Brothers Want Me Back novel Chapter 4

Surrounded by people who dared to call themselves her family, Elaine felt nothing but disgust. Their presence alone made her skin crawl.

Meanwhile, Shawn had a fleeting thought: they'd been sitting there this whole time, and no one noticed Elaine's IV bag had run empty.

If it were Bianca, he'd have caught it immediately, doting on her like she was made of glass. But the thought passed as quickly as it came—dismissed without a second glance.

Tracy, however, wasn't as composed. Elaine's defiance had her fuming, her anger barely contained.

Shawn, on the other hand, dismissed Elaine's talk of leaving as childish. To him, this was just another tantrum. She'd come crawling back eventually—she always did. He figured this was just a family spat in her eyes, nothing more.

After getting her IV bag replaced, Elaine didn't return to the room. Instead, she headed to the rooftop, desperate for fresh air and a moment of peace.

But peace wasn't in the cards—because waiting for her there was Bianca.

Bianca stood dressed to perfection, like some textbook femme fatale. Her Hermès bag dangled from her arm, her makeup flawless, her beauty dripping with seductive charm.

And standing right next to her was none other than Finley Scott—Elaine's fiancé and the so-called male lead of this twisted story.

The backstory was laughable. Finley had been engaged to the Yeats family's daughter since birth, but because Bianca wasn't their biological child, the Scott family hesitated about the match.

So the Yeats family brought Elaine back from the countryside to take Bianca's place. At the time, Bianca conveniently went abroad, and Finley had been forced to end things with her.

But his heart was never Elaine's to begin with.

Bianca was his first love, his childhood sweetheart, his perfect "white moonlight." Even now, as Elaine's fiancé, Finley's heart still belonged to Bianca.

To Elaine, he was cold, distant, even cruel. And any rare moment of kindness felt more like pity than anything else. Yet the old Elaine had clung to those scraps, grateful for the crumbs he threw her way.

But Bianca's charm was blinding. Whenever she was around, Elaine ceased to exist. Her return turned Elaine's already bleak world into a shadowy void.

Bianca wasn't just adored by Finley; she had a line of men at her feet, willing to do anything for her.

With her glowing "heroine" aura and her endless admirers, Elaine couldn't help but scoff. 'How was I ever supposed to compete with that?'

"Sis?" Bianca's soft, syrupy voice broke the silence. She turned slightly toward Finley, a flash of unease crossing her face before she quickly masked it with a graceful smile.

"Sis, don't misunderstand," she said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "I just ran into Finley downstairs, that's all."

Elaine didn't respond. In the past, she might've argued, yelled, or tried to prove her point. But now? Nothing. Her heart was still and quiet, like a calm sea after a storm.

Finley, however, looked irritated. His brows furrowed, his tone sharp. "Elaine, stop making something out of nothing," he snapped. "There's nothing going on between Bianca and me."

Elaine thought back to the girl she used to be—the one who tried so hard to please him, to win his approval, to fit into his world. The girl who'd been ridiculed online as a desperate, clingy fiancée chasing after a man who didn't want her.

"Elaine, I—" Finley started again, as though he had more to say.

But the elevator chimed, cutting him off. The doors slid open, and Elaine stepped in without hesitation. She didn't spare him or Bianca another look.

To her, they were nothing now. Absolutely nothing.

For a moment, both Finley and Bianca stood frozen, stunned by her indifference.

"What's up with her?" Bianca murmured, her tone laced with confusion, though a hint of curiosity crept in.

Finley narrowed his eyes slightly before letting out a sigh. "Probably just in a bad mood," he said dismissively.

But deep down, the way Elaine had blatantly ignored him didn't sit right. It was a first. She used to treat him like he hung the moon, always so eager to please.