I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 9

Right at the entrance of the restaurant across the street, Finnegan was pushing the door open.

He stood tall, his arm wrapped intimately around Seraphina's waist.

Though still a bit pale, Seraphina wore a gentle, tranquil smile, looking up at Finnegan as they spoke.

Finnegan looked down at her, his eyes practically overflowing with affection.

That tenderness was entirely different from how he looked at Nora.

Towards Nora, he was domineering and controlling, sometimes even treating her with a sense of charity.

But his gentleness towards Seraphina was genuine, rooted in deep care and devotion.

Cassie walked between them, holding her father's hand on one side and Seraphina's on the other. Her little face beamed with a bright, blissful smile, acting completely different than she did around Nora.

Finnegan looked up and spotted her too. The moment he saw the man standing beside her, a frown involuntarily formed, and a dark shadow flashed through his deep eyes.

Why was Nora with another man?

Seraphina tugged at his sleeve, lowering her voice. "What is it, Finn?"

Finnegan snapped out of it, flashing her a smile without casting another glance at Nora. "Nothing."

Nora stood frozen, her heart feeling as if an invisible hand was crushing it. It hurt so much she could barely breathe.

Xander noticed her sudden shift in demeanor. Following her gaze, a knowing, calculating look flashed in his eyes.

Bonnie sensitively picked up on the tension. She tugged at Nora's hand, looking up with genuine concern. "Are you feeling sick?"

Before Nora could answer, Cassie's voice pierced the air.

"Mom!"

Cassie spotted her instantly. Letting go of Finnegan's hand, she ran over, but the smile vanished from her face the second she saw Bonnie.

She glared at Bonnie, then at Nora's hand holding Bonnie's. A wave of jealousy washed over her. Her lip curled, and without a second thought, she shoved Bonnie hard.

Caught entirely off guard, Bonnie fell hard onto the ground. She was stunned for a moment before her eyes turned red, tears instantly pooling in them.

Everything happened so fast that Nora barely had time to react.

By the time she processed it, Cassie was pointing at Bonnie on the ground, her chin held high as she spoke with total entitlement. "She's my mom! Don't you have your own?"

Nora's expression instantly shifted.

"Cassie!"

She scolded sharply, dropping to a crouch to help Bonnie up. "How could you push someone?"

Bonnie was pulled up, crying pitifully.

With that, she buried her face into Seraphina's embrace, sobbing breathlessly.

Seraphina's brow furrowed slightly. She shot Nora a quick glance, a glimmer of resentment flashing in her eyes, before leaning down to gently rub Cassie's back, coaxing her softly. "There, there. Stop crying, Cassie. I'm right here."

Finnegan's expression wasn't looking great either.

He frowned at Nora, his tone carrying a mix of reproach and exasperation. "Nora, this isn't how you discipline a child. Yelling at her in front of outsiders is only going to backfire and make her resent you."

He let out a sigh. "Let Cassie come home with us tonight. You need to really think about how you talk to her. She's still little; there are certain things you just shouldn't say so harshly."

With that, he placed a hand on Seraphina's waist and turned to leave. He paused, casting a loaded look back. "Nora, you really ought to be mindful of appearances. Today is Finnegan's death anniversary, after all."

After speaking, he turned and walked away. From a distance, they really did look like a perfect family of three.

Nora stood rooted to the spot, her chest feeling entirely hollowed out, as if a freezing wind were blowing straight through her.

What did Finnegan mean by that? Surely she wasn't supposed to believe he still cared about her.

Whatever. It had nothing to do with her anymore.

Nora slowly turned around, intending to continue on her way, but she froze the moment she turned.

Zelda Vance was stepping out of a car.

When Zelda saw her, her eyes immediately welled up with tears. "Nora, what are you doing here? Your professor heard you were at the police station, and his blood pressure shot right up. He insisted on coming to get you himself. I barely managed to keep him in the car."