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Chapter 193
masmomentarily taken aback, entirely at a loss for for words.
at that moment, the two little girls up ahead let out auta loud squeal. ata caterpillar! I want to put it in my bucket!”et!
ortall men quickly closed the distance.ce.
hurry! Put it in the bucket for me!” Brynlee gragrabbed Finnian’s hand, g it excitedly.
was speechless.
one too! Uncle Simon, I want one!”he!”
was equally speechless. st
g at the squirming little bugs, the two women exchanged a brief,
ss look. In the end, they grabbed adaucouple of twigs and obliged the
emands.
e are baby butterflies! If we takeate them home, they’ll turn into ful butterflies!”
I want to see them transformdrm!”
the innocent joy in the kidsidst faces, both men couldn’t help but
eneath a large patio umbrebrella, Noelle was sitting with a group of
smiling as she watcheched the children play.
as wearing an elegargant cream-colored sundress today, her hair back into a loose, effeffortless knot. She looked gentle,
ible, and compinpletely at ease.
is knewew Kaia personally, but others only recognized ed
newever actually met her.
olketked over to grab her child’s water bottle. The kid kid
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Chapter 193
Sitting in her room, Kaia unlocked her phone and saw the flood of pictures from Finnian. Brynlee looked overjoyed, playing with her best friend, Anna. Kaia noticed Simon in a few of the photos and blinked in surprise.
Just as she was scrolling through, a new batch of photos came through. This time, the sender was Noelle.
The caption read: “Kaia, Brynlee was an absolute angel today. We did some arts and crafts together.”
Kaia’s expression froze. The first photo was taken in the evening. Noelle was sitting next to Brynlee, helping her knead dough to make little bread rolls. Her sweet, innocent daughter was flashing a peace sign, leaning comfortably against Noelle’s arm.
The next set of photos showed Brynlee in her creamy white pajamas, her damp hair clinging to her cheeks, which were flushed pink from a fresh bath. She was clutching her stuffed bunny and leaning into Noelle’s embrace. Noelle was also in a bathrobe, her hair draped loosely over her shoulders. She had one arm wrapped around Brynlee and was holding the phone with the other.
The warm yellow glow of the room bathed them both in soft light. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows behind them, the resort’s nighttime landscape was visible, with the faint shimmer of a lake in the distance.
“Kaia, I hope you don’t mind me keeping Brynlee in my room for the night. She’s gotten a little attached to me. I’ll blow-dry her hair and tuck her in.”
Kaia felt as if a heavy band was tightening around her chest. She pressed a hand over her heart, forcing herself to process what she was looking
Noelle was an expert at orchestrating these quiet, suffocating moments. Every word in her text seemed casual and friendly, but it sent a chilling wave of dread down Kaia’s spine.
She was truly furious now. Did Finnian have absolutely zero boundaries?
1 shin
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Chapter 193
She didn’t care what he did with Noelle on his own time. But when it came to her daughter, Kaia drew a hard line.
She refused to take Noelle’s bait. Instead, she texted Finnian directly. “You promised me you would take care of Brynlee. I expect YOU to handle her personally, not pawn her off on someone else.”
Finnian replied almost instantly with three question marks.
Seeing him play dumb, Kaia didn’t hold back. “Do not leave Brynlee alone with anyone else. I don’t feel comfortable with it.”
Finnian finally caught her drift. He quickly texted back: “Alright. I’ll go pick her up from Noelle’s room right now and watch her myself. Don’t worry.”
Kaia thought for a second, then sent a pointed follow-up. “When preschoolers experience a parental absence, they often transfer their emotional dependency onto a substitute figure. This creates emotional confusion, which damages the primary parent-child relationship and weakens the child’s bond with their actual parents. Finnian, clear boundaries and consistent parenting are our responsibilities. If you’re using this as a convenient excuse for her to bond with Brynlee, I absolutely forbid it.”
A long pause followed before Finnian sent a single word back: “Nonsense!”
Chapter 193
She didn’t care what he did with Noelle on his own time. But when it came to her daughter, Kaia drew a hard line.
She refused to take Noelle’s bait. Instead, she texted Finnian directly. “You promised me you would take care of Brynlee. I expect YOU to handle her personally, not pawn her off on someone else.”
Finnian replied almost instantly with three question marks.
Seeing him play dumb, Kaia didn’t hold back. “Do not leave Brynlee alone with anyone else. I don’t feel comfortable with it.”
Finnian finally caught her drift. He quickly texted back: “Alright. I’ll go pick her up from Noelle’s room right now and watch her myself. Don’t worry.”
Kaia thought for a second, then sent a pointed follow-up. “When preschoolers experience a parental absence, they often transfer their emotional dependency onto a substitute figure. This creates emotional confusion, which damages the primary parent-child relationship and weakens the child’s bond with their actual parents. Finnian, clear boundaries and consistent parenting are our responsibilities. If you’re using this as a convenient excuse for her to bond with Brynlee, I absolutely forbid it.”
A long pause followed before Finnian sent a single word back: “Nonsense!”
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Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.

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