Betrayed? I Upgraded to His Billionaire Brother novel Chapter 3

Chapter 03

“Yeah,” I said, my voice flat. I pointed to the nightstand. “He ripped up my family photo. The only one I had.”

Zane froze for a second. You could practically see the gears grinding in his head as he realized this wasn’t just some kid’s tantrum.

He reached out like he was going to touch my hair, some half-baked gesture of comfort. I jerked my head back. Seeing me still pissed, his tone got all soft and placating.

“My fault. I’ll make sure Max apologizes too. Okay? Look, I’ll make it up to you. Whatever you want.”

I looked up at him and felt a cold smile twist my lips. “Anything?”

“Name it,” he said, nodding, already looking relieved. Like this was just another problem he could throw money at.

“Then I want these two things.” I handed him the two documents I’d been holding.

He glanced at the first one—a property transfer deed. Didn’t even blink. Just scrawled his signature across the bottom. No hesitation. When it came to paying people off, he was always generous.

For the second document, he didn’t even bother reading it. Just flipped straight to the last page and signed with a flourish, like he was too important for the fine print.

Once he was done, he let out this sigh, like a huge weight was off his shoulders. Then he slid his arm around my waist and pulled me into his chest. “Elara,” he murmured, his voice all smug. “How did your brother manage to raise you to be so… understanding?”

The touch made my skin crawl. I was about to shove him off when there were two quick knocks on the half-open door.

The second it swung open and Zane saw who was there, his arms unlocked. He didn’t just let me go—he pushed me away from him. Like I was something contagious.

It took me a second to process the shove. Then it hit me. Of course.

To prove his loyalty to his true love, he could go three years without laying a hand on his own wife. Now, with her living under the same roof, he couldn’t risk being caught in anything that looked even remotely intimate.

At the door, Amelia stood looking all sweet and concerned. “Zane, Max is asking for you. He says he can’t sleep without you.”

“I’ll be right there,” he told her, his voice dropping into that gentle tone he never used with me. He glanced back at me. “You’re… not mad, are you?”

“Of course not,” I said, my voice even.

The moment he turned and left, I pulled out the second document he’d signed without a second thought.

The divorce agreement.

I guess I really was well-behaved and understanding. I’d even done him the courtesy of drafting the papers myself and handing them to him personally.

The next morning.

My internal clock dragged me awake. The moment I drew back the curtains, a solid sheet of white glared back at me.

The forecast hadn't called for snow.

But this first snowfall was a heavy one, blanketing everything as far as I could see. Even through the glass, I could feel the bitter cold seeping into the room.

I’d just pulled on a knit dress and was halfway through washing up when a god-awful racket erupted from downstairs. It sounded like someone was tearing the damn place apart.

"Mary, what's going on out there?"

I casually pinned up my long hair and pushed my door open. I didn't even get the whole question out before I stopped dead.

This wasn't a renovation. It was a full-on disaster zone.

The usually spotless house looked like it had been ransacked. Living room cushions were strewn all the way to my bedroom door, stained with some unidentifiable dark gunk. The vase that usually sat at the foot of the stairs was in a million pieces on the floor. The ridiculously expensive oil painting on the wall was now splattered and completely ruined.

Mary was practically begging, chasing after Max. "Young Master Max, please don't touch that! That's the Madam's favorite tea set—"