Chapter 25
Shawn couldn’t deny it what bothered him the most wasn’t the events unfolding around him, but Elaine’s attitude. It had completely changed from what it used to be.
And the drastic shift left Shawn feeling unmoored, unable to adjust.
In the back of his mind, Shawn couldn’t help p but wonder, ‘Has Elaine really decided to sever ties with the family? Is that why she’s so distant now?”
Because Elaine didn’t care anymore, nothing they did, as her brothers, seemed to affect her in the slightest.
When Shawn first heard about Kingsley, he was stunned and unable to believe it. But Elaine’s calm, indifferent expression betrayed nothing–not joy, not sorrow. Her emotions were buried so deeply that his initial disbelief turned into a cold, hostile laugh.
Shawn’s immediate reaction was fear that if Elaine married well, she would look down on Bianca or even use it as an excuse to bully her.
Shawn warned, his tone sharp, “Elaine, don’t think just because Kingsley proposed and wants to marry you, you’re suddenly the future Mrs. Morgan: and can start acting all high and mighty. Let me remind you–you’re still just a daughter of the Yeats family for now.
“Even if you do become Mrs. Morgan someday, don’t even think about stepping all over Bianca or trying to make her life difficult. Because if you do, we’ll make sure you pay for it. Got it?” Shawn intended it as both a warning and a reality check
As soon as Shawn’s words landed, Harlan’s expression shifted, alarm written all over his face.
“Shawn! Just stop already, would you?” Harlan interrupted, his voice carrying a max of urgency and frustration, as though he was desperate to stop Shawn from saying anything more hurtful.
In this delicate moment, Shawn’s harsh words felt like pouring fuel onto a fire.
Harlan’s breathing quickened, and he didn’t dare look directly at Elaine, afraid of what he might see in her reaction
Shawn, clueless about the undercurrents in the room, only frowned at Harlan, confused by his sudden outburst.
But Elaine simply stood there, calm and unmoved, a faint smile on her lips as she shook her head slightly.
“Shawn,” Elaine said softly, her tone steady. “I hope you listen carefully because this is the last time I’ll call you that.”
Then Elaine laughed a strange, almost chilling sound–yet she looked as radiant as ever, her beauty undiminished.
Her reaction left Shawn uneasy, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on why. Something about her felt off
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Shawn asked, his voice low.
Shawn was reminded, oddly, of the first time Elaine had come home. Back then, he’d refused to let her call him her brother. And now, here she was, telling him this was the last time she ever would.
“It means nothing.” Elaine replied, her voice calm but resolute. Tm just reclaiming my rightful place. From now on, you won’t have to deal with the discomfort of hearing me call you my brother because it won’t happen again.”
Elaine continued, “When I marry Kingsley, we’ll be strangers. My time in the Years household has been nothing more than a temporary stay. And since we’ll be strangers, you’ll have no right to tell me what to do.
“Whatever I choose to do, even if I really did make life hard for Bianca, it wouldn’t concern you. From this moment on, we’re done. Completely
Elaine’s words hit like a hammer. Even Harlan felt a deep unease as her declaration echoed in the room, her tone so cold and absolute. And Shawn, for once, was left speechless, struggling to believe his cars
Harlan opened his mouth, desperate to say something to defuse the tension. But the unyielding determination in Elaine’s expression stopped him. He scratched his head in frustration, a sense of helplessness setting over him.
How does it come to this? Harlan thought bitterly. “She’s our sister–how could things have spiraled so far out of control?
Meanwhile, Shawn nearly laughed out loud, his lips curling into a tight, angry smirk. “When has she become so defiant, so combative?” he thought.
All Shawn had wanted was to keep her grounded, to stop her from getting carried away. But instead, Elaine had turned the tables on him, severing ties completely.
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Chapter 25
Shawn couldn’t believe her audacity. Is this her way of drawing attention to herself?” he thought.
Then Shawn thought back to how Elaine used to act–getting into fights, hanging out with local troublemakers, doing whatever she could to get noticed. And now, here she was, rejecting him outright.
Shawn thought grimly, recalling how much he’d hated hearing her call him “brother” when she first arrived. And yet, somehow, it didn’t feel like a victory
Suddenly. Shawn’s mood became indescribably subtle and complex. He muttered. This is what I wanted, isn’t it?”
“Don’t want this suddenly younger sister to cling to me and call me “brother,” as it feels annoying and unfamiliar.
“Fine. Just don’t regret this later. With that, Shawn turned and walked out, his expression cold and unyielding.
To him, Bianca would always be his sister. But Shawn had no idea that regret would never belong to Elaine–it would belong to him.
Elaine watched him leave, her expression serene, even faintly amused. His exit felt like a weight had lifted from her shoulders, leaving her strangely light
“Harlan!” Harlan called out, his voice tinged with urgency, still trying to stop Shawn. He didn’t want regret to haunt Shawn. Because, deep down, he could tell that Elaine had truly changed.
The way Elaine spoke, the way she carried herself–it all felt unsettlingly real. And Harlan feared that everything she said, every word of finality. was no longer just a fleeting outburst.
“We’re done.” The weight of those words pressed heavily on Harlan’s chest, echoing the time Elaine had told him she wanted to cut all connections with the Yeats family.
And now, Elaine had said it again–declaring that her stay in the family home was temporary and that once she married into the Morgan family. she’d become nothing more than a stranger to them all
Everything about Elaine lately had made Harlan uneasy. But Shawn didn’t stop to listen. Without so much as a backward glance, he walked out, leaving Harlan’s words hanging in the air.
As Shawn’s footsteps faded, Elaine felt as though the room had been swept clean of suffocating tension. The air around her seemed fresher, and lighter, and she couldn’t help but feel an odd sense of joy.
Elaine’s heart, once so soft and vulnerable, had hardened into concrete. And now, seeing the way Shawn had stormed off, clearly infuriated by her words, she allowed the faintest smirk to curve her lips before her expression fell back into its calm, unbothered state
“Elaine,” Harlan called after Shawn had gone, his voice hesitant. His conflicted gaze landed on her. “Do you really like Kingsley?”
Elaine looked at him, surprised by the question “Does it matter whether I do or not she asked, her tone almost dismissive.
“Of course it matters!” Harlan exclaimed, his voice rising with emotion. “You should only marry him if you love him. If you don’t.. you’ll never be happy.
Harlan suddenly felt a wave of fear rising in his chest. What if Elaine is only choosing to marry Kingsley to leave the Years Family with a legitimate
Harlan had heard about Kingsley’s reputation. On paper, the man seemed perfect, with wealth, status, and power, but his name also carried darker whispers. People said he was volatile, obsessive, and brooding. Could anyone really find happiness in marrying a man like that
“Happy!” Elaine repeated, as though tasting the word for the first time. Then she let out a short, humorless laugh. “I don’t even know what that is. But I do know one thing–leaving this house will be the closest I’ve ever come to it.
Elaine’s voice was calm, her tone devoid of any noticeable emotion. This wasn’t a statement meant to provoke or dramatize. It was simply how she saw the world, as plain and matter–of–fact as stating the sky was blue.
But to Harlan, her words carried the naivety of someone who didn’t fully grasp the gravity of what she was doing. Elaine sounded like a girl blinded by her desperation for freedom, entirely oblivious to the consequences of marrying a man like Kingsley,
Elaine might not understand what such a marriage entailed, but what she did know–and what she clung to–was that marrying Kingsley would finally give her the freedom to leave the Yeats family behind.
Then Elaine would be able to walk away from her brothers, from their mother, and from the home that had never truly felt like one. To her, that was the most straightforward version of happiness she could imagine.
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