What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 376

"It was nice," Kaia answered evenly. "Brynlee's older now, so traveling with her is a lot easier."

Josephine kept her eyes closed, letting the silence stretch for a moment. "Kaia, I know you've endured a lot in this family. You've been wronged."

Kaia's hands paused for a fraction of a second before continuing. She didn't say a word.

"Finnian is immature," Josephine continued. "I hope you won't hold it against him forever. Men take longer to grow up than women do. Just give him a little more time..."

Kaia kept working the tense muscles, her face an unreadable mask.

She absolutely did not believe Finnian's obsession with his old flame was born of immaturity. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he was completely consumed by it.

When Kaia didn't reply, Josephine turned her head to look at her. "Kaia, can't you just give him a bit more time to grow into the man he should be?"

Kaia met the older woman's gaze with unflinching calm. "I gave him seven years, Grandmother. Seven years is a lifetime. I don't have any more to give."

Josephine stared at her, stunned into silence.

Finally, she let out a heavy, defeated sigh.

Down the hall in the study, Brynlee was sprawled out on the sofa, coloring in a sketchbook. Finnian sat next to her, scrolling through reports on his iPad.

"Dad." Brynlee dropped her crayon, rubbing her little hand. "When are we eating?"

Finnian checked his watch. "Soon."

"Is Mom here yet?" Brynlee asked.

Finnian stood and walked over to the window. "Yeah, her car is parked out front."

Brynlee scrambled up to look. "Aunt Noelle's car is here too! Are you gonna go down and say hi?"

Finnian's jaw tightened imperceptibly. "No. I'm staying up here with you."

Brynlee blinked. "Then I want to go find Mom!"

Noticing Noelle's dismal mood, Elaine used serving tongs to place a beautifully seared piece of steak onto Noelle's plate.

"Try this, Noelle. It was your absolute favorite growing up."

The steak was cooked perfectly, a beautiful crust on the outside, tender and juicy inside.

Not wanting to cause a scene, Noelle picked it up and took a small bite.

Suddenly... a violently sour wave ripped through her stomach. She desperately tried to swallow it down.

But her body rebelled. The nausea was overwhelming.

Before she could even lean away, she let out a loud, sickening gag. She slapped a pale hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with panic. "Excuse me. I need the restroom."

Without waiting for a reply, she shoved her chair back and practically sprinted toward the first-floor bathroom.

Silence fell over the dining room as everyone stared after her.