I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 24

Nora couldn't help but laugh. "I'll go check on the new equipment then."

Zelda nodded. "Go ahead. Come back at noon, and I'll make us some lunch."

Nora agreed and stepped back out the door.

In the lab at the end of the hall, several researchers were busy unboxing.

Once the Harrison Group's funds had cleared, the first batch of equipment was delivered overnight. Three massive wooden crates sat in the middle of the room as the team pried away the panels with tools, filling the air with the sharp scent of fresh sawdust.

As Nora approached, the sleek, silver casing of the new machines gleamed under the fluorescent lights, looking precise and incredibly advanced.

Nora reached out and ran her hand along the smooth surface. During her previous time at the lab, she had used this exact line of equipment, but hadn't touched it once since leaving.

Five years had passed, and the model had finally been upgraded.

Staring at the machines, an inexplicable wave of profound relief washed over her.

This equipment meant the projects could finally resume. The cancer drug development could push forward, the clinical trial data for the antibiotics could be re-verified, and all the progress bars that had been stalled for six months could start moving again.

Her efforts hadn't been in vain.

Standing in the middle of the lab, Nora's lips curved upward instinctively. It had been far too long since she'd witnessed a scene like this.

...

At that exact moment, back at the estate.

When Cassie opened her eyes and rolled over, her immediate instinct was to call for her mother. But just as she opened her mouth, she realized someone was lying beside her.

Finnegan leaned against the bedroom doorframe with his arms crossed. He wore a crisp white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms and the top two buttons undone.

He watched Seraphina, a profound tenderness shining in his eyes.

"How do you like taking care of a kid?"

Seraphina swept her hair over one shoulder and turned back to smile at him. "It's actually really nice. Cassie is incredibly sweet—much better behaved than I expected."

Finnegan raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

Seraphina walked over, looked up at him, and reached out to adjust his collar. The gesture was completely natural and intimate as she spoke softly. "Finn, why don't we have a child of our own?"

Finnegan's hands paused. For some inexplicable reason, Nora's face flashed through his mind, and he hesitated, failing to answer the question immediately.