What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 27

The notification chime echoed sharply in the silent car.

From this moment on, she no longer cared where Finnian's heart lay. She didn't care what kind of relationship he and Noelle chose to have, and she certainly didn't care about maintaining any 'family dignity.'

All her energy, all her calculating, would now be focused on a single goal.

How to execute a clean, ruthless exit, and secure a brand new, free future for herself and her daughter.

Her phone buzzed with a text.

Assuming it was her lawyer, Mr. Finch, replying, Kaia picked up her phone at the next stoplight.

Instead, she saw a message from Noelle.

"Kaia, I want to stay in the country and keep working for the company. Finnian agreed. Can you agree too?"

Staring at the incredibly manipulative text, Kaia actually wanted to laugh.

She used to think Noelle was a strong, gentle, optimistic woman who loved life. Now she realized she had been totally blind.

Noelle was playing the professional martyr, weaponizing her grief to paint herself as a fragile, broken flower in need of saving.

But now that she had lost her actual husband, she had ripped off that disguise herself, exposing the parasitic vines underneath. And this time, she was wrapping those vines straight around Finnian.

Since Brynlee was still at the main estate, Kaia had to spend the night there.

The Bentley trailing behind her was starting to seriously piss her off.

As she approached the next intersection, she abruptly yanked the steering wheel, merging hard onto the expressway. Caught off guard, the Bentley couldn't make the turn in time and was forced to continue straight under the overpass.

"Mr. Sanders, Mrs. Sanders just..."

Kaia kissed her forehead, her heart aching. "I'm sorry, Mommy's dinner ran a little late today."

"I'm just happy you're here." Brynlee knew her parents were very busy. When she was younger, she used to throw tantrums about it, but as she grew up and understood more, she became incredibly well-behaved.

Kaia carried her daughter into the living room. Elaine looked displeased. "Kaia, I know you're busy with work every day, but you cannot neglect your child's education and development."

Kaia paused, then replied calmly, "I know, Mom. I'll manage my time better."

Elaine sat on the sofa, sipping her herbal tea. "You're indispensable to Aethelstan now, and I know the workload is demanding. But at the end of the day, a woman's priority should be her home."

She paused, closely watching Kaia's reaction.

Kaia nodded to show she was listening, but said nothing.

Elaine pressed on, her tone turning more confiding. "I know you're ambitious, but Brynlee's situation is delicate. You need to focus on her. If the workload is too much, why not delegate some of it? You and Noelle are both core directors at the company. She is family, after all, and her education and capabilities are top-notch. Grandmother mentioned sending her abroad last time, but if we give her more important projects to run, it'll be easier to negotiate with Grandmother to let her stay."