, something heavier than like, something he had tried—was still trying—to deny.

Without thinking, he pulled out his phone and called her.

He watched as the screen lit up in her hands. She glanced at it but made no move to answer. The phone rang twice, then three times, before she finally pressed the call.

"Come down to the garden," Alexander said, his voice quieter than usual, almost pleading.

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Elaine hesitated, gripping the railing. But after a moment, she sighed, pushed away from the balcony, and made her way downstairs.

She didn't know why she was going.

And he didn't know why he had asked.

But for now, neither of them questioned it.