A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 1144

There were times when Starla's words were lethally sharp. This was one of them. She delivered the blow without a shred of hesitation, inflicting a pain that was almost too much to bear.

She cast a fleeting glance at him. "Tanya is leaving tomorrow. She won't tell anyone we're here."

The implication was clear: Don't touch her. As long as her friend was in town, there was no telling when Herbert might snap.

His grip on his silverware tightened. He let out a low chuckle. "Are you really that terrified I'll do something to her?"

Starla didn't answer.

"You can't even give me that tiny bit of trust?" he asked.

Seeing just how much Tanya mattered to her left a sour, bitter taste in his mouth. Anyone, it seemed, was more important than him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't carve out even the smallest space in her heart.

Starla met his question with stony silence.

Trust? How could there ever be trust between them again? They say that two people who truly believe in each other can weather any storm and still hold on to that faith. But after everything that had happened between them, trust was an impossible luxury.

"She can leave safely," Herbert finally said, "but you have to promise me one thing."

Starla braced herself. Here we go again.

Men with his kind of power were truly insufferable at times. To get what they wanted, they would completely disregard the other person's feelings. He knew exactly how much she despised being threatened, yet here he was, doing it anyway.

"What is it?" she asked coldly.

Herbert froze. Her unfiltered disgust cast a dark, gloomy shadow over his deep eyes.

"Do you honestly think any relationship built on constant threats is going to last?" she demanded.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, his chest tightening painfully. "I just don't have any other way."

If he had any other options, he would never have resorted to this.

When she didn't respond, he hardened his resolve. "But I still want it."

Even if she hated him for it, he was going to take whatever he could get. Tanya hadn't left town yet. This was his one rare chance to get what he desperately craved.