Whats She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 204

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Chapter 204

The moment they arrived at the estate, Kaia noticed a maintenance van parked out front. Several of the housekeeping staff were bustling around, seemingly preparing for repairs in the old wing of the

house.

As Kaia and Brynlee walked in, they heard Elaine talking to Noelle in the living room. “Noelle, there’s a bunch of boxes sitting on the top shelf in Finnian’s old room. Tell Ava to grab a ladder and clear them out. With this damp weather, I don’t want them getting ruined by mold.”

Noelle agreed. When she turned and saw Kaia and Brynlee, she immediately flashed a warm, welcoming smile. “Kaia! Brynlee! You made it.”

“Aunt Noelle, are you going to clean? I want to come help!” Brynlee said, at the age where everything

sounded like a fun adventure.

Elaine immediately shut that down. “No, Brynlee, don’t go over there. That room hasn’t been deep-cleaned in ages. It’s too dusty for you.”

The Sanders Estate consisted of an old wing and a newly built main house. The family used to live in the old wing before transitioning into the modern mansion. Now, apart from the staff quarters, those rooms were rarely used.

“Okay,” Brynlee agreed with a nod.

Elaine looked over at Kaia. “Grandmother asked for you, didn’t she? Go on upstairs and see about her arthritis. This damp weather always acts up her knees.”

“I will,” Kaia said. She carried her bag of natural healing supplies upstairs while Elaine stayed in the living room to keep an eye on Brynlee.

Meanwhile, Noelle found Ava, grabbed a step ladder, and headed over to the old wing.

At the end of the second-floor hallway was the bedroom Finnian grew up in. Because the estate was massive, this room had been left exactly as it was when he moved out.

Every time Noelle walked down this specific hallway, she felt a strange sense of nostalgia, as if she were being transported back to their youth. Even the smell of old books and aged wood in the room

carried the distinct scent of those memories.

“Miss Noelle, it’s really dusty in here. You should wait outside, I’ll handle the cleaning,” Ava said. Having worked for the Sanders family for over thirty years, she knew every inch of this house.

She set up the step ladder and started wiping down the very top shelf of the massive bookcase.

“It’s fine. I’ll just stay out of the way and keep you company,” Noelle replied. There was no way she was leaving.

She walked over to the bookcase, scanning the familiar titles. These were the books Finnian had read back in the day-heavy volumes on finance and management. On the lower shelves were some philosophy and history books she had personally recommended to him.

The air was thick with the smell of dust and the past.

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Chapter 204

“Oh, my. What’s this box doing all the way up here?” Ava’s voice snapped Noelle out of her thoughts.

Noelle looked up just in time to see Ava struggling to pull down a dark brown leather suitcase, its surface caked in a thick layer of dust.

“I think I remember these. The boys had a few of them growing up,” Ava noted, dusting it off.

Noelle didn’t recognize it at all. She crouched down to get a better look.

“It’s locked,” Ava pointed out. “Needs a combination.”

Noelle pulled the small suitcase closer. Stamped into the leather in faded gold lettering were Finnian’s initials.

“It must belong to Mr. Sanders,” Ava said in surprise. “Those are his initials. It’s got a combination lock… I wonder if there’s anything important inside. You should try to open it, Miss Noelle.”

Noelle immediately tried Finnian’s birthday. It didn’t pop.

She tried Josephine’s and Elaine’s birthdays. Still nothing.

Then, driven by a sudden, inexplicable urge, she dialed in her own birthday. With a sharp click, the ancient brass latch popped open.

Ava blinked in surprise, looking down at Noelle.

Noelle’s heart skipped a beat, a sudden, sweet thrill flooding her chest.

She slowly lifted the lid. The contents were surprisingly simple: an old photo album and a stack of greeting cards.

Noelle picked up the album and checked the date on the first page. She froze.

It was the exact date of her eighteenth birthday.

“Miss Noelle, isn’t this your dress? I think I remember you wearing this,” Ava said, noticing a piece of fabric folded at the bottom of the case.

Noelle’s breath hitched. She reached in and shook out the fabric. It was the exact pale yellow dress she had worn for her eighteenth birthday party.

But she vividly remembered having to change out of it halfway through the night because she unexpectedly got her period. She had swapped it for a blue dress and assumed the yellow one had been thrown away by the housekeeping staff.

How in the world…

Noelle immediately flipped the dress over. Sure enough, near the hem, there was a small, dried, dark brown stain.

Why on earth would a dress that should have been thrown in the trash be locked inside his personal suitcase?

This was Finnian’s case. Had he been hiding this for ten years?

A sudden flush of heat rushed to her cheeks, a deeply private, intoxicating sense of intimacy taking

root in her heart.

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Her mind was spinning, a flood of memories rushing back to her.

“What is that? Why is it dirty? Miss Noelle, it’s been in here for ages. You should just throw it out, I’ll

get rid of it for you,” Ava offered gently.

Noelle snapped back to reality and clutched the dress tightly to her chest. “No!”

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