What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 538

Was she freezing him out now because she suspected him of emotional infidelity with Noelle during their marriage? Did she find him utterly repulsive?

Stepping into the elevator, Finnian leaned against the metal wall. The mirrored reflection showed a man at the height of his power, yet his handsome features were weighed down by a profound, unnamable sense of loss.

Finnian flew back to headquarters early. By the following afternoon, Dexter walked into his office with an update.

"Boss, I found Jasper."

Finnian's eyes darkened. "Set up a meeting."

Since being released from prison, Jasper had been scraping by as a foreman at a construction site on the outskirts of the city. Once the golden boy of his architectural design college, he was now relegated to the dirt and grime—a brutal departure from his former ambitions.

When Dexter tracked him down and explained why he was there, Jasper trembled uncontrollably and immediately looked for an escape route. "Mr. Jasper," Dexter called out calmly behind him, "my boss just wants to ask you a few questions. He isn't here to make trouble for you."

Glancing at the sleek black Bentley parked ominously in the distance, Jasper's legs turned to jelly. He reluctantly agreed to the meeting.

Finnian hadn't chosen a high-end restaurant or private club. He met him right there on the site, inside a flimsy, dust-coated trailer furnished with plastic chairs and a folding table. Dexter set two bottles of water down and stepped back.

Finnian sat by the dirt-streaked window, the afternoon sun casting a sharp, golden glow across his striking profile.

Finnian studied him with chilling detachment. "I didn't accuse you of anything today. I'm just here to clarify some details from the past. Sit down."

Jasper hesitated, then looked up, his eyes immediately welling with red-rimmed panic. "What do you want to know?"

"The police report stated they found chemical stimulants in your system," Finnian began. "Did you bring those drugs for yourself and Noelle?"

Jasper shook his head vehemently. "No! No, I never brought anything like that! A friend invited me out for drinks at a bar. I only had one glass, but suddenly my head felt like it was on fire. My friend kept hyping me up, telling me to go for it. That's the only reason I found the nerve to ask Noelle to meet me at that hotel. When I got there, I was still somewhat lucid, but then everything just went blurry. Noelle was standing there, talking to me, and she just looked so incredibly beautiful, so soft. I felt this overwhelming certainty that she would let me do whatever I wanted to her. But then she threw a glass of cold water in my face. When I finally snapped out of it, I realized what I was doing. I regretted it instantly."

Finnian didn't blink. His gaze remained as cold and flat as a frozen lake. "So you're saying you never intended to assault her. Someone set you up."