What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 604

She seemed to have heard the entire exchange between Dr. Evans and Pearl.

"Mrs. Sanders..." Seeing Elaine, Pearl rushed over and shoved her hard. "My daughter is carrying your late son's child! Do you, as a mother, have even an ounce of conscience? Noelle fainted, and you're only showing up now? You claimed you treated her like your own flesh and blood. Was that all just empty talk?"

Martha, who had been supporting Pearl just moments ago, immediately let go. She hurried over to catch the stumbling Elaine, steadying her. Standing firmly behind her employer, Martha snapped at Pearl, "Pearl, what do you think you're doing, attacking Mrs. Sanders? Your daughter failed to protect her own pregnancy. How can you blame that on my boss?"

Pearl stared at the defecting maid, stiffening in outrage.

"Martha, you are my daughter's housekeeper! Why are you taking an outsider's side?"

Martha sneered. "Who said I was her housekeeper? I have always worked for the Sanders family."

Pearl was left entirely speechless.

Elaine stared coldly at Pearl. "Whatever promises I made in the past mean nothing today. Doctor, proceed with the surgery."

"And you are..."

"I am her adoptive mother. The child she is carrying belonged to my late son," Elaine said, her voice laced with pain.

A nurse rushed over with the surgical consent form. Taking the pen, Elaine's hand trembled violently, but she managed to sign her name.

The nurse took the document, and Noelle was immediately transferred from the ER into an operating room.

Pearl squatted in the hallway, sobbing and shaking uncontrollably.

Elaine sat on a plastic chair, her face deathly pale. Her eyes were rimmed with red as she stared blankly ahead, lost in her own thoughts.

The surgery lasted an hour. When Noelle was finally wheeled out, her face was as white as a sheet of paper, her lips entirely devoid of color. She was still unconscious, her brows tightly furrowed in distress.

Startled, Finnian gently caught her fingers. "Mom, it's me. It's Finnian."

Clarity finally returned to Elaine's eyes. The next second, she burst into agonizing sobs. "I failed Rafael. The baby is gone. I failed her!"

Seeing his mother wake up in such a volatile state, Finnian quickly pulled her into a tight embrace, gently rubbing her back to help her breathe. "Mom, this isn't your fault. If anyone is to blame, it's me. It's all my fault."

At this point, Elaine couldn't distinguish who was at fault anymore. She merely buried her face in his shoulder and wept bitterly.

After a long while, her sobbing subsided into intermittent hitches of breath. "Finnian, I asked the hospital for the remains. Once I arrange a proper memorial, I want to lay the child to rest right next to Rafael's grave. Let them be together."

Finnian nodded grimly. "Okay."

Elaine took a deep, shuddering breath. "How did it come to this? How did our family end up like this? I feel so sorry for that child, yet I also feel... she was never meant for this world."