What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 120

"Yes. And today is a huge day for you. You might even meet some brand-new friends!" Right now, Kaia cared infinitely more about her daughter's milestones than she did about a certain someone's hangover.

"Then let's hurry up and go!" The excitement finally returned to Brynlee's eyes.

As they neared the school, Brynlee couldn't resist lifting her wrist and calling Finnian on her smartwatch.

"Brynlee!" His voice was incredibly hoarse. "Are you at school yet?"

"We're almost there! Daddy, are you feeling any better?" Brynlee asked anxiously.

"Dr. Collins just got here. Daddy will be fine, sweetheart. Don't worry about me," Finnian chuckled softly. Having a daughter who cared so much made the pounding in his head slightly more bearable.

"Okay! You have to be a good boy and listen to the doctor, and take all your medicine!" Brynlee scolded him, imitating the exact tone adults used on her.

"I know. I promise," Finnian smiled warmly.

"I'm at school! Gotta go!" Brynlee chirped, hanging up the call.

Kaia parked the car in the school's designated visitor lot. Under the shade of massive oak trees, mother and daughter walked hand-in-hand toward the main gates.

Teachers were lined up outside to welcome the new students. Kaia had to go to the administration office to fill out some final registration paperwork, so one of the teachers took Brynlee to her new classroom to get acquainted.

Once Kaia finished signing the endless stack of documents, she walked back toward the kindergarten wing.

Outside the classroom, in a small enclosed playground, Kaia spotted Brynlee squatting next to a sapling. She was huddled closely with another little girl. The two of them were pointing at the ground, giggling excitedly about something.

"Brynlee, what are you looking at?" Kaia asked, walking over with a smile.

"Mommy! We're watching the ants! Anna gave them a tiny piece of bread, and two ants are carrying it away right now!" Brynlee explained proudly.

Kaia looked at the other little girl. She was wearing the same crisp uniform, her hair tied in adorable princess braids. She had huge, bright eyes and deep dimples when she smiled.

"Hi! I'm Anna Quinn," the little girl greeted her politely.

"Hi, Anna. It's so nice to meet you," Kaia said, crouching down to their eye level.

As Kaia was about to stand back up, she noticed a tall man standing a short distance away. His back was turned to her as he finished up a phone call. He slipped his phone into his pocket and turned around, walking toward them.

Sunlight caught his face, and Kaia froze. He looked incredibly familiar.

He was wearing a perfectly tailored black turtleneck under a long black wool coat. He carried himself with an effortless, quiet confidence, an aura of deep intellectual calm.

As he got closer, it clicked. It was Simon Quinn.

Simon saw Kaia at the exact same moment. He stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widening in shock.

But the surprise quickly melted into a warm, genuine smile that reached his eyes.

There was no awkwardness between them, no forced polite small talk. Just an easy, unspoken familiarity.

"That's great. It'll be nice for you to spend more time with your family," Kaia said naturally.

"What about you?" Simon asked, his voice softening slightly on the last few words. "How have you been? Are you happy?"

Kaia met his gaze and offered a self-deprecating smile. "I'm alright. Mostly just buried in work."

Simon's expression grew a little solemn. "When we were young, we spent all our time studying. Now that we're older, it's just endless work. Life has a way of getting ahead of us, doesn't it? We spend so much time looking forward that we end up with nothing but 'what ifs.'"

Kaia felt a sudden tug at her heart. She nodded slowly. "It does feel like that sometimes."

Simon looked down at his shoes, his voice dropping into a murmur. "I always kept track of where you were, you know. Seeing you become so successful... it made me really happy."

Just then, Simon's phone started ringing. After a quick conversation, he hung up and turned back to Kaia. "I've got to take Anna home now."

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a sleek business card, holding it out to her. "Here's my contact info."

Kaia took the card politely. "Thank you. I'll reach out sometime."

"You don't have a card on you today, do you?" Simon asked suddenly, a faint, hopeful smile playing on his lips. "I've been gone a long time. But I'm staying now. I think it's time we exchanged numbers."