What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 267

"Brynlee, what important day is it? Why didn't Dad know about this?" Finnian asked urgently.

"Today is Mom's housewarming party! You're so mean! How could you not come to something this important? Is your work more important than Mom and me? I'm ignoring you!" Brynlee shouted.

Finnian's face froze. Was it the first day Kaia moved into her new home? Was she hosting a housewarming? She hadn't even notified him.

"Brynlee, sorry. I will come over right now. Tell me the address, okay?" Finnian immediately apologized to his daughter.

"The apology is too late. I'm still very sad. I hate Dad," Brynlee said before violently tapping the screen to end the call. She had been waiting for Anna, but deep down, she had been waiting for her dad the entire time. When everyone else had arrived but him, her little heart couldn't take the disappointment.

Finnian sat frozen in the back of his Bentley.

Outside the bedroom, Kaia was still knocking when the door suddenly clicked open. Brynlee stood there, her eyes red and puffy, pouting heavily. "Dad is the worst. He forgot about today. I'm never talking to him again."

Kaia's mind went completely blank as she watched her daughter sob hysterically.

Just then, her phone vibrated in her pocket. It was Finnian.

Glancing at her guests who were already seated around the dining table, Kaia hurried over to Jane. "Mom, can you keep an eye on Brynlee? I need to take this."

Seeing Kaia's tense expression, Jane nodded and bent down to ask Brynlee what was wrong. The little girl mumbled something about a "bad daddy" and buried her face in Jane's neck, crying softly.

Kaia quickly stepped out into the hallway before answering the call.

Finnian's voice was dangerously calm. "You're hosting a housewarming party today?"

"Yes," Kaia replied evenly.

"Clause Four of our divorce agreement: Custody and Visitation," he recited, his tone devoid of all emotion. "Both parties shall jointly maintain the physical and mental well-being of the child. Neither party shall allow the deterioration of the marital relationship to negatively impact the child's upbringing. Furthermore, neither party shall disparage the other in the child's presence, nor expose the child to marital disputes."

He paused, letting the legal jargon hang heavily in the air. "Your actions today are a direct violation of this clause."

Kaia's grip on her phone tightened, but she kept her voice perfectly level. "I'm simply hosting a lunch. It hasn't escalated to that level."

"Hasn't it? Brynlee just told me she hates me," Finnian's voice finally spiked with a sharp, lethal edge.

Kaia paused, utterly blindsided. She had no idea her daughter cared so deeply about his absence.

Watching them, Jane's heart ached.

How had such a beautiful family fractured to this point?

Inside the dining room, the guests shifted uncomfortably, stealing glances at the front door. Finnian's blatant absence spoke volumes about the reality of their marriage.

Brynlee barely touched her food. Halfway through the meal, she grabbed Anna's hand and dragged her into the bedroom, firmly shutting the door. Kaia picked at her food, her eyes constantly darting toward the closed room.

After lunch, recognizing the underlying tension, the three men politely excused themselves. Anna said goodbye to Brynlee, promising to see her at school on Monday.

By four o'clock, Warren and Jane packed up and left. Kaia sat on the sofa, holding Brynlee close. The little girl's mood had flatlined, and she eventually drifted off to sleep against Kaia's chest.

Kaia stared out the window. The bright morning sun had given way to rolling black clouds. A low rumble of thunder echoed through the sky, followed quickly by a torrential downpour.

The heavy rain lashed against the glass.

Kaia was brilliant when it came to navigating a medical laboratory, and she poured every ounce of her soul into being a flawless mother. But she was slowly realizing that protecting a child's heart was infinitely more complicated than she had ever anticipated.