I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 129

The moment Seraphina's words dropped, the entire atmosphere at the dinner table soured. Her phrasing was impeccable and her tone impossibly gentle, making it seem as though she were kindly offering Nora a way out.

In reality, she had successfully dragged everyone's attention right back to the reason for Nora's tardiness, providing a brand-new outlet for the anger Alastair had just managed to suppress.

Right on cue, Julian Fletcher was the first to put down his glass. As a vice president at the Fletcher Group, he constantly demanded respect.

He was fiercely rigid about rules and prestige. Having been forced to wait for half an hour, he already felt his pride had been wounded. Prompted by Seraphina, his face turned completely frigid.

"Exactly, Nora. Even if you had an excuse, shouldn't you give us a proper explanation? Did you really think tossing out a flimsy line about traffic would be enough for us? Our time is valuable. We were willing to clear our schedules to gather with Alastair, so why couldn't you? Is your time somehow more precious than ours?"

As soon as he finished, the rest of the table immediately chimed in, tossing out a flurry of agreements.

"She was never truly part of the main bloodline anyway."

Someone muttered, "Zero manners. Zero breeding."

Even harsher insults drifted intermittently over the clinking of glasses.

Nora sat next to the empty chair. A circle of people surrounded her, all talking loudly, yet not a single person was actually speaking to her.

They were busy passing judgment. Her input was entirely unnecessary.

Adelaide shot Nora an icy glare and slammed her chopsticks against the table with a sharp crack.

She had never liked this daughter-in-law to begin with. Seeing Nora not only show up late but also sit there with such unapologetic composure made her blood boil even more.

The entire table fell dead silent. Julian's hand froze mid-air with his chopsticks. Adelaide's mouth hung open in shock. Even the servant pouring wine by the wall stood utterly paralyzed.

Without uttering a single curse word, Nora's statement was like a bucket of ice water poured directly over everyone's heads, ruthlessly puncturing the unspoken truth that everyone knew but never dared to say out loud.

They had never truly respected her. All her past efforts to bow her head and please them had merely been playing along with a charade. Tonight, she was done acting.

Alastair's face darkened, but he remained silent. Beside him, Eleanor Fletcher, who hadn't said a word all evening, finally spoke up.

The matriarch's voice was much softer than her husband's, carrying an effortless authority. "Nora, we all know you're struggling with the loss of your husband, and it pains us just as much. There's no need for you to act out like this."

Upon hearing those words, Nora felt absolutely nothing.