What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 249

You old bat. Why won't you just die?

"Grandmother..." Noelle felt a crushing wave of despair, her voice cracking as she forced a pitiful look. "My... my leg is still severely injured. The doctor told me I need to be careful..."

Josephine had zero patience for her pathetic excuses. "I didn't order you to stand while you read it. You can roll yourself in on that wheelchair, or you can have someone carry you. How you get there is your business. Whether you show up is mine."

These few words were a cold, non-negotiable ultimatum.

Noelle squeezed her eyes shut in sheer agony.

Josephine delivered her final blow softly. "You've lived under the Sanders roof for over a decade. When it's time to repay that debt, you repay it. And when it's time to know your place, you had better sit quietly and know your place."

"Yes, Grandmother," Noelle gasped, sucking in a tight breath. She was completely out of options.

The moment Elaine heard Noelle had been taken back to the estate, she rushed home in a panic. Bursting into the bedroom, she found Noelle sitting blankly on the edge of the bed like a lifeless doll.

"Noelle, what did Grandmother want with you?" Elaine hurried over, her voice thick with worry.

Only then did Noelle slowly look up. Tears spilled over her lashes, streaming silently down her face.

"Don't cry. Tell Mom what happened." Seeing her endless tears, Elaine sat beside her and grabbed her cold hands. "Did Grandmother give you a hard time again?"

Noelle finally reined in her emotions just enough to relay the matriarch's demands. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed. "Mom, what do I do? Why does Grandmother hate me so much? Did I really do something so unforgivable?"

Seeing her daughter's fragility, a heavy lump formed in Elaine's throat.

"I'll go talk to Grandmother. I'll ask her to take pity on your injury..." Elaine's heart ached at the thought of Noelle suffering such a brutal humiliation.

"Ugh, this is infuriating. Kaia was never this petty before. Why the sudden personality shift?" Elaine's face twisted with pure disgust toward Kaia. Any goodwill she had built up toward her daughter-in-law over the years shattered instantly, effortlessly toppled by Noelle's few calculated words.

"Mom, it's just human nature. I understand Kaia's insecurities. Finnian is an incredibly brilliant man. It makes sense she'd want to keep him on a tight leash," Noelle said, playing the understanding victim, which only made Elaine's expression darken further.

"I have given that woman entirely too much grace. She can play tyrant in her own little house, but how dare she reach her claws into the main estate? Humph. It seems I need to teach her a lesson she won't forget." Elaine, as the mother-in-law, felt as though Kaia had directly slapped her across the face. She was livid.

"I came to the Sanders family when I was nine. You were the one who taught me the rules, taught me how to carry myself, and showed me a whole new world. You told me this was my home." Noelle looked at her, her eyes brimming with sheer gratitude. "Mom, I am your child. If I make a mistake, outsiders will say you failed to raise me right. I'm so sorry I couldn't be the perfect daughter. Mom... I've disappointed you."

"Noelle, don't cry. You are the daughter I am most proud of. You have never disappointed me." Elaine pulled her into a tight hug, her own eyes reddening with fury.

"No. I have to tell Finnian about this. If I can't persuade the old woman, he can." Elaine still couldn't bear the thought of Noelle parading her humiliation in front of cameras over a cheap tabloid scandal.

"Mom, no, I'm begging you! I cannot burden Finnian with this. Grandmother is punishing me specifically because she thinks I lack boundaries. If Finnian steps in to defend me again, who knows what Grandmother will do?" Noelle was genuinely panicked. If Finnian intervened, Josephine might use the ultimate threat and permanently exile her to another country.