What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 83

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." she cried out, sounding like a helpless child.

Finnian walked around to the other side and got into the car. He looked at Dexter. "Drive."

The black Bentley sped out of the Estate's gates.

Finnian turned his head and glanced in the direction of the chapel. He knew that after tonight, the last shred of warmth between him and his grandmother had been torn away.

The winter streets were empty and desolate.

The Bentley tore through the night, the heater blasting inside the cabin.

Noelle remained curled up. At some point, Finnian's large overcoat had been draped over her. The warmth, mixed with his crisp, masculine scent, enveloped her and slowly settled her racing heart.

"Go faster," Finnian ordered. His handsome face was tight with tension, his profile looking exceptionally hard in the flickering light from the streetlamps.

Dexter pressed down on the gas pedal, accelerating further.

A heavy silence filled the car, and Noelle's suppressed sobs gradually died down.

"Finnian!" She turned her head, her voice raspy and weak. "I'm sorry. I dragged you into this."

Finnian glanced at her, his jaw tightening as he suppressed his emotions. After a moment, he lowered his voice to comfort her. "Don't speak. We're almost at the hospital."

Hearing the heartache in his tone, Noelle felt a warmth spread through her chest. She lowered her eyes and pulled his coat tighter around herself.

The car took a sharp turn and pulled up to the entrance of Mercy General Hospital.

Finnian got out first, opened her door, and bent down to carefully lift her into his arms.

The pain in her knees was so severe that she couldn't stand, so she naturally buried her face in the crook of his neck, wrapping her arms around him. "Finnian, I'm making trouble for you again. I can't feel my knees at all..."

He gave a low hum of acknowledgment and carried her straight to the elevators with long strides. Behind the reassuring look he gave her lay a deep, unfathomable darkness.

Under the cold, bright lights of the ER, Noelle's dress was gently rolled up, revealing bruised, bloody knees. As the doctor applied antiseptic, she gasped in pain, tears rolling down her cheeks involuntarily.

"The bruising is severe, and I'm worried about ligament damage," Dr. Evans said quickly, his hands moving non-stop as he instructed the nurses to prep the necessary equipment.

Staring at her wounds, Finnian's expression darkened, terrifying anger swirling in his eyes.

He could vividly imagine what she had gone through to end up with knees looking like this from that freezing stone floor.

"Doctor, I expect her to recover fully without any lasting issues or scars."

Dr. Evans glanced at Finnian. The man's face was far too recognizable. He nodded quickly. "Don't worry, Mr. Sanders. We will do everything we can to treat your wife's injuries."

At those words, Noelle's body gave a violent jolt.

Finnian's expression stiffened. Kaia was heading to the Estate to treat Grandmother at this hour?

"Got it, Mom. If Kaia is going to the Estate, I'll head home right now to take care of Brynlee. Someone is coming to stay with Noelle."

After hanging up, he ordered Dexter to stay behind and drove himself back to the Sanders villa.

As he drove down the main road approaching his house, his car passed a silver van going the opposite direction. He instantly recognized the license plate as belonging to one of the Estate's drivers.

It was past three in the morning. A flicker of frustration crossed his brow as he hit the gas, speeding toward home.

An hour earlier, Kaia had been woken up by her phone. It was the butler from the Estate. After profusely apologizing for the hour, he explained that Josephine was suffering from a terrible migraine and a driver was already on the way to pick her up.

Kaia had been managing Josephine's migraines with natural remedies for years. No one knew the older woman's condition better than she did.

After hanging up, she looked at her daughter, who seemed to have been stirred by the noise. The little girl crawled over and rested her head on Kaia's arm. "Mommy, hug..."

Kaia didn't have to think twice.

She quickly changed her clothes and tied her long hair back. Then, she grabbed a thick, plush down blanket and carefully bundled up her sleeping, rosy-cheeked daughter. The little girl opened her eyes for a second before drifting right back to sleep.

Carrying Brynlee securely in her arms, Kaia headed downstairs.

The driver had just arrived. Seeing that Kaia wasn't alone and was carrying a child, he looked surprised but didn't dare say a word, rushing forward to open the car door for her.