Whats She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 208

Chapter 208

Chapter 208

Noelle was shocked and speechless.

Hearing this, Finnian finally looked down at his daughter. “Brynlee,” he said gently, “she’s your aunt. We’re family. It’s totally normal to buy a gift for family. You shouldn’t say things like that.”

“But we came here today to buy a gift for Mom! We never said we were buying a gift for Aunt Noelle. She picked it out herself, so shouldn’t she pay for it herself?” Brynlee’s logic was air-tight, and she delivered it with absolute confidence.

Finnian just reached out and ruffled her hair, not offering any further correction.

Noelle had originally planned to throw a little tantrum to make Finnian feel guilty and insist on paying.

Now, thanks to this little terror calculating every move, Finnian hadn’t picked up on her cues at all.

“Brynlee, who taught you to talk like that? You certainly are full of surprises today. But honestly, it’s a good thing. With a mind that sharp, no one will ever be able to trick you when you grow up,” Noelle praised with a tight smile. Inside, she was boiling with rage. “Kaia really raised a piece of work. If she’s this calculating now, what is she going to be like when she’s older?”

“No one taught me, Aunt Noelle. I thought of it all by myself! I’m really smart, right?” Brynlee couldn’t detect the venom in Noelle’s voice and took the compliment at face value.

Once they finished paying, Noelle made an excuse about needing to be somewhere and quickly left. Before heading to the elevator, she made a big show of telling Finnian and Brynlee to drive safe. Right before she walked away, she pinched Brynlee’s cheek-a little too hard, clearly struggling to

hide her irritation.

Brynlee happily carried the shopping bag and followed her dad to the car.

Noelle turned on her heel, the smile vanishing from her face the second she faced the elevator doors.

“I am so incredibly pissed,” Noelle hissed, her fists clenched. She was absolutely convinced that someone behind the scenes was coaching Brynlee to say these insulting things.

The sleek black Bentley pulled up to the estate. Finnian looked down at his daughter, who was fighting to keep her eyes open.

“We’re home. I have to go give Mom her present! I just know she’s going to love it!” Brynlee suddenly perked up, her energy magically returning.

Just as they stepped out of the car, Kaia walked out to the front porch. She was wearing a white bathrobe, her long dark hair casually clipped up in the back.

“Mommy! This is for you!” Brynlee couldn’t wait another second, thrusting the gift bag she had been clutching toward Kaia. “I picked it out all by myself!”

Kaia looked at the purple velvet box and felt her chest tighten.

She looked past her daughter to Finnian, who was stepping out of the car. “Brynlee spotted it the second we walked in,” he said softly. “She said it was perfect for you. You should take it.”

Kaia knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. If Finnian was suddenly buying her gifts, there

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was undoubtedly some ulterior motive behind it.

“Mommy, why aren’t you taking it? Do you not like it?” Brynlee’s arms were starting to get tired, and her big, dark eyes were filled with desperate anticipation.

Kaia couldn’t bear to break her daughter’s heart. She reached out and took the box, forcing a gentle smile. “I love it. Thank you, sweetheart.”

“You’re welcome!” Brynlee beamed, thoroughly satisfied.

Finnian could clearly tell Kaia hadn’t wanted to accept the gift. He stepped closer and added, “It’s almost May. May 3rd is…”

“Brynlee, let’s go upstairs, get you a bath, and get you to bed,” Kaia cut him off entirely, crouching down to focus solely on her daughter.

“Okay,” Brynlee agreed.

Finnian watched as Kaia picked Brynlee up and walked straight into the house without giving him another glance. His jaw clenched tight.

After Kaia gave Brynlee a bath, the little girl couldn’t fight her exhaustion any longer. She fell fast asleep, clinging tightly to Kaia’s arm.

Kaia, however, couldn’t sleep. The velvet box sitting on her nightstand made her stomach churn.

She refused to touch it again. Instead, she picked up her phone to reply to some work emails.

When she unlocked her screen, it was still on her messaging app. She had shared some industry news in a group chat earlier, and everyone was congratulating a Veridian Future executive on his recent engagement. Kaia remembered she needed to go like his post.

She opened her feed, only to be immediately confronted by a post Noelle had made just two minutes

ago.

The photo showed a woman’s hand resting delicately against her collarbone. On her middle finger was a massive diamond ring, but the focus was on the stunning emerald and diamond necklace draped over her flawless skin. The soft bathroom lighting gave the whole picture an aura of effortless luxury.

The diamond ring and the necklace looked like a matching set, exuding quiet, aggressive wealth.

The caption read: “A little reward for myself can be a pleasant surprise.”

Kaia didn’t know much about fine jewelry, but Brynlee had just mentioned that Noelle had crashed their shopping trip and bought herself a necklace while they were out.

This had to be the one.

Kaia checked the number of likes. It was low, meaning Noelle had likely restricted who could see the post again.

What exactly was Noelle trying to prove? That she was entitled to double whatever the actual wife received?

Kaia tossed her phone onto the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. In that moment, she felt nothing

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Chapter 208

but bone-deep exhaustion and overwhelming disgust.

The next morning.

Sunlight spilled through the hallway windows, casting a warm glow on the plush carpet.

Finnian had a habit of waking up early for a run. At 6:30 AM, he opened the door to the guest room.

Sitting perfectly perfectly in the center of the floor, right outside his door, was a purple velvet box.

It was the exact same box he had given Kaia the night before.

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