I thought I knew my brother.

Until he cut my research funding. Until he chose to believe a stranger over me. Until he looked at me in that courtroom with eyes so cold, I wondered if I was the one who had betrayed him.

Jake used to be my protector, my hero, the one constant I believed would never change. But the moment my roommate Crystal whispered the word "bloodline," I realized some weapons are deadlier than knives—they can destroy everything a person believes about themselves.

Adoption. The word had never been forbidden in our family, until someone turned it into a tool of manipulation.

When I caught Crystal photographing our client files, I knew this wasn't just some college romance gone wrong. When I stood in that courtroom and was forced to say "Jake is adopted," I watched the light die in his eyes.

Silent Betrayal: The Adopted Brother


The next day, I was curled up in the guest room, flipping through my marine biology textbook, trying to forget yesterday's humiliation, when familiar voices echoed from the front entrance.
Through the crack in my door, I watched Carlos and Maria drag their suitcases into the living room, confusion...

Chapter 4