What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 148

Jane's face remained utterly stony, and Warren barely gave her a nod. A flicker of embarrassment crossed Noelle's face.

But with so many eyes on them, she couldn't just walk away. Kaia was still the only daughter-in-law of the Sanders family, and her position held significant weight.

Noelle was only cautious of her because of the old matriarch's deep affection for Kaia.

"Kaia, you can stop being so formal with me. Since I'm younger than Finnian anyway, let's just act like sisters. We're practically the same age, so 'Noelle' is fine. I'm feeling a little under the weather today, so I'll substitute this water for wine. Here's to you. Please, continue to look out for me in the Sanders family."

The words 'look out for me' felt like ice picks driving straight into Kaia's eardrums.

She stared coldly into Noelle's meticulously painted face. For a wild, fleeting second, an insane urge gripped her—an urge to rip off that disgusting, hypocritical mask right in front of everyone.

But if she did, the Sanders family would descend into absolute chaos, and Elaine would become the laughingstock of high society. A scandal of that magnitude would crush the entire family.

"Mom... you shouldn't drink too much either!" a sweet, tiny voice chimed in.

Without Kaia noticing, Brynlee had grabbed her hand, offering a sudden surge of warmth.

The millions of razor-sharp words resting on the tip of Kaia's tongue were swallowed back down.

She looked down at her daughter's innocent, sweet face, then met Noelle's gaze with a look of glacial indifference. She raised her glass. "Of course. I certainly will."

To Noelle, the few seconds it took Kaia to raise that glass felt agonizingly, terrifyingly long. The sheer ice in Kaia's eyes made her scalp prickle with dread.

Thankfully, she had bet right. Even if Kaia was furious, she had to maintain her dignity in public.

A smug smile curved Noelle's lips, and the knot in her chest loosened. From now on, she was no longer an outsider who could be easily tossed out of the Sanders family. She now held the ultimate trump card as the family's adopted daughter. Even the old matriarch couldn't kick her out without facing immense public backlash.

As Noelle turned and walked away, Kaia picked Brynlee up, pulling the small, warm body tightly against her chest. She buried her face into the crook of her daughter's neck.

These filthy people weren't worth sacrificing her dignity and sanity for.

Instead of dragging herself through the mud in a messy public brawl, the smartest move was to take her daughter, leave, and build a better future for her elsewhere.

Jane and Warren left before nine. Finnian escorted them out. Kaia also left with Brynlee. Finnian's gaze lingered on Kaia's face for a moment, but he ultimately said nothing.

Seeing her daughter's depressed state, Jane wanted to pull her aside for a talk, but with Brynlee right there, she couldn't say a word.

Brynlee was five; she understood more than people thought.

Back at the villa, Layla helped bathe Brynlee. Kaia showered and collapsed onto her bed. Brynlee crawled up next to her, playing with her toys.

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