What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 171

"If you're not coming home, where are you sleeping? It's really cold out now," Brynlee asked with concern.

Finnian's heart seemed to warm at his daughter's care. He chuckled softly. "Dad will make sure to stay warm. Be a good girl, Brynlee, and go to sleep early."

Just as Brynlee was about to say something, a woman's light cough came through the line, followed by Noelle's voice. "Finnian, who's on the phone..."

Finnian didn't even have time to cover the receiver. He rushed his words to Brynlee. "Dad has something to do. I have to hang up."

Hearing that voice, Kaia would be lying if she said it didn't hurt. After all, they weren't even divorced yet, and Finnian was already spending the night at Noelle's place.

"Mom, that woman's voice earlier... it sounded like Aunt Noelle. Is Dad sleeping over at Grandma's?" Brynlee was young, but she had heard it clearly.

"Yeah, probably," Kaia said, comforting her daughter to keep her from overthinking.

"Oh, so he's at Grandma's. That makes me feel better." Brynlee instantly tossed her smartwatch aside, finally able to sleep in peace.

A sharp, jagged pain lanced through Kaia's chest, leaving her breathless. The suffocating pain eventually faded back into a numb calm.

Some things couldn't be left ambiguous anymore. If questions needed to be asked, she had to ask them.

If Finnian was going to start staying over at Noelle's, he needed to handle his responsibilities as a father properly instead of leaving his young child to worry.

Early the next morning, Kaia drove to Aethelstan to handle some business.

As her car pulled up to the main entrance, she saw a black Bentley parked out front.

Dexter stepped out first and opened the rear door.

Noelle stepped out. Once she found her footing, she didn't leave immediately. Instead, she turned back to whoever was in the car, a relieved, relaxed smile spreading across her lips.

Then, the door on the other side opened, and Finnian stepped out. He was still wearing the same dark gray suit from yesterday. His face was unreadable, though a trace of exhaustion lingered in his eyes.

He took something out and firmly pressed it into Noelle's hand. Only then did Noelle nod, turn around, and walk into the Aethelstan office building.

Finnian stood there for a moment. Just as he was about to get back into the car and leave, he noticed the Mercedes parked behind him.

Sitting in the driver's seat, Kaia was quietly watching the whole scene.

In the morning light, their eyes met across the distance. The air between them seemed to instantly freeze over.

Finnian's footsteps faltered for a second before he started walking toward her.

Kaia sat in the car, glaring at him coldly.

Finnian's expression froze. He was telling the truth.

Kaia looked down at the floor, her voice crystal clear. "Because of this, you stayed with her all night and personally escorted her to work this morning. Sounds to me like you've got all the husband duties covered."

Finnian's stiff expression darkened. He looked at Kaia with complicated eyes. "That's exactly what happened, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't jump to conclusions. She's my sister now. I'm responsible for her safety. I'm just looking out for her like a brother would. I guarantee any other man in my position wouldn't have just sat back and done nothing."

"You can lie to others, but can you lie to yourself?" Kaia stared right into his eyes, her words slicing through his fabricated excuses like a knife.

Under her intense, piercing gaze, Finnian's face grew uglier by the second.

His jaw clenched tight, but a flash of panic and exhaustion flickered in his eyes.

"Kaia," his voice dropped even lower, tinged with anger. "Do you really have to think like that? You're acting jealous over absolutely nothing. If the roles were reversed today and your brother Leo was in trouble, you'd drop everything to help him too, wouldn't you?"

Kaia watched him try to deflect and change the narrative. A mocking smile tugged at her lips. "Sure. But every single little thing that happens to her makes you completely lose control. Finnian, you care about her. You care about her deeply. It goes way beyond romantic love, and it totally eclipses any sense of family. Stop denying it."

Finnian's breathing hitched noticeably, his chest rising and falling.

He wanted to argue back, but the words were stuck in his throat. Kaia's eyes were just too calm. She was too smart; she saw right through everything.