What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 497

Elaine stared back at her, eyes filled with disappointment and agony. "No one else knows how you got Rafael into your room, but I know. He only had two glasses of wine that night. How could he have been so drunk? Afterward, I had someone test his glass. What did you slip into his drink?"

"Mom, I..."

"I asked Rafael about it later. He said he loved you, and no matter what you did, he believed it was because you loved him back. That fool. But the person you really loved was Finnian. Maybe Kaia was right. You don't love anyone; you just love the lifestyle the Sanders family can give you." By this point, Elaine was completely repulsed. To think such manipulation came from a girl who had barely turned twenty-one. The chilling calculation Noelle possessed back then sent shivers down Elaine's spine.

Noelle's throat constricted instantly, as if someone were strangling her. She couldn't utter a single word. All she could do was stare at Elaine through her tears, silently pleading for forgiveness. But Elaine's gaze remained icy with disappointment.

Elaine stood up, walked to the door, and paused. With her back turned, she said, "Noelle, it's not that I don't care for you. It's that after caring for you, I discovered your betrayal. Do you have any idea how much that hurts? I hope you can understand a mother's instinct to protect her son."

Drained of all strength, Noelle collapsed onto the bed. An icy chill seeped into her bones. She felt as though all her past schemes were being systematically ripped apart. The agony was unbearable.

Elaine was her only pillar of support in the Sanders family, and now she had thoroughly shattered Elaine's heart.

What was she going to do?

Noelle curled into a ball on the bed, tears flowing silently.

She remembered eighteen years ago. It was the first time she had met Elaine. Elaine was gentle, her eyes brimming with maternal love. She held her hand and said, "Don't be afraid, child. Call me Mom from now on. I'll take good care of you."

Back then, she thought the Sanders family would be her home forever. But now, it felt as though she had slowly engineered her own eviction. She realized that the harder she tried to weave herself into their lives, the further she was pushed away.

It was already 3:00 AM. Sleep eluded her. She pushed herself up and leaned against the headboard.

Outside the window, the moon was almost full. It reminded her of the day the ambulance arrived at the corporate office for Rafael. By the time it got there, he was already gone. The company doctors had tried to resuscitate him, but it was too late. He left them so suddenly.

Losing her eldest son had plunged her into a deep depression. She never imagined she would have to bury her own child. She had always believed he was in perfect health. His annual medical reports showed no major issues. How could he have suffered a sudden heart attack?

She had questioned Rafael's assistant back then. The assistant mentioned that for the half-month prior, Rafael had complained of poor sleep. He started going for morning runs, working out at the gym during lunch, and eating a clean diet. His only destructive habit was drinking heavily at night. The assistant had tried to talk him out of it, to no avail.

At the time, Elaine had chalked it up to a cruel twist of fate. She believed heaven must have been jealous of the happy young couple and forcibly tore them apart.