What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 449

The message went out, and Finnian waited for Kaia's reply. An agonizing hour dragged by with nothing.

Then Dexter called, reporting that Kaia had completely refused to accept the dress.

A suffocating, hollow emptiness suddenly seized Finnian's chest. It wasn't anger, and it wasn't exactly a grievance, but it was an indescribable, heavy sensation that left him feeling completely untethered.

With documents piled high on his desk, he couldn't process a single word. He stood up and decided to pick up Brynlee from school.

Unanswered calls. Apologies vanishing into the void. Sitting in his car, Finnian couldn't help but remember exactly how he used to treat Kaia. He used to ignore her messages constantly and rarely picked up her calls.

Was this how Kaia felt back then?

Waiting, hoping, and ultimately receiving absolute silence in return.

Meanwhile, Kaia was just trying to figure out how she would manage to pick up Brynlee when Finnian's text came through: *I'll pick up Brynlee.*

Kaia didn't bother fighting him on it. She replied with a simple, *Okay.*

Finnian's lips curled into a bitter, self-deprecating smile. She would only ever respond to him when it involved their daughter.

It was around eight o'clock when Kaia finally left the Holistic Wellness Center to head back to her apartment. Just then, a black SUV abruptly pulled up across the street.

Kaia squinted. "Leo!"

Leo Chavez slammed the car door shut, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. He looked exhausted and defeated, completely stripped of his usual arrogant swagger. A heavy shadow of stubble darkened his jaw. Seeing him look so wrecked, Kaia's heart instantly sank.

Leo held up five shaking fingers. "Fifty million dollars."

Hearing that number, Kaia was left entirely speechless. Her brother was still the same—desperate for shortcuts, obsessed with getting rich overnight.

But seeing his pale face and bloodshot eyes, clearly having gone days without sleep, he looked like a walking corpse. The furious lecture on the tip of her tongue dissolved before she could speak it.

"Listen, the guy told me he had an executive from The Sanders Conglomerate backing the deal. I figured if a top Sanders executive was involved, it had to be bulletproof. I was so stupid. What am I supposed to do now? I'm completely cornered. The project is due in a few days, and all the Sanders funding is gone. If this deal collapses, the conglomerate will permanently blacklist me."

Kaia bit her lip. "Who was the executive?"

Leo ran a hand over his face in panic. "I didn't get his full name, just that his last name was Lawson. He said he was a VP in the project management division. I asked around a little, and apparently, the guy did used to work there."