What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 355

Julian froze. Right, Finnian was a married man.

"But..."

"There are no 'buts.' I'm married, and Kaia and I have been husband and wife for seven years," Finnian cut him off sharply. "Besides, the most appropriate dynamic between Noelle and me is as siblings. We used to be brother and sister-in-law, and going forward, we can only ever be brother and sister."

"Then... do you love her?" Julian asked point-blank. People used to ask Finnian this question, but he had always dodged it, and eventually, everyone had been too afraid to ask again.

But right now, Julian was demanding an answer.

Finnian looked at him and offered a faint smile. "I don't know what kind of love you're talking about, but regardless, she is family to me."

"I mean the way a man loves a woman. Wanting her, wanting to be close to her, wanting to be lovers, husband and wife, spending the rest of your lives together—that kind of love." Perhaps seeing Noelle reduced to tears had rattled Julian, making his emotions volatile. The question left Finnian completely rigid.

"That's romantic love," Finnian said, his gaze dropping to the rim of his glass. "What I have with her isn't romance. It's family."

"You're lying." Julian stood up abruptly. "Why won't you just face your own feelings? We're all watching from the outside. There's no way you don't love her. You only married Kaia because Noelle married your brother. We all know it..."

"No." Finnian's voice was dark as he cut him off. "I married Kaia for a business partnership. We signed a contract. That's it."

"You can fool everyone else, but you can't fool me. You married Kaia right after Noelle got married. To you, Kaia was just a substitute for Noelle. We all saw it. Don't even try to deny it," Julian fired back, his tone escalating and his eyes red with anger.

How could Finnian refuse to acknowledge his own past actions?

Finnian was stunned into silence.

Slowly, he poured himself another drink, his voice flat. "Sometimes, the line between romance and family gets blurred. Is it really that easy to tell the difference?"

"So you did love her, didn't you? It's just that now, because of your status, because you're technically family, you can't love her openly." Julian's tone carried an aggressive, interrogating edge.

"Julian, does any of this even matter now? Kaia is my wife. We might be going through a rough patch right now, but I have no intention of divorcing her." Finnian despised being interrogated like this. When he looked up, his gaze was steely and severe.

In that instant, all of Julian's righteous anger and confidence evaporated.

Looking at Finnian, he suddenly felt as though he was looking at a stranger.

"Then what are you going to do about Noelle?" Julian asked hoarsely.

"Kaia, are you having a good time abroad?" Josephine's voice was warm and gentle.

Kaia looked out at the view. "It's been wonderful. Thank you for checking in, Grandmother."

"I imagine Brynlee is thrilled too. She's always been so attached to you," the old woman added.

"Yes."

Josephine chuckled, sounding genuinely pleased. "That's good. As long as the child is happy. Didn't Finnian go looking for you? An emergency came up at the company, so he had to rush back. You'll have to handle Brynlee all by yourself for now."

At the mention of Finnian, Kaia's tone noticeably cooled. "She's very well-behaved. It's no trouble at all."

Josephine deliberately steered the conversation toward Finnian. "Since Finnian came back, we had a little chat. There's something I think you should know."

Kaia's brow furrowed slightly.

"It's about Noelle. She went on another blind date recently, but it was a disaster. That temper of hers... the Sanders family spoiled her too much. She actually threw a glass of water right in the man's face! I made sure to give her a piece of my mind." Josephine purposely brought up the disastrous date, assuming it would pique Kaia's interest.