What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 193

Simon was momentarily taken aback, entirely at a loss for words.

Right at that moment, the two little girls up ahead let out a loud squeal. "Ah! It's a caterpillar! I want to put it in my bucket!"

The two tall men quickly closed the distance.

"Daddy, hurry! Put it in the bucket for me!" Brynlee grabbed Finnian's hand, shaking it excitedly.

Finnian was speechless.

"I want one too! Uncle Simon, I want one!"

Simon was equally speechless.

Staring at the squirming little bugs, the two men exchanged a brief, helpless look. In the end, they grabbed a couple of twigs and obliged the girls' demands.

"These are baby butterflies! If we take them home, they'll turn into beautiful butterflies!"

"Yeah! I want to see them transform!"

Seeing the innocent joy in the kids' faces, both men couldn't help but smile.

Over beneath a large patio umbrella, Noelle was sitting with a group of moms, smiling as she watched the children play.

She was wearing an elegant cream-colored sundress today, her hair pulled back into a loose, effortless knot. She looked gentle, approachable, and completely at ease.

A few of the moms knew Kaia personally, but others only recognized Kaia's name and had never actually met her.

One of the moms walked over to grab her child's water bottle. The kid spotted the outdoor painting sets Noelle had brought and wanted to play with one.

"Do you like it, sweetie? Go ahead and play with it. I brought plenty," Noelle offered sweetly.

The child happily took one, and the mother smiled in gratitude. "Brynlee's mom, you're so thoughtful to bring all these fun activities. I saw Brynlee's dad earlier too. You two make such a gorgeous couple, and you've raised such a wonderful daughter."

Noelle just smiled gracefully at the compliment, neither confirming nor denying the assumption.

A few feet away, the expressions on the faces of the moms who knew the truth instantly shifted. Rumors about Finnian's messy personal life had already been circulating in their social circles. The general consensus was that Noelle was on the verge of pushing Kaia out and officially taking her place. Now, with Noelle showing up to play the supportive mother role at the preschool trip... didn't that basically confirm the rumors were true?

Noelle had always been highly socially intelligent—sweet-talking but ruthlessly calculated. Once she broke the ice with the moms, she naturally steered the conversation, effortlessly expanding her social network.

Kaia felt as if a heavy band was tightening around her chest. She pressed a hand over her heart, forcing herself to process what she was looking at.

Noelle was an expert at orchestrating these quiet, suffocating moments. Every word in her text seemed casual and friendly, but it sent a chilling wave of dread down Kaia's spine.

She was truly furious now. Did Finnian have absolutely zero boundaries?

She didn't care what he did with Noelle on his own time. But when it came to her daughter, Kaia drew a hard line.

She refused to take Noelle's bait. Instead, she texted Finnian directly. "You promised me you would take care of Brynlee. I expect YOU to handle her personally, not pawn her off on someone else."

Finnian replied almost instantly with three question marks.

Seeing him play dumb, Kaia didn't hold back. "Do not leave Brynlee alone with anyone else. I don't feel comfortable with it."

Finnian finally caught her drift. He quickly texted back: "Alright. I'll go pick her up from Noelle's room right now and watch her myself. Don't worry."

Kaia thought for a second, then sent a pointed follow-up. "When preschoolers experience a parental absence, they often transfer their emotional dependency onto a substitute figure. This creates emotional confusion, which damages the primary parent-child relationship and weakens the child's bond with their actual parents. Finnian, clear boundaries and consistent parenting are our responsibilities. If you're using this as a convenient excuse for her to bond with Brynlee, I absolutely forbid it."

A long pause followed before Finnian sent a single word back: "Nonsense!"