Noelle froze. She had calculated every angle, assuming Finnian would be overjoyed to know his beloved brother’s bloodline was continuing. She hadn’t anticipated him throwing that disastrous night back in her face.
“Finnian, I… I was blind drunk that night. I barely even remember what I said.” She pressed her fingers to her temples, contorting her face into a mask of pure agony.
Finnian wasn’t buying it. His eyes remained glacial. “You told me you were terrified Grandmother was going to deport you. You said you needed a baby to secure your inheritance and your place in this family. You lured me up there to proposition me.”
Noelle gasped, shrinking back as fresh tears flooded her eyes. She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking violently. “I’m so sorry! Finnian, please, I was out of my mind with fear! I didn’t mean a single word of it, it was just the panic talking! Please don’t hate me!”
Finnian looked down at the sobbing woman. Her grief looked real. Her tears were as pitiful and heartbreaking as they had always been. But for the very first time, an insidious thought crept into his mind: She’s manipulating me.
“You already had my brother’s embryos ready to go. Throwing yourself at
r me was completely out of line,” Finnian stated coldly. “And to make matters worse, Kaia heard every word you said. She brought it up days ago. You need to go to her and confess the truth.”
“What? Kaia heard us? I’m sure there was no one on the third floor that day!” Noelle’s blood ran cold. The pieces clicked into place-this was why Kaia had been treating her like absolute garbage ever since the memorial.
“She… she must have completely misunderstood! Finnian, what do we do?” Noelle panicked, her face turning an alarming shade of gray.
Chapter 380
Finnian rubbed his jaw in frustration. “I already tried explaining it to her, But she refuses to believe me.”
“Then you have to go tell her the truth. Clear this up before it destroys your marriage,” Finnian ordered.
“I will. I promise, Finnian, I’ll make her understand.” Seeing the genuine fury in his eyes over the memorial incident, Noelle dialed her
earnestness up to eleven.
Finnian sighed heavily. “Not right now. You need to recover.” He took in her frail appearance. The doctor had been very clear: the fainting spell had caused spotting, meaning the pregnancy was at risk. She needed absolute bed rest for the next week.
“I’m so sorry,” Noelle wept. “This is all my fault.”
Finnian stared at her for a long time before speaking again. “Why didn’t you talk to Mom about this? Why secretly go through with an embryo transfer? This isn’t exactly a small decision, Noelle. You should have consulted the family.”
Noelle looked up, her eyes wide with frantic desperation. “If I had told Josephine, she would have forced me to abort them! She hates me, Finnian! She just wants me gone! I did it in secret because I was terrified of losing the only pieces of Rafael I have left!”
Finnian rejected the excuse instantly. “These children are my brother’s final bloodline. I guarantee you, Mom and Grandmother would have been thrilled. They wouldn’t have blamed you.”
“And you?” Noelle whispered, her eyes swimming in tears. “Are you mad at me?”
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.

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