I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 81

Finnegan and Seraphina strolled over. Seraphina's grip on Finnegan's arm tightened, a subtle assertion of dominance.

She stopped right in front of Nora, a smug little smile playing on her lips. "Nora, what are you doing here? A table at The Stratosphere isn't exactly easy to book."

Nora gave her a fleeting glance. Her gaze lingered on Seraphina's face for only a second before sliding away, completely devoid of emotion. "I'm waiting for someone."

Finnegan's jaw tightened slightly at her words.

The excuse was pathetically clumsy. He was certain she had booked the table in advance to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary, just as she had done every single year for the past five years.

It was just that she hadn't expected to run into them. Finnegan noted that the table behind Nora was only set for one.

Perhaps out of a sliver of guilt, or maybe just wanting to avoid an ugly scene in public, Finnegan's tone softened. "You should head home early, Nora. The person you're waiting for is never going to show up."

Seraphina's heart lurched. She snapped her head to look at Finnegan. His striking profile was bathed in the warm, ambient light of the restaurant, and his eyes were fixed on Nora with an emotion she didn't quite want to decipher.

Secretly biting her lip, she quickly rearranged her expression into one of elegant sympathy. "Nora, I know you can't let go of Finn, but he's gone. You need to move on. It's not healthy to trap yourself in memories of the past. It just causes you unnecessary pain."

As she spoke, she leaned her head affectionately against Finnegan's shoulder, a sickeningly sweet smile gracing her lips. "Don't you want a life like mine? Having a shoulder to lean on when you're sad, and someone to share your joy with when you're happy?"

Finnegan looked down at her, his expression melting into pure tenderness.

Watching the sickening display, Nora forced down the suffocating wave of despair in her chest. Her throat felt raw. "Thank you for your concern, Fred, Seraphina. But I really am waiting for someone here."

He let out a heavy, patronizing sigh. "Nora, I know you still care about Finn, but you need to think about your daughter."

Nora was done talking to them. Every word felt like talking to a brick wall. She told them she was waiting for someone, but they refused to believe her. They only believed their own twisted version of reality.

She turned on her heel to leave, but Finnegan grabbed her wrist in a vice-like grip.

His brows knitted together furiously. "Did you not hear me? Nora, I'm doing this for your own good. For the sake of the family."

Seraphina immediately chimed in from the sidelines. "Exactly, Nora. You're being incredibly unreasonable right now. We're just looking out for you."