What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 415

Seeing that his grandmother was urging him to take the initiative and win Kaia back, a wave of frustration washed over Finnian. "Grandmother, you raised me. You know my personality. I don't like forcing people into things, especially when it comes to relationships. If we can make it work, great. If not, we go our separate ways. I don't care either way."

"You stubborn fool. Can you really afford to be so impulsive with matters of the heart?" she snapped. "If you don't take the initiative, are you genuinely expecting a woman like Kaia to make the first move? Do you have any sense of responsibility as a man?"

Finnian's pride had always been a massive barrier. From childhood to adulthood, he had never once taken the proactive role in any relationship. Of course, Noelle was the exception—he considered that a familial bond, where stepping up was never embarrassing.

"Grandmother, is there anything else?" Finnian clearly had no desire to continue the conversation.

"I can see Kaia is dead set on divorcing you this time. But have you stopped to consider the fallout? Both Aethelstan and Veridian rely entirely on her technical expertise. Furthermore, the major shareholders and investors within the conglomerate will be watching your marital status closely. A divorce will be disastrous for both you and the business. I suggest you seriously weigh the consequences before you let your fragile ego dictate your actions. Decide whether you want to step up now, or wait until the divorce is finalized to start regretting it." As a matriarch of the Sanders family, Josephine's priorities were naturally aligned with the family empire's survival. She admired Kaia, yes, but her admiration only went so far.

Finnian tensed, clearly absorbing every word she said. The arrogant, untouchable demeanor he had displayed just moments ago fractured, revealing a trace of sheer defeat. He nodded slowly. "I hear you, Grandmother. I won't forget it. Kaia and I have an arrangement. We're discussing divorce, but we won't actually go through with it. Brynlee is still so young, and her condition is incredibly unstable. If she has a severe flare-up, the consequences would be catastrophic. For the sake of her health, neither Kaia nor I will take that final step lightly. You don't need to worry."

"Using a sick child to chain a mother down... Lord, that breaks my heart," Josephine murmured, closing her eyes in pain.

A bitter taste flooded Finnian's mouth. Why did everyone assume he was the one who couldn't survive without Kaia?

"You're going to have to find that answer for yourself. From where I'm standing, you definitely had feelings for her at some point. You wouldn't have married her out of nowhere. And don't give me that excuse about being tied together by a project. If she had been an ugly, unpleasant woman, you never would have agreed to it. It was precisely because Kaia is young, brilliant, and gorgeous that you fell for her. You've just forced yourself to forget it." Josephine offered the blunt reminder, hoping he would dig past his defenses and find the truth buried deep within.

People were entirely too good at deceiving themselves. They used their immense pride and ironclad egos to pretend they didn't care, acting utterly indifferent. But the devastating truth was that the moment the final verdict arrived, the emotional collapse was absolute—and by then, it was always too late.

Finnian's legs felt like lead as he walked away from the second floor. His grandmother's words had struck him like a physical blow, igniting a quiet, terrifying shift within him. These were the emotions he had kept buried beneath his pride, the feelings he had refused to acknowledge, perhaps out of sheer fear of facing them... or his deep-seated terror of ever having to beg.

When Finnian reached the ground floor, Noelle was sitting blankly on the sofa. Elaine had gone off to play mahjong with the other female relatives, leaving Noelle entirely alone.