Betrayed I Upgraded to His Billionaire Brother novel Chapter 39

chapter 39

In that moment, I thought, Well, Victoria’s five million wasn’t a complete waste. My performance was flawless.

“I should be asking you that,” Zane said, looking down at me. His large hand came to rest on top of my head. “Weren’t you the one who’s completely swamped? We haven’t seen you at home for days. So what are you doing at Professor Wheaton’s?”

“Hmm…” I pressed my lips together, quickly weaving an excuse. “Elias sent me. We have a patient at the clinic with a really complex case. We were worried about messing it up, so he told me to run over and get Teacher’s opinion.”

“And now?” Zane’s expression was gentle, like he was talking to a child. “Shouldn’t you be heading home?”

“Wait for us in the car. We won’t be long after we see the Professor.”

A seriously weird feeling washed over me.

I didn’t feel like Zane’s wife.

I felt like his and Amelia’s kid.

Like if I just played along, we could be one big, happy family?

Oh, right. Four.

I’d almost forgotten Max.

The sheer absurdity of the thought pulled a soft, self–mocking laugh from me. When I looked up at Zane again, my face was all compliance. “Can I head back on my own later? Chloe invited me to dinner.”

Even though I’d phrased it as a question, I knew Zane.

He’d agree.

He often asked surface–level questions, but the actual outcome never really mattered to him.

His check–ins were like asking a neighbor, ‘Hey, eaten yet?‘ during an evening stroll.

Did the answer actually matter?

Not one bit.

Sometimes I thought part of the reason our three–year marriage had lasted was precisely because of this dynamic.

If I got caught in the rain, Zane would say, “Go take a hot shower.”

If I fell, he’d say, “Watch your step next time.”

But he never actually brought me an umbrella, never asked if I needed to go to the ER.

All his gentleness and concern for me were strictly superficial.

Sure enough, Zane agreed, offering his standard reminder. “Don’t stay out too late.”

I nodded obediently. “Okay.”

12:21

Betrayed? I Upgraded to His Billionaire Brother

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chapter 39

Whether I actually went home or not–he wouldn’t give it a second thought.

Just as Zane and Amelia reached the front door, Amelia slapped a hand to her forehead. “Zane, you go on in. I think I left my phone in the car–I’ll go grab it.”

“Mhm.” Zane’s brow furrowed slightly.

I would never be so careless. Even back then, I was meticulous, more composed than most my age. I never gave him a reason to worry.

As I walked out of the courtyard, I got a call from Chloe saying she was on her way to pick me up.

I’d just hung up when I heard my name.

Amelia stood there with a smug little smirk. “Elara, do you know why Zane is here today?”

“No.” I couldn’t have cared less.

“I’m going to be Professor Wheaton’s student, too.”

Amelia clearly couldn’t stand my constant, infuriating calm–as if it was all just an act. “You were just one of many students in his university lectures. I will be his personal protégé.”

I looked right at her. “You know that in all these years, aside from his university lectures, Professor Wheaton has only ever taken on one private student, right?”

“Of course I know that!”

Who didn’t?

Everyone knew Colton had that one disciple–the one he taught everything, holding nothing back. The one rumored to be brilliantly talented.

But no one knew who it actually was.

A faint smile touched the corners of my lips. “Then what makes you think he’ll take you?”

Amelia’s POV

“Because I’m better than you, and because Zane will make it happen for me.”

I was brimming with confidence. “Just watch, Elara. I’m going to surpass you, piece by piece.”

Becoming the student Colton made an exception for? That was a direct ticket to the top tier of the medical world.

I didn’t even wait for her reply, turning and walking away, confidence radiating from me like I’d already won.

“You want me to take that Amelia as a student?”

Colton was lounging on the sofa, his gaze drifting indifferently over the expensive gifts piled on the coffee table-

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