Discarded By Ex, Claimed By His Half-brother

Elara’s POV

The tears I had fought so hard to hold back finally slipped free.  

“Tears? Tears won’t help you, Elara. I want a grandchild!” my mother-in-law snapped, staring at me with open disgust. “I can’t even stand the sight of you!” She stormed out, deliberately bumping my shoulder hard enough to send me to my knees. Tears tracked down my face while I forced the sobs back down.

It had only been a month since the last miscarriage. Two losses in less than nine months, and the house had become a constant nightmare. Kane had accused me of causing them on purpose. Helena had taken it on herself to monitor me every day, making sure I was still performing my “wifely duties.” I felt trapped and completely alone. I could have gone back to my parents, but I was determined to prove this marriage hadn’t been a mistake. It had already cost me my family and my name. I needed to show them I had chosen right.

For hours I sat in silence until Kane’s quiet footsteps pulled me out of my thoughts. If he noticed the storm inside me, he gave no sign. He walked straight past me toward the bathroom. We needed to talk. I needed to know the man who had once saved me and swept me off my feet four years ago was still the same man sharing this house with me.

I broke the silence first.  

“Your mother just left,” I said, keeping my voice even.

Kane didn’t bother looking at me. “What did she want?” His tone was flat and cold.

I hesitated. “A child.”

His answer came without pause. “Then she came looking for the right person.”

I couldn’t tell if he was joking. His face gave nothing away. I watched him move around the room, deliberately avoiding any real look at me. When he started packing a bag I spoke again.

“Where are you going?”

“I won’t be sleeping here tonight.” The same line I had heard too many times.

“It’s been a long time since we actually talked,” I said, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice. “A night out together wouldn’t be the worst idea.”

He snorted. “It’s not like we have anything worth celebrating. I have an important meeting tomorrow, and the awards start next week. You know what a nomination means for the company—especially against firms like Horizon Group. Who knows, the owner might finally show up and we can close the deal.”

“I don’t mind coming with you. You haven’t been home much lately. It could feel like a short break.”

He cut me off sharply. “I’m already taking Chloe. You’ve been walking around looking miserable and… soft. How exactly would you hide those extra folds?”

Anger and hurt hit at the same time. “You’re seriously bringing that up? Those changes and the depression came after I lost a child—your child.”

Kane’s expression iced over. “That was a month ago. You still reek of depression. I barely recognize you anymore!”

“Is that why you’re taking your best friend instead? Is that why you never even came to the hospital, or stayed while I grieved?”

“Don’t start. You lost the baby because you were careless. Don’t put that on me.”

“And that’s why you choose her every time? Why you keep reminding me you miss your ex—who’s suddenly your best friend again—and wish you’d never married me?”

His answer was quiet and final. “Yes.”

The silence that followed felt heavy enough to crush the room.

“Then let’s get a divorce,” I said, voice shaking.

Another stretch of silence. For a second I thought he hadn’t heard.

“What?”

“Let’s stop pretending we still care. Let’s just end it.”

“What’s going on with you?” He looked genuinely confused. The sudden shift was jarring.

I steeled myself. “It’s simple. Either you try to fix this marriage, or we’re done. I’m finished acting like everything is fine when it clearly isn’t.”

His eyes widened. “Where is all of this coming from?”

The words poured out. “From a wife who gave up everything to stay home, only to be ignored. A wife who’s been blamed for making your best friend cry and for losing two pregnancies in nine months. A wife whose mother-in-law cares more about a grandchild than about whether that wife is even okay. A wife whose own husband looks at her like she’s repulsive because of a few extra folds.” My voice cracked but I kept going. “I’m a wife who’s reached her limit, Kane. I deserve better.”

I tried to step away. He caught my arm and pulled me against him.

“I’m sorry,” he said the moment I stopped talking. “I didn’t realize you felt this way. After the miscarriage you shut me out and I didn’t know how to reach you. I’ve been dumping all the stress from work on you. Things haven’t been going well at the office.” His voice softened. “Why would you think divorce was the answer? Do you not love me anymore, Elara?”

I pulled free. “I should be asking you that.”

He forced my chin up and kissed me, hard enough to send a reluctant shiver through me. “You drive me crazy,” he murmured against my mouth. “Of course you matter. I just didn’t know how to handle everything, and I didn’t see that I was putting Chloe first. She means nothing like that to me.”

Lies. I knew they were lies. All I needed was proof.

His eyes held mine. “I’m sorry, baby. Tell me how to make it right. I still have to go tonight, but I promise after the awards everything will be about you. Give me one week. I’ll fix this.”

He leaned in for another kiss. I stepped back twice.  

“When you get home, we talk.”  

I walked to the bed, closed my eyes, and ignored the soft way he kept saying my name.

When I woke he was already gone. My phone buzzed. I almost didn’t look. The unknown number and the attached video confirmed everything I had already known.

Kane lay across Chloe’s bare chest, head nestled against her neck while she stroked his hair.

I laughed—sharp and broken, the sound of someone who had finally run out of excuses—and read the message underneath:

“Dearest Mrs. Kane. I neve

r realized you were generous enough to keep sharing your husband with his best friend.”