What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 253

A chill ran down Chad's spine. He gave a dry laugh. "Don't get the wrong idea, alright? I just have a lot of respect for Dr. Chavez. So, don't do anything stupid. If she leaves, where are you going to find a woman that incredible? She's capable, reliable, calm, and incredibly focused on her work. Most importantly, she's naturally stunning. She's practically perfect."

Finnian's lips curled into a mocking smirk. "Stunning? I don't see it."

The other three men exchanged shocked glances. Kaia's physical beauty was often overshadowed by her intimidating intellect, but objectively speaking, her natural elegance was undeniable. She was gorgeous.

"Hey, are you just showing off now?" Chad muttered, annoyed.

Finnian's Adam's apple bobbed. Thinking about it closely, he supposed she was decent looking. The kind of face that grew on you.

He downed the rest of his drink without saying a word.

Julian, having quietly sipped his drink, finally spoke up. "Finnian, this is your family business. Technically, we shouldn't pry. But as your buddy, I need to say something."

Finnian turned to look at him.

Julian stared at the amber liquid in his glass. "I think you and Dr. Chavez should just live your lives. Stop tearing things apart."

"You have feelings for Noelle, don't you?" Finnian's abrupt question caught Julian off guard, wiping the expression right off his face.

"I... I just see her as a friend. I don't have any other intentions," Julian stammered, frantically trying to mask his panic.

Finnian swirled his glass and chuckled darkly. "It seems everyone in our little circle is hiding some dirty secret."

All three men stared at him in unison.

Finnian pointed at Quentin. "Penelope wants a divorce, and you're terrified. You talk a big game about men needing their freedom, but deep down, you're begging for her to come back."

Quentin immediately deflated like a defeated rooster, his shoulders sagging as he let out a self-deprecating laugh.

Finnian then turned his gaze to Chad. "I always thought you didn't know much about Kaia. I didn't expect you to be sitting here singing her praises."

Chad's face flushed red. He stammered, "I just think a good woman deserves a good ending! I didn't mean anything else by it. Finnian, don't go twisting things in your head."

Ignoring him, Finnian locked eyes with a now flustered Julian. "You've got the deepest secret of all. You're hung up on Noelle, yet you perfectly maintain the 'friend' act."

"What about you?" Julian suddenly shot back, locking eyes with him. "What's going through your head? What are you hiding?"

Finnian froze, completely unprepared to have the tables turned on him.

The three men stared at him intently, waiting for him to confess a hidden truth of his own.

"Me?" Finnian held up his glass, pointing a finger at his own chest. "I'm just a guy failing at marriage. I always thought Kaia had some feelings for me, but now I realize I was wrong. She probably never even cared about me in the first place."

The atmosphere in the private booth turned to ice. Several seconds of heavy silence passed.

"I went to see her today. Just asked her a few questions. Do you know what she said to me?"

He needed an IV drip.

Finnian leaned weakly against the headboard of the bed in his office suite, completely drained of energy.

As the needle pierced his vein, the cool rush of the medication eased the fiery pain in his stomach, finally allowing him to close his eyes and rest.

A moment later, his phone buzzed. It was Noelle.

Finnian gestured for Dexter and Dr. Collins to leave. They quietly stepped out and closed the door.

"Hello?" Finnian's voice was gravelly.

"Finnian, I heard you drank a lot tonight. Why did you do that?"

Gripping the phone, he replied flatly, "It's nothing. Get some rest. Don't worry about me."

"How can I not worry? I remember the night of my wedding, you drank until your stomach bled. You have a history of this. You need to pace yourself. You can't gamble with your health."

Finnian blinked, the memory of that night suddenly resurfacing.

"Yeah. I know," he nodded.

"About the press conference this afternoon... please don't be mad at Grandmother, and don't blame Kaia, okay? I'm sure I brought it on myself. People were gossiping, and it made Grandmother angry," Noelle said softly, her voice punctuated by a delicate sniffle.