What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 219

The two lawyers immediately began scouring the divorce draft, assuring him they could reach out to their contacts in the judicial system for insight.

Hearing all this, Dexter looked at Finnian. "Mr. Sanders, Kaia..."

Finnian's face hardened, his eyes turning glacial. "This is her decision. It is not mine. Seven years of marriage—how can she possibly think one piece of paper is going to end it?"

Dexter blinked. What a high-sounding excuse. But to him, it seemed pretty obvious that his boss simply couldn't stand the idea of letting her go.

"Dexter, I need you to coordinate with them," Finnian ordered, rubbing his temples. "Pull together a complete inventory of every asset in my name and Kaia's. I want to know exactly what we each hold, how much it's appreciated over the years, and if there's any ground to claim her independent assets as joint marital property generated during the marriage."

"Understood," Dexter nodded.

As a subordinate, he had to execute his boss's orders without question.

But as an outsider who had watched their marriage unfold, Dexter couldn't help but feel it was an absolute tragedy.

Mr. Sanders and Dr. Chavez were practically the textbook definition of a perfect couple, both in looks and in their respective careers. How had things spiraled to this point?

"You two map out a strategy and give me your finalized action plan by 9 AM tomorrow," Finnian instructed, waving a hand to dismiss them so they could fully review the draft before offering their solutions.

The two lawyers hurried out. Dexter wanted to say something, but ultimately kept his mouth shut and left.

After handling some business in Veridian Future that morning and finishing a working lunch, Kaia received a call from her mother. Jane mentioned that Brynlee was taking a nap at their house and urged Kaia to take the afternoon off, relax, and try to decompress.

Kaia knew her parents wouldn't say it out loud, but they were deeply worried about her going through this divorce.

They were doing everything they could to take the burden of childcare off her shoulders. To have such warm, supportive parents—Kaia knew she was incredibly lucky.

Divorce wasn't just a minor bump in the road; it was a massive, life-altering event. She desperately needed someone to talk to.

She called Celine, who immediately agreed to grab coffee and do some window shopping.

Kaia drove straight to a little cafe hidden in an alleyway right next to the high-rise where Celine's studio was located. It was their usual spot, and this time of day, it was relatively quiet.

When Kaia walked in, Celine was already there, scrolling through her phone.

"Kaia, over here!" Celine waved.

Celine watched her friend's seemingly unaffected expression, knowing full well the agonizing pain hiding beneath the surface. Hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Kaia... aren't you afraid he might just... sign it in a fit of anger?"

The question hit Kaia like a boulder dropping into a calm lake. She couldn't completely hide the flash of pain in her eyes, but she quickly covered it. "The whole point is for him to sign it. If he doesn't, that's when I'll be worried."

"I'll bet you anything he won't." Celine crossed her legs, taking a dramatic sip of her coffee with a cynical sneer. "Men are all the same trash. They love to drag things out, wasting a woman's youth and time. Believe me, I'm getting a front-row seat to that circus right now."

Kaia paused, suddenly remembering that Celine was also trying to divorce her husband, but he was stubbornly dragging his feet, leaving them locked in a messy stalemate.

"Finnian isn't like that," Kaia said, though the coffee suddenly tasted overwhelmingly bitter. She dropped a sugar cube into her cup, gently stirring it with a small spoon. "He definitely wants out of this marriage too. It's just... right now might not be the most convenient time for him."

Celine let out a dark laugh. "Bastards love to complicate things. I get it. He wants to keep using this marriage as a smokescreen to cover up his feelings for his widowed sister-in-law."

Kaia sighed heavily. "You're probably right. To keep Noelle from becoming the subject of gossip, and to protect the Sanders family's reputation, he won't just drag this out. He'll leverage every resource he has to interfere, delay, or... maybe even use Brynlee to keep me trapped in this failed marriage, all so I can be the shield for his and Noelle's twisted romance."

"Oh my god, he has absolutely no shame," Celine cursed openly. "If he actually pulls that, he's worse than the devil. 'Trash' isn't even a strong enough word for him anymore."

Kaia lowered her gaze. Based on everything she had learned about Finnian over the last seven years, she knew one thing for certain: when a man accustomed to absolute control is suddenly faced with a situation completely out of his hands, his first instinct is never acceptance. More likely than not, he would try to regain total dominance over the board.