What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 361

Kaia looked at her with gratitude. "Celine, I'm not backing down. I just... for Brynlee's sake, I don't want this to turn into an ugly spectacle."

Celine deflated instantly. It was true; children were a mother's heart. If things got too ugly, how would Brynlee secure her rightful share of the estate in the future?

"Kaia, if Noelle ever sends you any unhinged messages again, you have to record them. Even if you don't use them right away, keep them as leverage. If she ever rips her mask off and comes after you, you can nail her to the wall and show everyone exactly how that shameless widow destroyed your family," Celine advised softly.

"Don't worry. The last time she provoked me, I hit record." Kaia wasn't one to go into battle unarmed. Before, she had been too stunned to react, thinking it was impossible for a widow and her brother-in-law to be so brazen. Now that the dust had settled, the facts proved they were capable of far worse.

After dinner, the two women took a walk along the bridge. The ocean breeze carried the salty scent of the sea.

"What are your plans for the future?" Celine asked. "Would you ever marry again?"

Staring out at the water, Kaia replied, "First, I need to finalize this divorce. Then I'll focus on my career and giving Brynlee a good life. My parents are getting older, and they'll need taking care of, too."

Celine paused for a moment. "What about... Simon?"

Kaia stopped in her tracks and turned to look at her. "Celine, I don't want to use him as a rebound to heal my own wounds. It wouldn't be fair to him."

Celine blinked in surprise. "How could he be just a rebound? And even if he were, he'd be more than happy to do it."

"This marriage taught me that nobody is perfect. Not Finnian, and certainly not me. I'm terrified that my own emotional greed would make me demand too much from someone else to fill the void." Kaia was still too afraid to even think about another relationship.

Celine looked at her, offering a gentle smile, and decided not to push the subject.

Kaia was already having a hell of a time just getting a divorce; moving on to the next chapter was a conversation for another day.

"Alright, we don't have to talk about it. Women survive just fine without men, anyway. But I know Simon will wait for you. He'll wait until you're ready to start over," Celine said with a smile.

Reaching the end of the bridge, they stopped. The wide, open bay reflected the lights from the opposite shore. In the distance, the Sky Tower lit up the night like a guiding beacon for sailors, keeping a silent watch over the city.

By the time they returned to the hotel, it was already ten o'clock. Kaia had a flush to her cheeks from a few glasses of wine.

She wanted to find Finnian and bring her daughter back to her own room.

But she had no idea which room he was staying in.

Left with no other option, she stood in the hallway and sent him a text message.

"We won't be married for much longer. Strangers don't need to discuss these things." Kaia turned her head, meeting his gaze with a frosty glare.

Finnian pressed his lips into a tight line, a hint of anger flashing across his face. "Kaia, ever since I met you, you've always kept your feelings locked away. Do you expect me to be a mind reader? If you want me to open up to you, shouldn't you show a little good faith and let me know what's going on in your head?"

Kaia stared at him in disbelief. In the seven years they had been together, Finnian rarely lost his temper or even raised his voice at her. Their relationship had always coasted on a polite, lukewarm plateau.

Yet now, just because she refused to discuss Noelle with him, he had the nerve to get angry.

"Oh, so now you want to know what I'm thinking?" Kaia sneered, eyeing him with thinly veiled contempt as if she were humoring a disobedient dog. "Too late. I don't even want to breathe the same air as you right now."

"I know it's because of Simon." Finnian choked back his own frustration, delivering the low, mocking blow.

The color drained from Kaia's face. Finnian's ability to pull baseless accusations out of thin air was truly staggering.

"Don't project your own filthy mind onto other people," Kaia snapped, genuinely furious. Maybe it was the liquid courage from the wine, but she found an unexpected burst of strength, shoving him hard in the chest. "If you want to lust after your sister-in-law, cheat on your wife, and parade your mistress around, that's your problem. But don't you dare drag my name through the mud."

Caught completely off guard, Finnian stumbled backward from the force of her push. His broad back hit the wall, and his eyes widened in sheer shock.