I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 300

Nora stared at him with chilling detachment. "You are my late husband's brother. Nothing more."

The mask of Finnegan's meticulously maintained composure cracked. "Nora, you were never like this."

"I have always been like this," Nora replied.

The living room plunged into a suffocating silence. Alastair slammed his teacup onto the table, the sharp clatter echoing through the room.

He glared at Nora, then turned to pacify Finnegan. "Frederick, sit down. Don't let your temper get the better of you. Nora's concerns aren't entirely baseless. Nora, you head back for now and sleep on it. Tomorrow morning, I'll have Frederick come pick you up."

"No thank you, Alastair," Nora shot back instantly.

She gave a curt, formal nod to Alastair and Eleanor, muttered a brief farewell, and turned on her heel. She walked out the door without looking back once.

After Nora left, a heavy, toxic atmosphere settled over the room.

Alastair's expression was downright murderous. "That stubborn girl is getting wildly out of control. She has absolutely zero respect for her elders. It's obvious that with Finnegan gone, she doesn't care about this family at all."

Eleanor sighed heavily. "What else can we do? Finnegan is gone. If we want to secure our hold on the Newman wealth, he was our only real tie to her. Our hands are completely tied."

A calculating gleam suddenly sparked in Alastair's eyes, twisting his mouth into a cruel smile.

"Who says our hands are tied? Finnegan might be gone, but we still have Frederick, don't we?"

Finnegan snapped his head toward him. "Alastair, what are you saying?"

Eleanor offered a soothing smile. "No 'buts.' I know you're a clever boy. You'll find a way to balance both women."

Leaving him with that loaded statement, Eleanor walked away. Finnegan stood alone, his brows deeply furrowed.

If he were entirely honest, the idea of marrying Nora wasn't repulsive to him. In fact, a dark, hidden part of him anticipated it. But he had no idea how to explain it to Seraphina. He couldn't bear the thought of breaking her heart.

He was completely trapped.

Finnegan arrived back at his private apartment in a total daze.

Seraphina had just returned from checking on Cassie at the hospital. Seeing his pale, distracted face, she hurried over with a bright smile. "What's wrong, Finn? I heard you went back to the Manor today. Were you finalizing our wedding plans?"