What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 327

Seeing her acting so thoughtful and understanding, Finnian nodded. "Alright. I'm heading down. If you need anything, tell Logan."

"I will. Don't worry about me," Noelle said with a soft wave, stepping backward toward the guest quarters.

Finally feeling somewhat assured, Finnian signaled Dexter to follow him down the trail.

They hadn't made it far when thick, menacing clouds suddenly swallowed the sun.

"Boss, we might need to run. It's about to pour," Dexter warned, glancing at the sky.

Finnian agreed, and the two men broke into a sprint through The Cloud Pine Corridor.

"Hold on, Boss, there's lightning!" Dexter shouted over the rising wind. "We're completely exposed on this ridge. It's dangerous!"

Finnian looked up at the violent, churning clouds. In the midst of the chaos, a sudden, vivid memory surfaced—Brynlee telling him to stay safe whenever it thundered.

"Boss, we have to keep moving! There's no shelter out here," Dexter yelled.

"Let's go!" They bolted the rest of the way down to the parking lot. The sky ripped open, unleashing heavy sheets of rain. By the time they reached the SUV, they were both completely drenched.

"Get us out of here," Finnian ordered, using a towel to furiously scrub his hair before pulling at his soaked dress shirt.

Dexter fired up the engine, and the black SUV tore out of the lot, speeding back toward the highway.

Thousands of miles away, Kaia and Celine landed in Switzerland and headed straight to their luxury hotel to check in. Brynlee, fighting off severe jet lag, had slept the entire ride in her mother's arms. When she finally woke up, she found herself in a completely different world, her eyes wide as she took in the gorgeous foreign scenery.

Celine had booked an incredibly lavish suite.

"Kaia, I saw a cafe in the lobby," Celine said, stretching her arms. "Leave Brynlee with me and go grab me a coffee, would you? I need the caffeine to function."

"Sure thing," Kaia agreed easily.

She set Brynlee down on a suitcase, making sure she was steady, and headed toward the cafe.

Celine bent down to look at Brynlee. "Let's go check out our massive new room, okay?"

"Okay, Celine!" Brynlee beamed, flashing her adorable gap-toothed smile.

Kaia walked into the cafe and ordered her drinks in fluent English. She took a seat by the window to wait for the order.

Suddenly, a deep, pleasant voice spoke in English beside her. "Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

Kaia looked up, utterly startled. Simon Quinn stood beside her table, dressed in a sharp, casual outfit, looking down at her with a warm smile.

"Simon?" She was so shocked she practically stuttered.

"I took some time off to visit my sister," he explained, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

"You took time off too? What a coincidence," Kaia said, still reeling from the shock.

Kaia turned to see Celine holding Brynlee's hand, practically skipping toward their table.

"Mr. Quinn!" Brynlee gasped, her face lighting up. "You're here too! Are you here to see Anna?"

Simon nodded warmly. "I sure am. I'm here to see Anna, and to take her back home with me."

"Why aren't you letting her stay here for school?" Kaia asked, genuinely curious.

"It was my sister's decision," Simon explained. "She lives out here alone and works crazy hours, so she doesn't have the time to raise her properly. Plus... she recently started seeing someone new, and having Anna around was complicating things."

Kaia's heart skipped a beat, a sudden, heavy ache settling in her chest. Being a divorced woman with a child was incredibly difficult. When the mother wanted to start a new romantic life, the child often became... an inconvenience. An obstacle.

She looked down at Brynlee, feeling as though an invisible rope was tightening around her own throat.

"Wow, Kaia, the universe must really want you two together," Celine said loudly, winking.

Kaia shot Celine a look so sharp and penetrating that Celine physically recoiled.

Simon chuckled deeply.

Celine blinked, realizing she had been caught.

"Simon already confessed everything. Thanks for the setup, Celine," Kaia said, her smile not quite reaching her eyes.