"Serena Kane, are you threatening ?" Cole Kane’s angry voice rang out, and Nina Thorne felt her legs about to give out.
Serena Kane said in a placating tone, "Cole, that’s not what I ant. Everyone makes mistakes. I just want you to give a chance to admit I was wrong."
"Besides, what happened ten years ago was so long ago. As long as no one brings it up, Nina Thorne will never know the truth."
In an instant, Nina Thorne felt the blood freeze in her veins.
’Could it be that Cole Kane is hiding sothing else from ?’
’And this secret... is it related to her rescue ten years ago?’
A chill ran through Nina Thorne at the thought of these possibilities.
"What are you doing standing outside the door?"
A displeased voice called out from nearby.
The voices inside the hospital room fell silent.
Startled, Nina Thorne turned toward the voice.
She saw Felicia Yates walking over, a sour expression on her face. "What are you doing here, feigning concern for Cole Kane? Weren’t you the one who couldn’t wait to break off the engagent and cut all ties with him?"
Ever since the engagent was broken, Felicia Yates’s attitude toward her had been wildly inconsistent.
Not that Nina Thorne ever expected Felicia Yates to be particularly kind to her.
"In that case, I’ll be leaving."
Not wanting to argue, Nina Thorne turned to leave.
"Nina, is that you?"
Inside the room, Cole Kane heard her voice and called out.
Nina Thorne stopped.
A mont later, Serena Kane erged from the room and glared at her. "Cole wants you to co in. He has sothing to say to you."
Nina Thorne looked at her, ignoring the hostility in Serena’s eyes and the loathing on Felicia Yates’s face, then turned and re-entered the room.
Serena Kane watched her go, saying with annoyance, "I really don’t get what Cole is thinking, getting hurt for this woman ti and ti again."
"Don’t tell Cole has actually fallen in love with her!"
Felicia Yates’s expression was resentful. "At the end of the day, she’s just a parentless nobody. Even with the Thorne Family backing her, once that old man dies, the Thornes will be picked clean."
"Ultimately, Cole Kane is ambitious. He knows Nina Thorne still has her uses, or he wouldn’t have kept what happened ten years ago a secret for so long."
Serena Kane felt much better hearing this. "But it’s her fault I can’t even go back to the Kane Family, and Grandpa dotes on that bitch!"
"You have only yourself to bla for that!"
Felicia Yates rolled her eyes at her. "Who told you to do sothing so idiotic? Being the respectable young lady of the Kane Family wasn’t good enough for you; you had to have designs on your own brother."
Hearing her mother’s rebuke, Serena Kane lowered her head in sha. She took Felicia’s hand, shaking it coaxingly. "Mom, I know I was wrong. I was young and foolish back then."
She paused, then said with a pitiful look, "My father and mother are gone. You’re the only one who truly loves . I was afraid that when I grew up, none of you would want anymore."
"I was just so scared of losing you all, that’s why my thoughts went astray back then."
Hearing this, Felicia Yates’s heart softened. She sighed. "All right. I’ll figure out a way to get Grandpa to accept you again. But in the anti, keep a low profile."
"Of course, the priority right now is to make sure Cole Kane gets Nina Thorne. Only by securing the Thorne Family’s backing can Cole establish a firm foothold in the Group."
Serena Kane nodded obediently. "I understand, Mom. By the way, Mom... aren’t you worried Nina Thorne might find out what happened ten years ago?"
She looked uneasy. "Especially since Nina Thorne has gotten so close to Justin lately. I’m really worried the truth will get out one of these days."
"That secret must not be discovered, no matter what." Felicia Yates’s eyes narrowed shrewdly as she added, "And we must find a way to make Nina Thorne and Justin Kane have a falling out."
Serena Kane was thrilled to hear this and imdiately said, "I’ll co up with sothing."
-
After entering the hospital room, Nina Thorne set the fruit on the bedside table. "Feeling any better?"
Her voice was detached, her expression devoid of any warmth.
Cole Kane’s heart clenched. He frowned. "I’m doing better. I’m so happy you ca to see ."
After a pause, he gazed at her with deep emotion and added, "The most important thing is that you’re all right."
Nina Thorne had only co to see him out of obligation for saving her life. But after overhearing their conversation at the door, she couldn’t help but feel suspicious.
"You saved my life. It’s only right that I co and see you."
Nina Thorne studied his face. "After all, I owe you my life, don’t I?"
A flicker of unease crossed Cole Kane’s mind. Fearing she had overheard sothing she shouldn’t have, he asked tentatively, "Why bring this up all of a sudden?"
"Even though I saved you back then, I never intended to use it to hold you to anything, or to make you repay ."
Unable to read his expression, Nina Thorne coolly averted her gaze. "If you don’t want to repay you, then why do you bring it up every chance you get?"
Cole Kane explained anxiously, "I just wanted to see you. You’ve blocked on everything. I had no other choice."
"Nina, it’s been five years. The five years we were together... can you really let it all go just like that?"
He looked at Nina Thorne with a wounded expression, his face crestfallen, like a pathetic puppy.
He looked as if he were so in love with her, his gaze a mixture of deep affection and heartbreak.
In the past, a look like that would have made Nina Thorne’s defenses crumble completely.
But now, a bitter feeling washed over her, and she found the sight both ironic and laughable.
She took a deep breath and let out a sarcastic laugh. "Cole Kane, weren’t you the one who personally destroyed our relationship?"
"Saying all this now just makes you look pathetic."
"Nina."
Cole Kane called out as she was about to leave. "If I hadn’t saved your life ten years ago, would you want nothing more to do with ?"
"Even if I got into that car crash yesterday because of you, you still wouldn’t have co to see ."
After asking, his hands clenched into fists, his eyes fixed on Nina Thorne’s back as he waited for her answer.
Nina Thorne stopped walking, a chill spreading through her heart.
"That’s right."
Without looking back, Nina Thorne walked away. "I wouldn’t have."
With that, she disappeared from his sight.
Cole Kane felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. It was as if a gaping hole had been blasted through his heart, with blood gushing out. He could feel with painful clarity that he was losing her.
Panic seized him. He struggled to get up and chase after her, forgetting his injuries, and tumbled right out of the bed.
A loud THUD sent Felicia Yates and Serena Kane rushing in from outside.
Both of them stared in shock.
"Cole!"
"Cole!"
They both rushed over in a panic.
"What happened? Why did you suddenly fall out of bed?"
"Did that bitch Nina Thorne do sothing to you?"
Felicia Yates and Serena Kane speculated maliciously as they helped him back onto the bed.
Once he was lying down again, Cole Kane stared at Felicia Yates with icy eyes, not saying a word. His gaze was so intense it made her skin crawl.
"Why are you looking at like that? Cole, don’t scare . What’s wrong?"
"Is this how we’ve always treated her?"
Cole Kane let out a sudden, self-mocking laugh. "So all this ti, she’s had to put up with so much from ."
Felicia Yates was dumbfounded. She stared at him in confusion. "What are you talking about? What do you an ’put up with so much’? Has that woman driven you completely mad?"
"Cole, what happened? Did Nina say sothing to you?" Serena Kane asked, not understanding.
Cole Kane closed his eyes wearily and waved a hand in dismissal. "Both of you, leave. I want to be alone."
He closed his eyes again, his mind filled with nothing but Nina.
The past echoed in his mind like a sharp knife, carving countless wounds into his heart.
The pain was a constant reminder: Nina was truly done with him.
-
In the taxi on her way back, Nina Thorne got a call from Justin Kane. "Finished visiting Cole?"
Nina Thorne sat in the back, watching the scenery fly past the window. Her expression was calm, and her voice was gentle.
"I’m on my way back now. Almost ho."
Hearing no change in her tone, Justin Kane relaxed.
"Get so rest when you get back. I’m signing the contract with Mr. Locke today, and there’s a dinner tonight, so I might be ho late."
"Okay. Don’t drink too much. You know you’ll feel awful if you do."
Nina Thorne’s gentle reminder made her sound more and more like a wife.
Justin Kane’s low chuckle ca through the phone. "Yes, my dear wife. I’ll be sure to rember. I wouldn’t dare forget."
"And make sure you eat a proper dinner tonight. Don’t think you can just get by with sothing small because I’m not ho. Miss King will be my spy."
His words might have sounded bossy, but they were filled with affection.
’He really treats like a child.’
Nina laughed and agreed. "Okay, okay, I’ll eat. I’ll eat ’til I’m stuffed."
Justin’s laugh ca through the phone. "Oh, that impressive? I’ll have to hurry back to see that performance."
They bantered back and forth, the warmth between them palpable even over the phone. It felt more and more like the easy companionship of a married couple.
Nina Thorne cherished this kind of warmth.
She hadn’t experienced a feeling like this since her mother passed away.
Back at the villa, Nina wasn’t dwelling on the day’s events.
Instead, she tried to recall the details of when she fell into the water ten years ago.
Ten years ago, her mother had just passed away.
A young, much-pampered Nina Thorne was lost in grief.
Her father, busy with work, had little ti to care for her. But wanting to pull her out of her sadness, he took her to a scenic park.
That day, the Kane brothers and Serena Kane were also there.
The adults were in a rest area discussing work. She had no interest in playing. She just sat by the lake alone, thinking about her mom and crying until her head spun.
She lost her footing on a rock and fell into the lake.
Just as she was about to suffocate, a boy appeared like a ray of dawn and pulled her from the water.
He was like the warm June sun, chasing away the gloom in her heart, and she couldn’t help but fall in love with the boy who saved her that day.
That boy was her light, giving her the strength to carry on to this day.
’But what if the one who saved her ten years ago... wasn’t Cole Kane?’
Nina Thorne’s expression grew heavy. She didn’t dare to think any further.
Just then, her phone rang. It was Serena Kane. "Nina Thorne, I know about your sordid little affair with Justin Kane. You might be able to fool everyone else, but you can’t fool ."
Nina Thorne frowned. "Did you really call just to say sothing so pointless?"
"If you’ve got that much ti on your hands, why don’t you go find a husband?"
"You!"
Serena Kane was furious. She threatened through gritted teeth, "Justin Kane seducing his own brother’s fiancée... If word of that got out, the Group’s stock would plumt. He could kiss his position at the head of The Kane Group goodbye!"
Nina’s knuckles whitened as she gripped her phone. "What do you want?"
"Relax. Right now, I couldn’t care less about you and Justin Kane. In fact, I want to propose a partnership."
"What?"
Serena Kane laughed, her voice dripping with confidence. "If you agree to work with , I’ll tell you a secret. A secret about the day you fell in the water ten years ago."
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