A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 1065

Fairfax looked at Starla. They ate in complete silence. It wasn't until she set down her silverware and turned to head upstairs that he finally spoke.

"Starla..."

He stared at her back, struggling for words. She paused and glanced over her shoulder but didn't speak.

"Do we really have to do this?" he asked, referring to Xenia.

She knew perfectly well that choosing between Xenia and Susanna was impossible for him, yet she had backed him into this corner.

"It's not about what I have to do. It's what you insisted on doing, isn't it?"

Why was she to blame?

"None of this had anything to do with me, but you dragged me into it anyway." He was the one who pulled her into his mess, and now he was asking if she had to be so ruthless?

Fairfax felt the familiar, suffocating tightness in his chest.

"Fairfax, you absolutely disgust me," Starla said flatly.

The words struck him like a physical blow. The pure, unadulterated loathing in her voice was unmistakable. It radiated from her very bones.

Fairfax squeezed his eyes shut. "Susanna has to come back."

"I don't want to hear it. It has nothing to do with me."

"She was good to you once."

"So, once this is all over and Susanna is safely back with you, Xenia gets out again. Is that right?"

Fairfax fell silent.

"You're not even trying to hide your schemes," Starla mocked.

It was a brilliant little calculation on his part. What kind of compromise was that? A temporary arrangement he could reverse the moment it suited him, and he expected her to be grateful for his 'sacrifice.' It was pathetic.

"I swear, I won't care if she lives or dies," Fairfax said desperately. "I won't interfere with whatever happens to her in there. Is that enough?"

To him, this was the ultimate betrayal of his sister. If Starla didn't accept this, he would have no other choice. The thought of what he'd have to do next made him feel sick, but if she pushed him, his hands were tied.

Starla looked at him, her eyes cold. She could see he had reached his breaking point.