I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 352

For some inexplicable reason, reading those simple words made Nora's eyes well up with tears. She desperately wanted to text back that it had been a total disaster, but after a moment's hesitation, she decided against burdening him with her useless drama. Moving forward, the two of them were simply going to be partners sharing a life.

There was no need to drag him down with her negative emotions.

"It was okay."

Xander went completely silent on his end. Nora stared at the screen, waiting for a reply that never came. A strange, fleeting pang of disappointment washed over her as she finally tucked her phone away.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated with an incoming call from Xander. Startled, Nora hastily answered it. "Xander."

Xander offered a low hum of acknowledgment, easily catching the heavy exhaustion in her voice. "Are you tired? Did something bad happen today? Do you need me to come over?"

Nora leaned her head against the rough fabric of the cab seat and closed her eyes. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she replied in a drained whisper, "No, it's fine. I can handle it myself."

The fact that Xander had actually bothered to call her directly left her feeling genuinely touched.

He had somehow picked up on her emotional state instantly and responded without hesitation. Spending the rest of her life with a man this perceptive actually seemed like a rather nice prospect.

Xander stayed quiet for two seconds before murmuring, "Alright. Just call me if you need me."

After turning down the heat on her stew, Zelda slowly walked over to join her. "Nora, I know you're feeling incredibly suffocated right now, but this isn't the time to burn bridges completely. The only reason Dr. Reed granted you that seminar spot is because you are Finnegan's wife. He's repaying a life debt to Finnegan, which is why he was willing to make an exception. But I promise you, the moment he meets you and sees your brilliance, he'll adore you. No one could possibly dislike you."

Nora managed a weak, self-deprecating smile. "Am I really as amazing as you say, Zelda?"

Zelda nodded firmly. "Of course you are! You are the absolute best! Whoever ends up with you will be the luckiest man alive!"

Nora finally laughed a genuine laugh, throwing her arms around the older woman and burying her face affectionately into her shoulder. "Thank you, Zelda. I feel so much better now. I swear I'll never fall for their tricks again. They lured me back for a fake engagement this time, who knows what twisted scheme they'll try next. Thankfully, the seminar is only a few days away. Once I meet Dr. Reed, I'll present my current research direction to him properly. I just hope he's willing to offer me some guidance."